# 2003–04 Colorado Avalanche season

The 2003–04 Colorado Avalanche season was the Avalanche's ninth season. For the first time since moving to Colorado, the Avalanche did not win their division. They defeated the Dallas Stars in the Quarterfinal round, but lost in the Semifinal round to the San Jose Sharks.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Northwest Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 2 | 4 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 235 | 198 | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 4 | 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 5 | 10 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
| 2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
| 8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2003–04 regular season :
October: 5–4–0–0 (home: 3–3–0–0; road: 2–1–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1WOctober 10, 20035–0Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)1–0–0–0Recap
2LOctober 12, 20031–2St. Louis Blues (2003–04)1–1–0–0Recap
3WOctober 16, 20035–2@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)2–1–0–0Recap
4LOctober 18, 20033–6@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)2–2–0–0Recap
5LOctober 21, 20031–4Boston Bruins (2003–04)2–3–0–0Recap
6WOctober 23, 20036–1Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)3–3–0–0Recap
7WOctober 25, 20035–3@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)4–3–0–0Recap
8LOctober 26, 20031–3Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)4–4–0–0Recap
9WOctober 28, 20034–2Calgary Flames (2003–04)5–4–0–0Recap :
November: 9–3–2–1 (home: 4–2–2–0; road: 5–1–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
10LNovember 1, 20033–4@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)5–5–0–0Recap
11WNovember 2, 20033–2 OT@ New York Rangers (2003–04)6–5–0–0Recap
12TNovember 4, 20034–4 OTMinnesota Wild (2003–04)6–5–1–0Recap
13WNovember 6, 20032–1Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)7–5–1–0Recap
14WNovember 9, 20034–3 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)8–5–1–0Recap
15WNovember 11, 20034–3@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)9–5–1–0Recap
16OTLNovember 13, 20032–3 OT@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)9–5–1–1Recap
17WNovember 15, 20033–0Dallas Stars (2003–04)10–5–1–1Recap
18WNovember 18, 20032–1 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)11–5–1–1Recap
19WNovember 20, 20034–3New York Rangers (2003–04)12–5–1–1Recap
20LNovember 22, 20030–2Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)12–6–1–1Recap
21LNovember 24, 20032–3Nashville Predators (2003–04)12–7–1–1Recap
22WNovember 27, 20036–5 OT@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)13–7–1–1Recap
23WNovember 28, 20034–1@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)14–7–1–1Recap
24TNovember 30, 20031–1 OTNew Jersey Devils (2003–04)14–7–2–1Recap :
December: 4–3–5–0 (home: 3–2–0–0; road: 1–1–5–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25TDecember 4, 20032–2 OT@ San Jose Sharks (2003–04)14–7–3–1Recap
26WDecember 6, 20035–1Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)15–7–3–1Recap
27WDecember 8, 20034–1Washington Capitals (2003–04)16–7–3–1Recap
28TDecember 11, 20031–1 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)16–7–4–1Recap
29TDecember 13, 20031–1 OT@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)16–7–5–1Recap
30LDecember 17, 20032–3Minnesota Wild (2003–04)16–8–5–1Recap
31LDecember 19, 20030–1@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)16–9–5–1Recap
32TDecember 20, 20033–3 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)16–9–6–1Recap
33TDecember 26, 20033–3 OT@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)16–9–7–1Recap
34WDecember 27, 20033–2 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2003–04)17–9–7–1Recap
35LDecember 29, 20032–3Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)17–10–7–1Recap
36WDecember 31, 20032–1@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)18–10–7–1Recap :
January: 11–1–2–2 (home: 5–1–0–0; road: 6–0–2–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
37WJanuary 2, 20044–2@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)19–10–7–1Recap
38WJanuary 4, 20043–1Minnesota Wild (2003–04)20–10–7–1Recap
39WJanuary 6, 20046–0Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)21–10–7–1Recap
40OTLJanuary 8, 20043–4 OT@ Nashville Predators (2003–04)21–10–7–2Recap
41WJanuary 10, 20044–2@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)22–10–7–2Recap
42WJanuary 11, 20045–4 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)23–10–7–2Recap
43WJanuary 13, 20043–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)24–10–7–2Recap
44WJanuary 15, 20044–1Dallas Stars (2003–04)25–10–7–2Recap
45LJanuary 17, 20041–2San Jose Sharks (2003–04)25–11–7–2Recap
46WJanuary 19, 20045–4 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)26–11–7–2Recap
47WJanuary 21, 20046–5@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)27–11–7–2Recap
48TJanuary 22, 20041–1 OT@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)27–11–8–2Recap
49WJanuary 24, 20045–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)28–11–8–2Recap
