Thrashers

By budman

December 13, 2005 04:10 PM | Link to this

He can’t be any worse the the stiffs we have now.

By Bob

December 13, 2005 04:15 PM | Link to this

John,

Be back later tonight or in the morning with an opinion after I see him on NHL ice. But I for one definitely hope he develops into a replacement for Sutton or Modry.

By Russ

December 13, 2005 04:17 PM | Link to this

It’s about time! I haven’t seen him play enough to say wether I think he will be successful or not, but I have been saying for a while they need to give some young D-men a look. They certainly can’t be any worse. They should also bring Coburn up for an extended look.

What is the latest update on Lehtonen’s return? My hope is that he comes back and can manage to stay healthy for a month to get his stock to rise, then trade him for a different “goalie of the future” that doesn’t have a groin made of glass.

By BarryJ

December 13, 2005 05:11 PM | Link to this

Russ—I loved your astute observation and assessment of what our ‘wunderkind’ goalie’s groin is made of…I stated that very thought in a letter sent to senior management (with a copy to our esteemed beat-writer) very early in the season.

Actually, I think Donny’s future is tied directly to the fortune of our glass-groined goalie. We EFFECTIVELY passed on selecting Rick Nash (he’s Columbus’ cornerstone and ‘crown jewel’ according to the equally ‘brilliant’ TV analysts we get on Turner South) to take the monumental gamble on the teen from Europe (who would take YEARS and YEARS to develop—but I think Donny knew that all along and it was a simple play for much-needed TIME).

After all, what did all of the equally brilliant television and radio shills say about him: “Just wait until he comes up!”…Well, we’ve waited…and waited…and WAITED.

And before anyone states “Wait a minute—Nash was the FIRST pick of the 2002 draft and ‘Lehts’—as he is charmingly referred to by some—was SECOND; How can that be?!!”

Well, I encourage you to do some much-needed research and see that it was a draft-day deal which Florida (who owned the top pick) did with Columbus—AFTER GETTING OUR ASSURANCE THAT WE WOULD NOT TAKE THE DEFENSEMAN (Bouwmeester). Florida absolutely coveted Bouwmeester—and made no secret about it.

For our priceless word, we received Florida’s first pick in the second round, which turned out to be Jim Slater (I’ll bet you learned something here, John, assuming you’re paying much-needed attention…By the way, thanks for stating in Sunday’s paper that Spezza was taken ‘after’ top pick Kovalchuk in the 2001 draft). You see, accountability leads to a better quality product! (Of course, I’m sensing constraints or limits on the level of quality we can reasonably expect, but we’ll examine that another day)

Of course, Donny said afterward that “We got the player we wanted all along”. I’ve heard that term a time or two in his fabled tenure here as incompetent General Manager.

Well, Donny, THAT was the first day I said “There is something wrong here” (and especially hearing the phrase, “A European goalie has never been drafted this high before” from the draft analysts). Seeing us deal with division foes (and friends) and then wondering where all of our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounders were made me say there is something definitely wrong in the unnamed-at-the-time, but current figurative joke known as “Blueland”…

To summarize—if Lehtonen is a bust, then is there ANY QUESTION WHATSOEVER THAT DON MUST GO???!!! Donny’s fate is shared with Lehtonen, pure and simple.

Are YOU True-Blue?

By Mick

December 13, 2005 06:31 PM | Link to this

I have to dissagree with that statement.

Don’s future doesn’t rest on Lehtonen what so ever. Don’s future rests on his own shoulders and that of the team entirely.

Lehtonen will be back by January, but don’t expect him to surge and carry us to the playoffs. As spectacular as he is, there is only so much the kid can do with the team infront of him. So much pressure is being put on the poor kid, especially since the team is facing huge problems, people want to look for other scapgoat. I’ll tell you now, that ain’t going to be Lehts. He was drafted 2nd overall for a reason, he proved that just by carrying the Wolves to the Calder finals last season. So enough about scapgoating Lehtonen, face the facts and see where all the problems start…the GM (refer to the other Blog on “Waddell feeling the heat”.

Back to the main subject, Popovic. It’ll be nice to finally see some fresh legs on the ice. Bringing up these young guys gives them lots of motivation. Just look at Slater, he was supposed to be in Chicago this season, but instead, he jumped all the way to the NHL. While the two are very different, it shows what kind of things can happen when you give these young kids a good chance. He’ll be a good fit, and it’ll be nice to not see a blind and slow brickwall in Sutton, hovering the ice.

Lets just hope his enthusiasme travels to the rest of the team.

By RC

December 13, 2005 07:04 PM | Link to this

Gotta see him on TV tonight. But it cannot be any worse than what has been displayed so far. Good luck Thrash you’re gonna need it.

By Brendan

December 13, 2005 07:34 PM | Link to this

Ummn, doesn’t it “speak volumes” that the “call up” from the AHL is NOT Braydon Coburn?

