Avalanche great Joe Sakic soon is expected to take on a larger role in the team’s front office, an NHL source said Wednesday.

The former team captain previously expressed ambitions to be more involved in the hockey operations side of the business, and a vacancy in the front office recently came about when Eric Lacroix resigned as vice president of hockey operations.

Sakic, 43, has served as an executive adviser with the Avs the past two seasons. It is unclear what Sakic’s new job title will be.

Greg Sherman is the team’s general manager. Sakic, a hockey Hall of Famer, might be asked to assume a role similar to that of football Hall of Famer John Elway with the Broncos. Elway is in charge of the overall football operations. Pierre Lacroix currently holds the title of team president for the Avs.

The team had no comment about Sakic’s future role.

Sakic, who retired as a player in 2009, has three school-aged children and previously said he was not interested in taking a general manager’s position because travel would take him away from his family too much.

The Avs have yet to replace fired coach Joe Sacco, and have given no indication when a replacement will be named or even who is leading the search. Assuming Sakic would have a heavy say in who will be the new coach, the process could be expected to accelerate once he officially assumes a larger role.

The Avs also have a vacancy at assistant coach, and Adam Foote could be a candidate, reuniting another former Avs player from the team’s glory years with the organization. Foote has remained in the area since retiring and has served as a youth hockey coach. Foote declined comment on whether he would rejoin the team in any capacity.

Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360, adater@denverpost.com or twitter.com/adater