AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > April > 23
Monday, April 23, 2007
Talking Tkachuk and Mellanby
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today kicks off the first installment of the Thrashers off-season beat blog. We’ll update this blog every Monday at the very least. If I’m feeling especially motivated, or there’s big news, it’ll be more than that.
Speaking of news, the Thrashers will be holding a conference call on Tuesday morning with Scott Mellanby where he’s expected to officially announce his retirement. I guess he figured out how to do it. The team also signed Bryan Little, but you already knew that.
Since we have a few weeks between now and the start of free agency, I figured we’d blog each week, debating the merits of resigning a current Thrashers free agent.
And why not start with the biggest fish in the pond? Keith Tkachuk. Many people (including myself) believe he’s played his last game with the Thrashers, but as he has said many times, you never know. So let’s break it down.
The pros: This team is going to need centers. Right now, Bobby Holik is the only healthy center signed for next season. Steve Rucchin is signed, but his health is a question mark. Jim Slater is a restricted free agent. Eric Belanger is unrestricted. Now I figured that Tkachuk might move back to his natural position on the wing after this season, but he said that’s not the case. He said he loves the action at center and plans on playing there next season. He said he feels like he still has a good 2-4 years left in him. Compared to some of the other big-name Thrashers, Tkachuk was strong in the playoffs. At least he didn’t completely disappear. He seemed to be a good influence on Ilya Kovalchuk and was a strong presence in the locker room.
The cons: Well, there’s that first-round draft pick you’d have to give the Blues if the Thrashers sign him. He also doesn’t come cheap - probably between 3.5-4 million per year, for three years - unless someone gets crazy. Despite what he said before leaving town the other day, St. Louis has to be the favorite to sign him. His family still lives there and his kids are getting to the ages where they probably aren’t too interested in moving. But he did, at one point, ask about the youth hockey scene in Atlanta. If the Thrashers do sign him, they’d have a lot of salary tied up in Kovalchuk, Tkachuk and Hossa (assuming he extends in January).
The bottom line: Tkachuk walks. He came here and did what he was asked to do. He still desperately wants a Stanley Cup, and after the Thrashers first-round flop, you have to wonder how close this franchise is. My guess is that he’s either going home, or to a team that’s closer to a title than the Thrashers.
What do you think?