What on EARTH is going on here?

That’s an admission that the #8 overall pick from 2003 hasn’t lived up to billing.

Meanwhile, 9th overall pick from 2003, Dion Phaneuf, is among the five players being principally considered for “Rookie of the Year.”

Well, if Anaheim felt Popovic was their best choice as a second round pick, 35th overall, maybe there’s something to him.

By Brendan

December 13, 2005 07:48 PM | Link to this

I don’t mean to “stray” from the topic, but Waddell cannot afford to have Kari Lehtonen turn into a “busted pick.”

He just can’t.

Folks, that’s the 2nd overall pick in a draft. If this kid doesn’t pan out, someone’s got to answer for that.

Second overall is a very, very coveted draft position. It’s designed to net your team the “building blocks” of the future.

Or, it can be used to extort a king’s ransom out of a team with “salary cap issues.”

While “nothing is guaranteed” but death and taxes, a 2nd overall pick must bear fruit. Especially for an expansion team in a non-traditional hockey city.

And that’s the truth. Plain and simple. With no sugar-coating.

Perhaps BarryJ is on to something. Can Waddell honestly survive a failure of Lehtonen to materialize as a major force on the Thrashers?? I think the answer is “no.”

But, it’s wayyyy too soon to dismiss Kari at this point. He’s played four games, and won them all, with a 1.25 GAA. Now if he, like Damian Rhodes, plays 81-games over a three year span, I’d say we “misfired” with Lehtonen.

Nash has seen his fair share of injuries, too. But truth be told, I’d rather have Nash than Lehtonen. I think the draft is for building the team in front of the goalie. And free agency is for snagging your goalie. And yes, you’ll have to pay a tidy sum for him. Proven goalies “cost what they cost.” Let some other team incur the risk and years of development of the goalie.

That’s only my opinion. And I could be wrong.

By erock

December 13, 2005 10:35 PM | Link to this

popovic called up for 7 minutes of ice time.should have saved the plane fare and spent it on A FEW REAL defensemen to go along with him and EXELBY!!

By JB

December 13, 2005 10:42 PM | Link to this

Im gonna go the other way here and do a wait and see..........Man.....what a gane tonight vs the Wings Up 6-2 and tied 6-6 with 10 min to go.....original Thrasher Stefan sticks it in for the win 7-6.....5 outta 6 points achieved on this homestand...Long way to go when you are within 10 points....Boom Boom Geoffrion ( coach of the Atlanta Flames) used to say" Give me 35 points at Christmas and Ill get you in the playoffs” Will this work in the new NHL??….. I dont know but I had a best time I had at a game tonight since the old days at a Flames70s game….Just DAMN

By Brad

December 13, 2005 10:58 PM | Link to this

Someone said something about us not taking Bouwmeester, well…If we said we would take him, then FLA never makes that trade. Since we did that, we ended up getting picks that led to getting Jim Slater AND Slava Kozlov. Not too bad. So for those saying we passed on Bouwmeester, we got Slater and Kozzy for it…Also, Nash will never do anything as long as he is surrounded with overpaid old players.

By Brendan

December 14, 2005 12:20 AM | Link to this

Slava Kozlov was never a draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Slava Kozlov was acquired in a trade with Buffalo, (not Florida,) on June 22, 2002. In addition to Kozlov, Atlanta also got Buffalo’s 2nd round pick. Atlanta traded that pick to Nashville. Nashville took Konstantin Glazachev.

As part of the Kozlov deal, Buffalo also got Atlanta’s 2003 2nd and 3rd round picks. Buffalo traded the 2nd round pick to Florida, who selected Kamil Kreps. Buffalo also traded that 3rd round pick to Phoenix, who selected Tyler Redenbach in that 2003 Draft.

In the 2002 Draft, Atlanta selected Kari Lehtonen, 2nd overall. In exchange for NOT SELECTING D-man Jay Bouwmeester, Florida gave up its 2nd pick in 2002, 30th overall, (a 1st round selection) that Florida acquired from Columbus, who turned out to be Jim Slater.

So, technically, Slater was not part of the Kozlov deal Atlanta made with Buffalo.

Slater was part of the deal Buffalo made with Detroit to get Kozlov, in which Detroit also gave up its 2002 1st round pick, on July 1, 2001. That 2002 1st round pick was “future considerations” to Buffalo, by Detroit, for Dominik Hasek.

Buffalo then traded the pick that turned out to be Jim Slater to Columbus, who then turned around and gave it to Florida, who then offered it up to Atlanta as “inducement” not select Bouwmeester.

Okay, I have a headache now. But the bottom line is … Atlanta should have NEVER acquisced to NOT SELECTING Bouwmeester.

