 David Aebischer returned home with Alex Tanguay to play for Swiss club HC Lugano; Milan Hejduk and Peter Forsberg returned to their former teams in their native countries, HC Pardubice and Modo Hockey.Nine other players from the Avalanche 2003–04 roster played in Europe during the lockout.After the 2004–05 NHL lockout and the implementation of a salary cap, the Avalanche were forced to release some of their top players.