50WJanuary 27, 20043–1Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)29–11–8–2Recap
51TJanuary 29, 20043–3 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)29–11–9–2Recap
52OTLJanuary 30, 20043–4 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)29–11–9–3Recap :
February: 4–4–2–2 (home: 1–3–2–1; road: 3–1–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
53WFebruary 3, 20043–1Carolina Hurricanes (2003–04)30–11–9–3Recap
54OTLFebruary 5, 20042–3 OTDetroit Red Wings (2003–04)30–11–9–4Recap
55TFebruary 10, 20041–1 OTNew York Islanders (2003–04)30–11–10–4Recap
56WFebruary 12, 20044–0@ St. Louis Blues (2003–04)31–11–10–4Recap
57WFebruary 14, 20045–2@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)32–11–10–4Recap
58LFebruary 16, 20040–1Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)32–12–10–4Recap
59LFebruary 18, 20041–5Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)32–13–10–4Recap
60LFebruary 20, 20041–5@ Dallas Stars (2003–04)32–14–10–4Recap
61WFebruary 22, 20043–1@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)33–14–10–4Recap
62LFebruary 24, 20040–2Calgary Flames (2003–04)33–15–10–4Recap
63TFebruary 26, 20042–2 OTSt. Louis Blues (2003–04)33–15–11–4Recap
64OTLFebruary 28, 20044–5 OT@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)33–15–11–5Recap :
March: 6–7–2–1 (home: 3–3–2–0; road: 3–4–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
65LMarch 1, 20040–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)33–16–11–5Recap
66TMarch 3, 20045–5 OTVancouver Canucks (2003–04)33–16–12–5Recap
67WMarch 5, 20045–1San Jose Sharks (2003–04)34–16–12–5Recap
68LMarch 7, 20041–7Calgary Flames (2003–04)34–17–12–5Recap
69WMarch 8, 20049–2@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)35–17–12–5Recap
70WMarch 10, 20043–2 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)36–17–12–5Recap
71WMarch 12, 20043–2@ Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)37–17–12–5Recap
72WMarch 14, 20044–1Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)38–17–12–5Recap
73LMarch 16, 20042–4@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)38–18–12–5Recap
74LMarch 18, 20040–2@ Ottawa Senators (2003–04)38–19–12–5Recap
75LMarch 20, 20042–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)38–20–12–5Recap
76TMarch 23, 20042–2 OTChicago Blackhawks (2003–04)38–20–13–5Recap
77LMarch 25, 20041–3Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)38–21–13–5Recap
78LMarch 27, 20040–2@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)38–22–13–5Recap
79WMarch 29, 20042–1Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)39–22–13–5Recap
80OTLMarch 31, 20044–5 OT@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)39–22–13–6Recap :
April: 1–0–0–1 (home: 0–0–0–1; road: 1–0–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
81WApril 2, 20044–2@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)40–22–13–6Recap
82OTLApril 4, 20041–2 OTNashville Predators (2003–04)40–22–13–7Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2004 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Dallas Stars – Avalanche win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 7Dallas1–3ColoradoAebischer18,007Avalanche lead 1–0Recap
2April 9Dallas2–5ColoradoAebischer18,007Avalanche lead 2–0Recap
3April 12Colorado3–4DallasOTAebischer18,532Avalanche lead 2–1Recap
4April 14Colorado3–2Dallas2OTAebischer18,532Avalanche lead 3–1Recap
5April 17Dallas1–5ColoradoAebischer18,007Avalanche win 4–1Recap :
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (2) San Jose Sharks – Sharks win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 22Colorado2–5San JoseAebischer17,496Sharks lead 1–0Recap
2April 24Colorado1–4San JoseAebischer17,496Sharks lead 2–0Recap
3April 26San Jose1–0ColoradoAebischer18,007Sharks lead 3–0Recap
4April 28San Jose0–1ColoradoOTAebischer18,007Sharks lead 3–1Recap
5May 1Colorado2–1San JoseOTAebischer17,496Sharks lead 3–2Recap
6May 4San Jose3–1ColoradoAebischer18,007Sharks win 4–2Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 19 | Joe Sakic | C | 81 | 33 | 54 | 87 | 11 | 42 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| 18 | Alex Tanguay | LW | 69 | 25 | 54 | 79 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 23 | Milan Hejduk | RW | 82 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 19 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 21 | Peter Forsberg | C | 39 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 16 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 12 |
| 4 | Rob Blake | D | 74 | 13 | 33 | 46 | 6 | 61 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Steve Konowalchuk† | LW | 76 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 2 | 70 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 12 |
| 9 | Paul Kariya | LW | 51 | 11 | 25 | 36 | −5 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| 26 | John-Michael Liles | D | 79 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 7 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | Teemu Selanne | RW | 78 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 2 | 32 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 2 |
