Thrashers

By Tom

February 24, 2007 09:13 PM | Link to this

Bet Metro is a part of it. Which is too bad as Kapinen would look good leaving.

By yellowjax

February 24, 2007 09:42 PM | Link to this

Another though loss. Defense looks slow (whats new) and the main line guys are cold. Good looking 3rd period but the hole was already dug. What the h@#$ is Kovy doing? Even Daren Eliot is calling him out for freelancing and being out of position. Hope DW gets a guy or 2 that want to play with some heart.

By Rawhide

February 24, 2007 09:55 PM | Link to this

ajc article is saying Cobern is traded for Zhitnik……sitting here waiting to here confirmation from DW…..

By Tom

February 24, 2007 09:55 PM | Link to this

Hartley in the press conference on SportsSouth nailed it. He is calling out the players for playing tight and not coping at all with the pressure.

Watching Havlid and Sutton out there was painful. The last thing that either of them wanted to do was get within 15 feet of the puck.

Ex looked good, I hope we are not losing him.

By Tom

February 24, 2007 10:00 PM | Link to this

Waddell is such a loser.

Alexei Zhitnik for Colburn

He deserves to be fired in the morning.

By ssiscribe

February 24, 2007 10:01 PM | Link to this

Alexis Zhitnik from Philly for Braydon Colborn.

By Rawhide

February 24, 2007 10:01 PM | Link to this

DW just confirmed,…Zhitnik from Phili for Cobern. Veteren D man with playoff experience….one for one deal.

My first thought is that it’s good.

Zhitnick has a 3.5 mil salary, same next year…..Cobern may be good later, we need help on the blueline NOW!!!!

Still room under the cap for more, maybe another Center????

By yellowjax

February 24, 2007 10:03 PM | Link to this

Yep, Coburn for Zhitnik. Youth for experience, we’ll see how it goes.

By Rawhide

February 24, 2007 10:04 PM | Link to this

Tom,..your right. Bob didn’t name names, but Sut and Nick looked like they were whom he was refering to,….they played as though they thought the puck had the plague….

Brutal game tonight, we were outplayed solidly.

By Hanson Brothers

February 24, 2007 10:41 PM | Link to this

The Thrashers should demand to the league scheduler next year no home games on weekends. What is the weekend record now Craig? And with sellouts aren’t we now 0-7 or something like that. Maybe they should wear the old red jerseys for the next home game to shake things up.

Some people are upset with Kovy for that last goal, but I don’t blame him. He was busting his butt all night, and was trying to make things happen when no one else was. If the others were busting like he was, he would never have put himself in that position to begin with.

As for the trade, I like it short term. But I disagree with DW about not wanting a rent-a-player. Plenty of rent-a-players have led their teams to Cups. And it affects our cap room for free agents such as Datsyuk in the off-season.

By Brendan

February 24, 2007 10:55 PM | Link to this

Tough loss tonight. 0-7 in front of sellout crowds at Blueland. I don’t know what to say.

Hartley didn’t throw anyone under the bus in the press conference. He did say, “Kovy is Kovy. He played a little too tight at the point. But he’s not a quarterback, he’s a shooter.” The comments in reference to the 3rd Hurricanes goal, right after the penalty expires. Hartley said Lehtonen played well. He said, “We didn’t give him a lot of support. We only gave him one goal. It’s tough to ask your goaltender to get a win for you with just one goal.”

Waddell looks UTTERLY DEPRESSED in his trade announcement. Probably, it was due to the loss. But he didn’t act like a GM who was “giddy” about the trade. In fact, he said, “I think Braydon’s gonna be a good player and play a lot of years in the NHL. But we need help now.”

Buffalo dumped Zhitnik. Isles claimed him. Isles traded him in December ‘06 to Philly. And now the Flyers just dumped his salary on us for the next few years while getting Coburn. Well, Nic Havelid is no longer the highest paid Thrasher. Does this mean he’ll play on the top pair, bumping Sutton down to 2nd pair?

Zhitnik has played over 1,000 games in the NHL and has 91 playoff games’ worth of experience. Waddell said, “We weren’t going to pay a price for a rental player to give up a top prospect. I think Braydon’s going to be good player in this league, but uhh, Alexei’s got this year, plus two more years left on a contract. We wanted a proven guy.”

