NHL roundup: Avs fire Sacco
Joe Sacco is out as Colorado Avalanche coach.
The team fired Sacco on Sunday, the day after it finished last in the Western Conference and had the second-worst record in the NHL this season at 16-25-7.
There was no word on a possible successor.
Sacco guided the Avalanche to the playoffs in his first season as coach in 2009-10, but Colorado has failed to reach the postseason for the past three years.
Eric LaCroix, the Avs' vice president of hockey operations, also has left the team, the Denver Post reported. Team president Pierre Lacroix and general manager Greg Sherman are still with the Avalanche.
--- One day after the Dallas Stars failed to make the NHL playoffs for the fifth straight season, the team fired general manager Joe Nieuwendyk. The Stars are set to hire Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill to fill the position, according to reports. The team has scheduled an announcement for Monday.
There was also an RDS report on Sunday that indicated Stars coach Glen Gulutzan would be fired after two seasons.
---Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich had surgery for a sports hernia earlier this month, according to the Washington Post, and may be able to return if the Caps make it to the second round of the playoffs.
---In preparation for the first round of the NHL playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks made two roster moves, recalling defensemen Klas Dahlbeck and Dylan Olsen from Rockford of the American Hockey League.
---The Nashville Predators reassigned forwards Daniel Bang, Taylor Beck, Kevin Henderson,Chris Mueller and Joonas Rask, and defenseman Victor Bartley, to Milwaukee of the AHL.
The Admirals play Game Three of their best-of-five Calder Cup Playoff series with Texas on Wednesday.