| 52 | Adam Foote | D | 73 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 13 | 87 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −2 | 10 |
| 53 | Derek Morris‡ | D | 69 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 4 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 41 | Martin Skoula‡ | D | 58 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Karlis Skrastins | D | 82 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 2 |
| 36 | Steve Moore | C | 57 | 5 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Andrei Nikolishin | C | 49 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 4 |
| 13 | Dan Hinote | RW | 59 | 4 | 7 | 11 | −6 | 57 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 38 | Matthew Barnaby† | RW | 13 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 37 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 27 |
| 60 | Travis Brigley | LW | 36 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Cody McCormick | C | 44 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −4 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Peter Worrell | LW | 49 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 179 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Brad Larsen‡ | LW | 26 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Darby Hendrickson† | C | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −8 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 2 |
| 24 | Chris Gratton† | C | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 27 |
| 17 | Jim Cummins | RW | 55 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −5 | 147 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 40 | Marek Svatos | RW | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Brett Clark | D | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | Charlie Stephens‡ | C | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | David Aebischer | G | 62 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 44 | Bates Battaglia‡ | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Riku Hahl | C | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −7 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Kurt Sauer† | D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Dennis Bonvie† | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Bob Boughner† | D | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 37 | Jordan Krestanovich‡ | LW | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Mikhail Kuleshov | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Chris McAllister‡ | D | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Tommy Salo† | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 30 | Philippe Sauve | G | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Ossi Vaananen† | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18 |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 1 | David Aebischer | 62 | 32 | 19 | 9 | 1703 | 129 | 2.09 | .924 | 4 | 3703 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 295 | 23 | 2.08 | .922 | 1 | 662 |
| 30 | Philippe Sauve | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 479 | 50 | 3.04 | .896 | 0 | 986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Tommy Salo† | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 136 | 12 | 2.37 | .912 | 0 | 304 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 0 | 27 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | John-Michael Liles (Defense) |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Joe Sakic (Center) |
| League (annual) | NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award | Joe Sakic |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Rob Blake |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Joe Sakic |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Alex Tanguay |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Milan Hejduk (January 26) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Joe Sakic (March 15) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Philippe Sauve |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | John-Michael Liles | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Marek Svatos | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Cody McCormick | October 12, 2003 |
| First game | Philippe Sauve | October 18, 2003 |
| First game | Mikhail Kuleshov | February 20, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Avalanche were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To San Jose Sharks Scott Parker | To Colorado Avalanche Colorado’s 5th-round pick in 2003 |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Chicago Blackhawks Future considerations | To Colorado Avalanche Andrei Nikolishin |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Nashville Predators Rights to Sergei Soin | To Colorado Avalanche Rights to Tomas Slovak |
| June 30, 2003 (2003-06-30) | To Nashville Predators Future considerations | To Colorado Avalanche Karlis Skrastins |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | To Buffalo Sabres Steven Reinprecht | To Colorado Avalanche Rights to Keith Ballard |
| July 18, 2003 (2003-07-18) | To Florida Panthers Eric MessierVaclav Nedorost | To Colorado Avalanche Peter Worrell2nd-round pick in 2004 |
