Brisebois, who turned 36 Saturday, had been out of the lineup since Dec. 28 with a herniated disc in his back. The team said season-ending surgery will be required to repair the disc.

The veteran blue-liner had one goal and 11 assists in 33 games in his second season with the Avalanche. The six-foot-two, 203-pounder has 90 goals and 301 assists in 904 career games with Colorado and Montreal, and was a member of the Canadiens' 1992-93 Stanley Cup-winning team.