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Home > Mark Bradley > Archives > 2008 > October > 01
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Waddell fills Thrashers’ biggest hole
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some people won’t want to hear this. Some people don’t want to give Don Waddell — the Teflon Don, they call him, referring to his uncanny ability to remain general manager — credit for anything. So here’s a warning: Those folks should stop reading right now.
For the rest of you, here goes:
The Teflon Don has had a pretty fair offseason.
These Thrashers may or may not make the playoffs, but this will be the best-defending team in franchise history. For nearly a decade the Thrashers sought to win games 5-4; this team should be able to win a game 4-3 or even 3-2. That might not sound like an improvement — fans, as we know, tend to like offense — but in the grand scheme it should be.
“A huge upgrade,” said Waddell, speaking Wednesday of Blueland’s blue line. “We’ve got four legitimate top four [defensemen]. And that’s not counting Garnet Exelby, who’s been a good soldier for us, and Zach Bogosian, our No. 1 draft pick.”
Last season’s Thrashers tied for last in the NHL in goals yielded and were dead last in shots allowed. Even if the rest of the team had been really good, being slack at the back would have doomed those Thrashers to mediocrity. And if you’re starting over — which, in the post-Hartley, post-Hossa world, this franchise is — the way to do it is get sound first and leave the sizzle for another day.
By signing Ron Hainsey as a free agent; by extending Tobias Enstrom’s contract for four years, and by importing Mathieu Schneider from the Ducks at the steep salary of $5.7 million, Waddell has made a statement. At a time when the Thrashers are perilously close to becoming an Atlanta afterthought, he has added players in the place where his team has been lacking and, even more significantly, he has spent enough money to give temporary lie to the notion that the Atlanta Spirit doesn’t care about hockey.
“Our ownership has sent a strong message,” Waddell said. “When I went to them with the Schneider deal, there was great support for it.”
The belief among NHL watchers is that the Thrashers have nobody to score beyond Ilya Kovalchuk, and that’s why a Hockey News columnist lists them as 15th-best in the 15-team Eastern Conference and why SI.com ranks them 26th-best in a 30-team league. Waddell, not surprisingly, sees it differently. He sees offense coming from his ramped-up defense.
“We were 29th in points from our defensemen last year,” he said. “If you just add what Hainsey and Schneider did last year to that, we go from 29th to 14th. And I’d much rather make sure we take care of our own zone first.”
Should that happen, perhaps Kari Lehtonen, the gifted goaltender, might finally play to his potential. Should that happen, the fairly faceless John Anderson might look like a shrewd hire as head coach. Said Waddell: “John loves defensemen to jump in the play and join the rush. Our guys are saying, ‘This system is different than what we’ve been playing, but we like it.’ “
His many critics will insist this is just another round of spin control from the Teflon Don, who could, as the saying goes, sell ice cubes in the Arctic Circle. But if you think dispassionately, there’s logic here: A Southern team coming off a dud season isn’t apt to attract goal-scoring free agents, and being solid defensively hasn’t yet proved a detriment in any sport at any level.
“We’re a much better hockey team,” Waddell said. “No doubt.”
The Teflon Don has issued a proclamation. Feel free to hold him to it.
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