Heck, in 2002, Atlanta NEEDED EVERYTHING!! What didn’t we need??? If Florida still wanted to make the deal with Columbus, Waddell should have FORCED the Panthers to surrender its 1st round pick in 2003. By the way, Florida won the draft lottery giving them the right to pick 1st overall in 2003.

Imagine if Atlanta could have picked 1st overall in 2003?! Pleasure overload!

Chances are, Florida would have said “no way” to that deal. “Fine,” should have been our response, “You’ve got the top pick Florida, go take Bouwmeester. ‘Cuz if you don’t, we will!” And that’s precisely what would have happened, more than likely. The Panthers take Bouwmeester 1st overall.

That sends Columbus’ GM, Doug McLean, into coronary thrombosis, as he’s promised the Columbus media that Rick Nash would be a Blue Jacket. So, McLean must then make a pitch to Don Waddell, lest Columbus have a change of heart and be satisfied with taking Lehtonen, or some other player. If Don plays his cards right, McLean AGREES to surrender the Blue Jackets 1st round pick in 2003. By the way, the Blue Jackets wound up picking 4th overall. They took Nikolai Zherdev, from Russia. I’m not sure Atlanta would have done the same thing with that pick. Especially since Thomas Vanek, a 2005 “Rookie of the Year” candidate, was still on the board, and was selected next, 5th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres.

So, long story short, by playing hardball with Florida and Columbus, either Rick Nash would be a Thrasher as our #2 overall pick, or … the Thrashers would have Lehtonen and, probably, Thomas Vanek, with the 4th overall selection in 2003.

Yes, the Thrashers still would have picked 8th overall in 2003, giving them not one, but TWO 1st round picks in 2003.

Atlanta took Braydon Coburn with that #8 pick. Dion Phaneuf, also a 2005 “Rookie of the Year” candidate, was selected 9th overall, by Calgary.

I know this is complicated. But Atlanta’s 2003 draft could have been Thomas Vanek, 4th overall, (from Columbus) and Dion Phaneuf, 8th overall.

Instead, we picked Braydon Coburn, 8th overall. And Coburn sits in Chicago, waiting to win Coach Hartley’s seal of approval to re-join the NHL.

We also have Jim Slater (2002, 30th overall selection).

Well, that’s a lot to digest. But it’s also “not exactly pie in the sky” that Atlanta could have had Heatley (2000), Kovalchuk (2001) and Nash (2002) on its roster.

Can you even BEGIN to imagine that??

It fries me up every time I think about it.

No offense to Jim Slater, but I’d rather have Nash. Or Lehtonen and Vanek. That’d be okay, too.

By Brad

December 14, 2005 01:10 AM | Link to this

I never said that Kozzy was our draft pick. Im not an idiot…But the draft picks involved in us agreeing not to take Bouwmeester allowed us to get Kozzy from Buffalo.

By monacita

December 14, 2005 02:03 AM | Link to this

Have any of you read an article about Jani Hurme in the Chicago Daily Herald in the December 9th issue? I recommend you go check it out. It’s posted on their internet site. It’s called “After facing near death, Hurme sees silver lining”. I just read it and it gave me chills. I can’t believe he’s actually back on the ice after what he’s been through. All I can say is WOW!

By Bob

December 14, 2005 08:50 AM | Link to this

Ok, can’t really give an opinion on Popovic, he only got 5:04 of time on ice last night.

Hartley has to start giving the third pairing more time on ice. Our top 4 is going to wear down, sustain injuries if he continues to play them this many minutes.

Now Modry did have a heck of a better game last night. And Stefan woke up two. Let’s pray that both of them can keep it up and they don’t backslide.

By steven merlyn

December 14, 2005 09:58 AM | Link to this

Without Modry, the team would be without any hope of a playoff spot. The goaltending has been a joke all season.If Waddell hadn’t given away Heatley and if he had gotten a competant backup, the team wouldn’t be looking for scapegoat.

By Adam

December 14, 2005 02:28 PM | Link to this

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that Shane Hnidy is the only defenceman we have that shoots right. So they call up Popovic another D shooting from the left. It seems to me that there are many shot opportunities missed because of this and some of these shots will turn in rebounds, all of which mean more scoring chances. But instead of shots they’re forced to pass in these situations. Coburn shoots from the left as well. I’d like to see how one of the other kids do out there, Roche, Sharrow & Sipotz all shoot right.

Does this really matter in todays NHL or should I just stay on the DW bashing bandwagon?

By Bob

December 14, 2005 03:46 PM | Link to this

Adam, you’re right, right handed d shots matter, especially on the power play when you need the onetimers. Kovalchuk scares the crap out of me on the point, I think he should be down in wing anyway.

And it’s not a bandwagon, it’s a death march. Get with the program.

Just kidding of course. I promised myself no more DW bashing for now since it’s pretty obvious anyway that he’s not getting it done, and I really want to see how this team fares with a real goalie in net.