The Stars are out of the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes, co-general manager Les Jackson said Tuesday.

Of course, to be out, they had to be in at some point.

Jackson said he spoke with Forsberg's representatives Friday "and made them an offer, and on Saturday, they called back and said he was going to pursue other options. I think we made a good effort, but now we move on."

Forsberg, 34, is an unrestricted free agent fighting his way back from a foot injury. The Stars contacted him in October, when then-GM Doug Armstrong went to Sweden to visit him. The Stars continued to express interest to agent Don Baizley even after Armstrong was fired in November, and the courtship hit a key point last week.

"He would have been a good guy, because you could have gotten him without giving up an asset," Jackson said.

Jackson said he was targeting Forsberg as a linemate for Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen. Forsberg has to be signed by the Feb. 26 trade deadline, and several competitive teams in the Western Conference are said to be wooing him. In addition, Pacific Division rivals San Jose and Anaheim are in the market to upgrade their rosters with trades.

Jackson said the Stars don't want to get into a war to add players.

"If you get caught up in that game, that's when you make a mistake," Jackson said. "We have a good team, I really think we do. We know what we want, but you have to be patient and you have to be able to make that deal. I think knowing what you want is a big key, because otherwise you're just kicking tires and you don't really have any direction."

Stars pursue Brunnstrom: Jackson was in Sweden last week scouting Fabian Brunnstrom. He said the Stars are among approximately 20 teams wooing the 23-year-old unrestricted free agent. Brunnstrom is a late developer who went undrafted. He scored 37 goals among 73 points in 41 games at the second-tier level in Sweden last season, and has 33 points in 42 games at the elite level this year.

"There's lots of teams in on it," Jackson said. "It's like college recruiting, so you have to just convince him you're the best fit for him."

Brunnstrom cannot play in the NHL until next season, Jackson said.

Briefly: Armstrong was named assistant general manager for Team Canada at this year's world championships. Armstrong served in the same capacity last season. ... The Stars had a run of 22 consecutive successful penalty kills stopped by Vancouver's first-period power play goal. ... Right wing Krys Barch returned to the lineup after missing one game. Left wing Brad Winchester and center Joel Lundqvist were healthy scratches.