| August 12, 2003 (2003-08-12) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Future considerations | To Colorado Avalanche Travis Brigley |
| October 22, 2003 (2003-10-22) | To Washington Capitals Bates BattagliaRights to Jonas Johansson | To Colorado Avalanche Steve Konowalchuk3rd-round pick in 2004 |
| January 23, 2004 (2004-01-23) | To Ottawa Senators Charlie Stephens | To Colorado Avalanche Dennis Bonvie |
| February 20, 2004 (2004-02-20) | To Carolina Hurricanes Rights to Chris BahenWashington’s 3rd-round pick in 2004 | To Colorado Avalanche Bob Boughner |
| February 21, 2004 (2004-02-21) | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Martin Skoula | To Colorado Avalanche Kurt Sauer4th-round pick in 2005 |
| February 25, 2004 (2004-02-25) | To Minnesota Wild 4th-round pick in 2005 | To Colorado Avalanche Darby Hendrickson8th-round pick in 2004 |
| March 8, 2004 (2004-03-08) | To New York Rangers Chris McAllisterRights to David LiffitonFlorida’s 2nd-round pick in 2004 | To Colorado Avalanche Matthew Barnaby3rd-round pick in 2004 |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Edmonton Oilers Rights to Tom Gilbert | To Colorado Avalanche Tommy Salo6th-round pick in 2005 |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Phoenix Coyotes Derek MorrisRights to Keith Ballard | To Colorado Avalanche Chris GrattonOssi Vaananen2nd-round pick in 2005 |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Minnesota Wild Jordan Krestanovich | To Colorado Avalanche Chris Bala |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Paul Kariya | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | Teemu Selanne | San Jose Sharks | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 26, 2003 (2003-09-26) | Jim Cummins | New York Islanders | 1-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | K. C. Timmons | | Contract expiration (UFA) |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Mike Keane | Vancouver Canucks | Buyout |
| July 11, 2003 (2003-07-11) | Bryan Marchment | Toronto Maple Leafs | Free agency (III) |
| July 14, 2003 (2003-07-14) | Greg de Vries | New York Rangers | Free agency (V) |
| July 18, 2003 (2003-07-18) | Brent Thompson | Colorado Eagles (CHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 29, 2003 (2003-07-29) | Eric Bertrand | Krefeld Pinguine (DEL) | Free agency (VI) |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Bryan Muir | Los Angeles Kings | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 19, 2003 (2003-08-19) | Jeff Paul | Florida Panthers | Free agency (VI) |
| August 19, 2003 (2003-08-19) | Jeff Shantz | SCL Tigers (NLA) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 26, 2003 (2003-08-26) | Steve Brule | Hershey Bears (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| September 26, 2003 (2003-09-26) | Dale Clarke | Tappara (Liiga) | Free agency (VI) |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Serge Aubin | Atlanta Thrashers | Waiver draft |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Brian Willsie | Washington Capitals | Waiver draft |
| February 25, 2004 (2004-02-25) | Brad Larsen | Atlanta Thrashers | Waivers |
| June 3, 2004 (2004-06-03) | Tommy Salo | Modo Hockey (SHL) | Free agency |
| June 4, 2004 (2004-06-04) | Andrei Nikolishin | HC CSKA Moscow (RSL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25) | Peter Forsberg | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26) | Serge Aubin | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26) | Derek Morris | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26) | Phil Sauve | 2-year | Re-signing |
| June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26) | D. J. Smith | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26) | Mikko Viitanen | 3-year | Entry-level |
| July 2, 2003 (2003-07-02) | Brian Willsie | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Bates Battaglia | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Karlis Skrastins | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Tomas Slovak | multi-year | Entry-level |
| July 21, 2003 (2003-07-21) | Peter Worrell | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2003 (2003-08-08) | Brett Clark | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2003 (2003-08-08) | Steve Moore | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 6, 2003 (2003-09-06) | Alex Tanguay | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 2, 2004 (2004-06-02) | Frantisek Skladany | | Entry-level |
| June 2, 2004 (2004-06-02) | Tyler Weiman | | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Colorado's draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 2 | 63 | David Liffiton | Canada | Plymouth Whalers (OHL) |
| 4 | 131 | David Svagrovsky | Czech Republic | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 5 | 146 | Mark McCutcheon | United States | New England Junior Falcons (EJHL) |
| 5 | 163 | Brad Richardson | Canada | Owen Sound Attack (OHL) |
| 7 | 204 | Linus Videll | Sweden | Sodertalje SK (Sweden) |
| 7 | 225 | Brett Hemingway | Canada | Coquitlam Express (BCHL) |
| 8 | 257 | Darryl Yacboski | Canada | Regina Pats (WHL) |
| 9 | 288 | David Jones | Canada | Coquitlam Express (BCHL) |