On the day the Avalanche finalized its opening-night roster, the captain of the team remained undecided.

As he previously stated, Avs coach Joe Sacco on Wednesday said forwards Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny will wear an “A” patch on their sweaters as alternate captains, but he’s in no hurry to give anyone the “C.”

A third player, however, will be given an “A,” and that letter might rotate to the chests of various players.

Thus, the retired Joe Sakic and Adam Foote remain the only captains in Avalanche history as the club begins its 16th season Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings at the Pepsi Center.

“Does it change at some point during the season? It may. It may not,” Sacco said. “As I’ve said before, we’ll kind of let that process play itself out over the next little while. Can’t put a timetable on when it will be.”

Meanwhile, the Avs reduced their roster to the regular-season maximum of 23 players by reassigning rookie defenseman Stefan Elliott and putting defenseman Kyle Cumiskey (groin) and forwards Mark Olver (head) and Brandon Yip (forearm) on injured reserved.

Elliott, a prized 20-year-old, puck-moving prospect, will begin his pro career with Colorado’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. He had a good chance to begin his career in the NHL if the Avs kept eight defensemen.

As it is, they will begin with 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies.

“I thought that Stefan did everything in his power to stay here,” Sacco said. “He certainly impressed the coaching staff, the management staff, with his play.”

Sacco added, “We have to get down to numbers but are real proud of what he showed during training camp.”

Based on practice lines and pairings, the two extra forwards are Joakim Lindstrom and Kevin Porter, and the extra defenseman is Matt Hunwick.

Gabriel Landeskog, the No. 2 pick in the June draft, is the only rookie to make the Avs’ opening-night roster.

“Not a lot has changed. I still have the same focus and same goal — to go out there and prove myself every time I’m on the ice,” Landeskog said. “Nothing changes that way, except I have a stall here and my number.”

Landeskog will play left wing on the Ryan O’Reilly-centered line, with Daniel Winnik, against the Red Wings on a night when former Swedish and NHL superstar Peter Forsberg’s jersey will be retired by the Avalanche.

“If someone asked me to write a script for the first game, it couldn’t be any better than this,” said Landeskog, a Sweden native. “Obviously, my big boyhood idol, Peter Forsberg, is having his jersey retired. It’s going to be a fun night, a great experience.”

Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com