Well, which is it? Either Braydon’s a top prospect, or he isn’t. Well, he just said, “he wasn’t going to give up a top prospect.” Braydon was the #8 overall pick, of the 1st round, of 2003. If he’s not a top prospect, then he must be a disappointment in Don’s eyes?

No, Don vehemently denies that. He says, “We’ve talked to a lot of teams about a lot of players. And Braydon’s name is the first name everyone’s asked for. Everybody’s watched him. We’ve talked about the future. But the future is now.”

Another thought occurs to me. When Don inquired about Forsberg, he must have discussed Coburn, right? Then Philly started thinkin’ … Don’s “shopping” Braydon. Let’s give ‘em Zhitnik and see if that works. We can dump the salary of an older player and get young and less expensive on our blueline.” I can see what Philly was thinking.

I had hoped any potential trade would be OUTSIDE the Conference.

By Brendan

February 24, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this

Sorry, I have to amend my post. Zhitnik does have time left on his contract. Therefore, he is not a “rental.” But he is 35. Anyone think that’s an ideal age for the “new NHL?” Is this the direction we need to go? With two years to go after this one?

Remember, if Don trades Zhitnik at some point, or WAIVES him, then he becomes a “rental” AFTER THE FACT. Which is, by his admission, what he did NOT want to do.

Folks, I just heard Hockey Night in Canada discussing this trade. One analyst said “this is going to work out for both teams. Zhitnik gives Atlanta a toughness it lacks and Braydon should be a good player in the coming years for Philadelphia. Philly wants to get younger while Atlanta needs help right now.”

Ron McLean chimed in, “I like Steve McCarthy. But Hartley doesn’t play him. There must be some rift there.” What he meant to say, before his partner cut him off, was … he thought the Flyers should have asked for McCarthy instead of Coburn. Hmmn. Any way you slice it, Atlanta would have a lost a YOUNGER, INEXPENSIVE PLAYER for the future for Zhitnik, who is at the end of his career.

Thirty-five years old is that age where players are very susceptible to injury. If the Thrashers do miss the playoffs this year … well. Expect changes.

By Brian

February 24, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this

I am going to wait until Tues to analyze this deal, because if a slew of players get moved by other teams, this looks bad. If no one gets moved, this looks good. If we have a few other trades that are good trades, this looks good. I know Zhitnik was dumped but Buffalo dumped every player making above a certain level whether it was Zhitnik, Satan, Gratton, etc. Biron was the only one they held on to and that’s because Miller was a rookie.

By Brendan

February 24, 2007 11:25 PM | Link to this

I meant Havelid’s not the highest paid defensemen on the Thrashers. Not highest paid on the team. By the way, Zhitnik is a minus-fifty (-50) in his career and a minus-twenty-nine (-29) in the playoffs. I hope, for Don’s sake, this trade works out.

By Brendan

February 24, 2007 11:38 PM | Link to this

Tom, Don Waddell will not be fired in the morning. Bernie Mullin said on “Breakfast with Bernie” that Don had a deal in the works. But that it required “ownership concurrence.” Well, then, even Belkin blessed this one. I think he’s still an official member of the ownership group, just “estranged.” Why would they fire Waddell for a deal that THEY approved?

But, I hear ya, Tom. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Sometimes, a player thrives in his new venue. But if he doesn’t, it might be hard to unload Zhitnik, at $3.5 million.

By Brian

February 24, 2007 11:40 PM | Link to this

Brendan, few questions/points. If Zhitnik comes in though and bumps Sutton down who bumps DeVo down to 3rd pairing, the trickle effect can be great. As for his age, he is logging over 25+ minutes a game this year, so I wouldn’t worry there. If our top 4 are Zhitnik, Havelid, McCarthy & X, I like that any way you pair them. Somehow though Sutton or DeVo will break in there and Hnidy might be the odd man out. How do you see the active roster panning out? Does McCarthy crack the top 4?

By Brendan

February 24, 2007 11:42 PM | Link to this

Russ, Eric Brewer just got a new 4-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.

By Russ

February 24, 2007 11:46 PM | Link to this

I like this trade for the remainder of this season, beyond that his salary is a little high for an againg player the next few seasons. It sounds like he will bring some toughness to the blue line, which is what I was hoping DW would bring in before the deadline. I know his career -50 doesn’t look good, but he is only -4 this season playing on the worst team in the NHL. In the end this trade will probably be judged on what Coburn does in his career. I personally didn’t see much when he was with the Thrashers that tells me he will ever amount to much more than a #4 or #5 defenseman, so in my opinion the Thrashers didn’t give up much in this trade. Bottom line - this is exactly the kind of move I was hoping DW would make for this season (bringing in a possible top four d-man without giving up much), but I did hope it would be for a player in his prime that we could hold onto beyond this season rather than someone in the twilight of their career. We’ll see how it works out…My guess is the Thrashers are done dealing…what does everyone else think?

By the way, the team looked terrible tonight…but since DW actually did what I was hoping for this season anyway, I have to predict the Thrashers will turn things around and still sneak into the playoffs…probably around the #7 seed.

By Brian

February 25, 2007 12:06 AM | Link to this

Russ - I still think they get a forward which would be great if you get him & Zhitnik. Also, he was very - with Philly but very + with the Isles and it averaged out to -4.

As for losing Coburn, I don’t mind it one bit. He already came up to this level twice and got sent back down. We also have Popovic, Sharrow & Valabik coming up, how many future Dmen do we need at one time? We also have 2 other great prospects a few years younger, one in the Juniors and one in college.

By Brendan

February 25, 2007 12:22 AM | Link to this

Russ, my feeling is that if there’s another trade, it will be minor. Maybe even someone like Haydar or Kapanen for some 3rd round pick. But I think agree with you, the Thrashers are done dealing.

But Brian has piqued my curiosity for another avenue. Where DOES Don put Sutton? Maybe, just maybe, Sutton will be dealt. Before you say, “absolutely not. Never.” In the press conference, Don Waddell said that “no player on our roster should feel safe until February 27th, at 3:01 p.m.

Well, if the pairings on D will now be: Havelid and Zhitnik, Sutton and Exelby, and DeVries and McCarthy, then Hnidy is the “odd man out.” Remember, Hnidy is a UFA this Summer. At $600K, any team lacking a #4-6 D-man could be ringing Don’s phone. But Hnidy won’t bring a top center to Blueland. Well, maybe Dallas’ GM, Armstrong, might give us Patrik Stefan back? You never know. But some form of argument can be made that Sutton has “decent” trade value. Yes, yes. Citing the shot blocking and so forth, and see if any other GM “buys it.” If so, mayyyyybe we get that center. But I doubt Don wants some “prospect” in the minors, judging by the trade he just made for Zhitnik. He needs help right now. If it’s true he was scouting the Coyotes while in Detroit recently, then there might be something cookin’ there. Who do we like on Phoenix? If anyone?

Still, many others will say, “Sutton’s essential to our playoff run. Don won’t part with him.” Still others will say, “Since the injury, Sutton’s not the same player, so it’ll be hard to move him.” I dunno about that. He’s unrestricted this summer. His $2.0 million salary, pro-rated, won’t stop an interested team from acquiring him. And possibly re-signing him this Summer.

That would make McCarthy and Exelby the 2nd pairing and Devo and Hnidy the last pairing. Although those combos would be shifted around until the right fit were found. But, that leaves only Mark Popovic as “depth” in case of an injury from now ‘til the playoffs, and in the playoffs, should that materialize.

By Tom

February 25, 2007 12:22 AM | Link to this

Brendan

I never expect the Thrashers to let go of Waddell, they are in such a disfunctional state as owners that they have to keep the continuity of management to keep the franchises from imploding.

But if this deal was done in Detroit or any other well run organization, the GM would have lots of explaining to do.

The deals that have come down the pipe the past two years are tough to swallow. We have a team that has a few superstars and then an aged and weak cast surrounding them.

The fast start may be attributed to their knowledge but the plunge to mediocrity, or dare I say the lower echelon, is all about the age and inability to bring their A game on a daily basis.

When you fail to give your stars the tools they need, such as a quality center for Kolvy, and a defense that shows up every night for Kari, then you have let them down.

And stars that are let down either stop playing the team game or find a way to leave. What happens if Kolvy at the end of the season goes to Don and demands a trade ala Dany H? Does Don aquiece, or does he take the risk of Ilya going off the resevation?

I think Ilya has to be going nuts right now without any support? Did you see thier line tonight? Slater and Sims were so far from being in a support position for Ilya that he should be asking for combat pay. Slater twice looked surprised when a puck hit his stick in the slot.

We have such great potential to recruit in ATL. The southeast is the premier scoring division, the weather is great, and the quality of life is fantastic. But if players from other teams see the combination of ownership and management they have to deal with, then all bets are off.

Time to end this rant, but I have to say I am terribly disappointed in the organization and its commitment to success.

By pondscum

February 25, 2007 12:23 AM | Link to this

I too will wait until the deadline and see who else comes and goes before I form an opinion.

But the writing is on the wall for Sutton,it’s time for him to go.

Havelid(when not worn down and out),McCarthy,Hnidy and surely Excelby are all ok on the blueline,sometimes great.Devo has gotten better,after flopping badly for awhile.

But Sutton has not.He takes to many bone-headed penalties,misses to many assignments and doesn’t use his size to his advantage enough.The other night vs. the Bolts was all the proof you need.2 nights in a row,he tries that damn “can opener” on someone and gets whistled for it.That’s bad positioning.

Maybe another move for another forward is on the way also,because every team is gonna focus all their attention on the Kozlov-Belanger-Hossa line to shut it down from here on out.Until someone is paired on a line with Kovy who can find the back of the net consistently,we’ll keep scrapping for goals.

By michael

February 25, 2007 12:41 AM | Link to this

This is not a good trade. We need a defensive d man, actually we need 2. Everyone in Philly is rejoicing over this trade. Wadell has shown once again that he is incapable of being a nhl gm. We don’t need another player who takes alot of penalties and doesn’t play defense.

By Brendan

February 25, 2007 12:55 AM | Link to this

Tom, you’ve made some excellent points. Most of us are disappointed in the “time table” for this franchise. If you’d asked me in ‘99 where I thought we’d be in ‘07, I’d say, “Conference Finals … to knocking on the door in the Finals, to maybe, just maybe, winning it all.”

We’ve all wished for help for Kovalchuk. But even without that help, Kovy’s got some shot at the Rocket Richard trophy. He’s hit some 70-odd goalposts this season. If a third of them went in, he’d be running away with it. He gets serious ice time in Atlanta. And probably always will while he’s here. He’s why most people purchased their season tickets.

Because of that … perhaps naively, I believe Kovalchuk will play out his contract, through 2010. But if he did demand a trade, all I’d ask is … that the GM hold a “bidding war.” Let’s see what the “windfall” might be. If the L.A. Kings were stupid enough to offer Frolov (31 goals) or Koptiar, along with Camalleri, Jack Johnson, (top D-man selected in the 2005 draft) and a 2nd round pick, it’s hard to argue that we didn’t get anything for him. I’m sure Kovy would love L.A. He’d be a good fit there.

But, c’mon. None of that is gonna happen. I have always wondered, Tom, why such a young franchise has an average age in excess of 30. You’d think the vast majority of our players would be 27 or younger. Ya know?

By Brendan

February 25, 2007 01:40 AM | Link to this

Tom, you’ve made some excellent points. Most of us are disappointed in the “time table” for this franchise. If you’d asked me in ‘99 where I thought we’d be in ‘07, I’d say, “Conference Finals … to knocking on the door in the Finals, to maybe, just maybe, winning it all.”

We’ve all wished for help for Kovalchuk. But even without that help, Kovy’s got some shot at the Rocket Richard trophy. He’s hit some 70-odd goalposts this season. If a third of them went in, he’d be running away with it. He gets serious ice time in Atlanta. And probably always will while he’s here. He’s why most people purchased their season tickets.

Because of that … perhaps naively, I believe Kovalchuk will play out his contract, through 2010. But if he did demand a trade, all I’d ask is … that the GM hold a “bidding war.” Let’s see what the “windfall” might be. If the L.A. Kings were stupid enough to offer Frolov (31 goals) or Koptiar, along with Camalleri, Jack Johnson, (top D-man selected in the 2005 draft) and a 2nd round pick, it’s hard to argue that we didn’t get anything for him. I’m sure Kovy would love L.A. He’d be a good fit there.

But, c’mon. None of that is gonna happen. I have always wondered, Tom, why such a young franchise has an average age in excess of 30. You’d think the vast majority of our players would be 27 or younger. Ya know?

By David

February 25, 2007 02:40 AM | Link to this

I personally think this was a great trade. It’s one of the two biggest needs right now. A solid defenseman with offensive talent and playoff experience. FINALLY a defenseman that is reliable. And on top of that we get him for 2 more years. Coburn will be a great player in the NHL…in 5 years. I was unimpressed by his little time this year. Atlanta has lots of young talent, I’m not going to miss Coburn as much as some people obviously will. It’s time to stop thinking about the future for a few weeks and focus on making some noise THIS year.

My friends, we are now in a possible position of NOT making the playoffs. I say let’s make the deals we need and let’s get the job taken care of.

Oh, and DW looked like a man who hadn’t slept in a week.

By Brian

February 25, 2007 03:43 AM | Link to this

No player is safe until Tues @ 3:01pm

Let’s make the first round of REAL analysis on Tues @ 3:01pm…

To say NOW that “oh this won’t get it done” is not right. And come the next dozen or so games you don’t know what’s going to happen, how players will respond.

I think the best thing we can debate is what is a fair objective or “measurable outcome” that we can use to judge this team? I think it is if they get into the playoffs this year. That was the next step. Enough of the “5 year plan” references. We all said too many things happened and this team has gotten better year over year too much.

And you can’t say that if Coburn turns out to be a star that this was a bad deal. Because if Coburn was a #1 D in 3-8 years from now and for us but we miss the playoffs THIS year, you wouldn’t stop moaning and groaning. Again, we have Sharrow, Valabik & Popovic coming up, we can afford to lose Coburn.

IF we make the playoffs this year, DW gets a passing grade. NEXT year is conf finals time and being on the verge of the Cup.

By ranallo10

February 25, 2007 09:44 AM | Link to this

TSN.CA reports “the St. Louis Blues have agreed to a deal that sends Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers”. “The deal is believed to include a variety of draft picks, including a first-round pick and a player off Atlanta’s roster.”

Apparently it’s pending his waiving of the no trade clause.

Interesting…any confirmations out there?? Any news on who the roster player is?

For what it’s worth, I think most people hope it’s a defender of the Sutton/de Vries/Hnidy variety. If my dreams came true, it would be our “best checker” Vigier…but one can only hope.

By R. Stroz

February 25, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this

The Thrashers had Metro sitting out last night signing autographs. Even though he isn’t the best player, I hope Metro is not the unnamed player in the deal for Tkachuk.

By R. Stroz

February 25, 2007 11:03 AM | Link to this

Metro is going to St. Louis. Only the Thrashers would have a guy signing autographs one day and deal him out the next day. What a great way to treat your fans, have the fans buy stuff to sign, stand in line, and get rid of the player the next day.

By Tony C.

February 25, 2007 03:46 PM | Link to this

Tkachuk????

F@#$! no!

Why not Guerin??? Don’t we already have a slow-so-I-go-to-the-front-of-the-net-and-hope-for-a-rebound kind of guy.

But the difference between Cap’n Rat and Tkachuk is that Cap’n Rat hustles and is generally considered a “great guy in the room” Word on Tkachuk is that he vascillates between being a quality player and an out-of-shape (to the point of laughingstock) clubhouse cancer.

Soooooo….we better be getting the 1998-mindset Kith Tkachuk. That guy kicked @ss…this guy I’v read and heard about the past two seasons doesn’t sound so good.

But hey, DW made some moves to win now I applaud that. Beats sitting on your hands. I hope it works out in the most positive way.

LET’S GO BLUE !!!

P.S. Somebody email Metro and wish him luck!

By Brendan

February 25, 2007 10:35 PM | Link to this

I’ll also add that … “miracles shouldn’t be expected” in the first game with our new guys. Remember the 1st game after the lockout? We’d all been sold that this was an offensive jauggernaut that could rival the Oilers of the mid-80’s. They proceeded to be shutout, 2-0, by Florida. And there was an immediate backlash over it.

So? So if Tkachuk doesn’t score and Zhitnik misplays a puck or finds himself out of position on a goal in their first game at Blueland, I’m not going to throw them under the bus. But likewise, if neither of these players does anything memorable from now ‘til the end of the season, I reserve the right to scream like a banshee.