AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 26
Friday, January 26, 2007
Lineup changes after the break
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Thrashers return to action tonight for the first time in nearly a week, and coach Hartley is doing a little tinkering for the post-All-Star break run. With the return of Steve McCarthy, one of his defensemen needed to be scratched, and tonight anyways, that defenseman is Braydon Coburn.
Coburn poses a unique challenge for Hartley. He has the tools to become a really good defenseman, but obviously he’s still developing. So how do you develop a guy, but put the best players on the ice for a playoff run? For now, Hartley said there’s value in Coburn taking some time and watching the game from the press box.
“To look at the game from another angle, another aspect, can really help a young defenseman like Braydon,” Hartley said this morning. But for how long? And it doesn’t get any clearer as Andy Sutton gets closer to his return, which will be sooner rather than later.
Hartley continued his juggling of the center on the Hossa/Kozlov line. Jim Slater will return to that spot tonight against the Islanders, replacing Niko Kapanen, who will skate with Scott Mellanby and Jon Sim. Slater has three goals this season, while Kapanen has four.
Also — Eklund has weighed in on the blog post debating whether bloggers should get NHL credentials. There’s some interesting debate there if you haven’t scrolled through all the comments.
