Patrick Roy's retirement leaves a huge void in the NHL's star system, and an even bigger void in goal for the Colorado Avalanche.

Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix is faced with an alphabet soup of possibilities to replace Roy, but they are not as simple as A-B-C.

	David Aebischer Goaltender Colorado Avalanche Profile
	2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L T SV% GAA 22 7 12 0 .916 2.43

In this case, "A" would be David Aebischer, Roy's backup in Colorado. "B" would be either Martin Biron or Sean Burke, a couple of goalies who could be dealt by the Buffalo Sabres and Phoenix Coyotes, respectively. And "C" could be Roman Cechmanek, the elite regular-season goalie from the Philadelphia Flyers who is ticketed out of town.

Though it wasn't made public until now, Roy had mentioned to several members of the team management as early as January that this was going to be his last season. According to one team member, Roy felt uncomfortable in the locker room because he could no longer go up to players and demand a better performance out of them. Roy knew that his game had slipped -- at least by his standards -- and he was no longer in a position to make such demands. And it was that kind of fire, emotion and leadership that helped him and the team reach such lofty goals.

Knowing that, the team's management addressed the situation in postseason meetings. And while there wasn't a clear-cut decision made on which way to venture into the post-Roy era, it was evident that most on the staff felt the future was more likely to be tied to prospect Phil Sauve, the son of Roy's agent and former NHL goalie, Bob Sauve.

That might be the future, but in the immediate present there is some strong sentiments that 2003-04 will be the last for Lacroix. So while the long-term future might entail Sauve and Lacroix's son, Eric, at the head of a management team, next season might be the last chance to run for a Cup with the remaining core of Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Rob Blake.

That is why the Avalanche are exploring so many options.

One of the most intriguing would be a trade for Biron. Mired in their own post-great-goalie-era after the retirement of Dominik Hasek last summer, the Sabres are loaded with highly regarded young prospects, namely Mikka Norenen and Ryan Miller. This would be the time to go with the kids. Biron will draw interest from all quarters, as the Avalanche will have to compete with inquiries from Philadelphia and perhaps Tampa Bay, who may be finding Nikolai Khabibulin's contract too big to stomach.

	Nikolai Khabibulin Goaltender Tampa Bay Lightning Profile
	2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM W L T SV% GAA 65 30 22 11 .911 2.47

Khabibulin is actually another option for Avalanche. The Lightning's star goalie was not the goalie of choice in Game 5 against New Jersey in this year's playoffs. It was a bold move by coach John Tortorella. Hurt feelings aside, what kind of discovery did the team make when they realized their $6-million-per-season goalie wasn't the best option for a must-win playoff game? Maybe that John Grahame will be the top goalie in Tampa Bay.

Cechmanek? He lost his focus and composure in the playoffs again, but he has great statistics, and the Flyers' lineup is full of holes in front of him. Given an elite team to score some big goals for him, he might be the Ed Belfour of the future -- Belfour finally won a Cup with a solid team in Dallas. It also wouldn't take much to get Cechmanek -- the Flyers have made it very clear he is no longer welcome.

And, oh yes, there is the wild chance the Avalanche could sign Jean-Sebastien Giguere, a Group II free agent, to an offer sheet that Anaheim simply could not match. But Pierre Lacroix would never do that, would he?

Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN.