AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > February > 26
Monday, February 26, 2007
Waddell still working it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is the trade deadline here yet? Today started early — 4 a.m. to be exact, so I could make sure I got to Boston in plenty of time just in case anything happened out here. Surprisingly, Hartsfield is pretty darn busy at 5 a.m. It turned out to be a pretty eventful morning. Where should I start?
How about the roster moves - Niko Kapanen skated with the team this morning at practice, but it was apparent that he would be (at best) a healthy scratch. Denis Hamel wasn’t there at all, which immediately raised suspicions that he was going to be waived.
Turns out both could be gone. Don Waddell said he placed both Kapanen and Hamel on waivers, which means he’s probably not done perfecting the roster. Now, if Kapanen doesn’t get claimed, then he’d have less flexibility, but if he does…. We’ll know by Tuesday at noon.
This means that the only scratch for tonight is Steve McCarthy, who actually has been playing pretty well lately. Bob Hartley said he hated to do it, and that it’s just another example of hockey (and life) not being fair. McCarthy got caught up in a numbers game. The Thrashers have gotten some calls from teams looking for defensive help since they now have seven guys who can contribute, so there’s always the chance that one could be moved - Waddell’s comment on that: “We like the seven we have.”
According to TSN, Brian Boucher, Petr Cajanek and Bryan Berard are among a group of players placed on waivers today. Waddell called it an interesting list. Now, obviously I don’t think that Boucher will be claimed by the Thrashers anytime soon. Berard’s name was connected to the Thrashers in earlier rumors, but that was before the Zhitnik deal — but maybe Cajanek is a possibility. He’s signed through next year, for a salary ($2M) higher than I would have guessed. But if Steve Rucchin is on the shelf for awhile, and Hartley ever wants Tkachuk to return to the wing where he belongs, the Thrashers might want to look at another center before the deadline.
Like I mentioned in the Tkachuk story posted online this afternoon, Tkachuk will center a line with Kovalchuk and Sim. The pairings are Zhitnik-Havelid; Exelby-de Vries; Sutton-Hnidy. Kari Lehtonen will start in goal.
Lastly, if you’re ever in Boston, I strongly recommend the Larry Bird sandwich from The Four’s. Great chicken sandwich, but an even better atmosphere. It’d be a great place to watch tonight’s game, if I wasn’t working it. But I’m looking forward to seeing how quickly the additions fit in. You don’t want to judge after just one game, but we will anyway.
