AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > August
August 2007
Important NHL dates - all in one place
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Go ahead and bookmark this blog entry. There won’t be any good trade rumors or contract negotiation updates, but this blog will serve as a utility. We’re close to heating up here, and I wanted to provide the Thrashers fans with a list of important dates and times. Okay, maybe I’m doing it mostly for my own benefit.
But before I get into that, let me answer the questions about our Thrashers fan blog since The Iceman hasn’t updated his blog since the playoffs. There’s a good reason for that - Mr. Vecsey, aka The Iceman, is headed to the New York Times. And you thought Gomez and Drury were New York’s biggest additions. That’s a big loss for the AJC especially since he saved my rear more than once while editing my stories. I also enjoyed his take on the Thrashers and hockey, so he’ll be missed. Are we replacing him with another blogger? That I don’t know, but I’ll keep you posted as I hear anything.
Alright, here are some important upcoming dates:
Friday, Sept. 7 - Thrashers prospects start playing in the Traverse City prospects tournament. I’ll be taking a good look at Tobias Enstrom and Bryan Little and probably writing about both of them for the paper. The Thrashers play Detroit at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 8 - Thrashers prospects play New York prospects at 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 10 - Thrashers prospects vs. Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 11 - Prospect Tournament Championship game, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 13 - Players officially report for physicals. This is a closed session.
Friday, Sept. 14 - The first day of training camp. GM Don Waddell and Bob Hartley will address the media in a formal press conference. This is the date the team will most likely unveil the new Reebok uniforms.
Saturday, Sept. 15 - The Thrashers will put individual regular season game and exhibition tickets on sale to the public.
Sunday, Sept. 16 - Thrashers travel to St. Louis for their first exhibition game. This is when I’ll produce my first “Keith Tkachuk talks about his time with the Thrashers” story.
Saturday, Sept. 22 - The Thrashers preseason home opener against St. Louis. This is when I’ll produce my second “Keith Tkachuk talks about his time with the Thrashers” story.
Oct. 5th - Thrashers season opener and home opener. And yes, this is when they will raise the Southeast Division banner to the Philips Arena rafters.
And while we’re at it, here’s the official list of important dates from the NHL.
2007-08 CRITICAL DATES CALENDAR
September
13 Opening Day of NHL training camp
13 Pre-season schedule begins
17 Kraft Hockeyville Game, North Bay, ON (New York Islanders @ Atlanta Thrashers)
29-30 Premiere 2007, London, England (Anaheim Ducks & Los Angeles Kings)
October
3 90th Anniversary Regular Season begins (North American Games)
November
7 Lester Patrick Award luncheon (New York)
10 Hockey Hall of Fame Game (New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs)
12 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Toronto)
Inductees: Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, Scott Stevens (Player
category), Jim Gregory (Builder category)
December
1 Signing Deadline for Group 2 Free Agents
19-27 Holiday Roster Freeze in effect. For all players on an NHL active roster, injured reserve, or players with non-roster and injured non-roster status as of midnight, local time, December 19, a roster freeze shall apply through midnight local time December 27, with respect to waivers, trades and loans, subject to the exceptions provided for in CBA Article 16.10.
26-Jan.5 IIHF World U20 Championship (Pardubice & Liberec, Czech Republic)
January
20 NHL on NBC (regional coverage begins)
23 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game (Edmonton)
25-28 All-Star Break (no games played)
26 NHL Super Skills Competition (Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA)
27 NHL All-Star Game (Philips Arena)
February
9 CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada
15-17 Hockey Weekend Across America
26 Trade deadline 3 p.m., ET
29 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) 100th Anniversary Celebration
April
6 Last day of 2007-08 regular season
9 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
10-12 NCAA Frozen Four (Pepsi Center, Denver, CO)
13-23 IIHF U18 World Championship (Kazan, Russia)
May
2-18 IIHF World Championship (Quebec City, QC & Halifax, NS, Canada)
TBA NHL Combine (Toronto)
June
9 Last possible day for 2008 Stanley Cup Final
12 NHL Awards Show (Toronto)
15 Deadline for First Club-Elected Salary Arbitration
19 NHL Entry Draft Top Prospects preview / Clinic (Ottawa, ON)
20 NHL Entry Draft (Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON) - First round
21 NHL Entry Draft (Scotiabank Place) - Rounds 2-7
July
1 Free Agency period begins
5 Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration
6 Deadline for club-elected salary arbitration
10 Deadline for eligible players to elect Group 5 free agency
20-Aug. 4 Salary arbitration hearings held
August
6 Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered
Boulton witnesses some real training
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Slowly but surely, they’re starting to return to Duluth. With school starting and training camp around the corner, more and more Thrashers are have been spotted getting workouts in at the IceForum in Duluth. Of course there’s Slava Kozlov, who is usually around. But lately, guys like Alexei Zhitnik, Niclas Havelid, Johan Hedberg, Eric Boulton, Steve McCarthy and even Kari Lehtonen are getting local workouts in with teammates as well as players who live here from other teams. That’s a good sign for those of you watching Tivoed replays of mid-January losses to the Devils. It’s also good news for the players.
“It’s always nice to get back in the dressing room, see the guys, meet the new guys and get in some routine,” Boulton said on Monday afternoon. Boulton said that players are skating five days a week doing some scrimmaging and conditioning.
But it hasn’t been all hockey for Boults. The gritty forward joined Steve McCarthy in a tour of Dobbins Air Force base, spending some time with members of the Red Dogs of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773. The Red Dogs will deploy in early September to Iraq.
Boulton and McCarthy took turns in a flight simulator, which Boulton said was a great experience.
“It’s exactly how you feel if you were flying the plane with the joystick. We could shoot stuff, take it down to ground level and fly through buildings,” Boulton said. “We probably crashed every ten seconds.”
The whole experience was a sobering reminder for the Canadian native that while he and teammates are picking up their level of training here shortly, there’s a much more serious training operation going on not too far from Philips Arena.
“Your really appreciate what they do for our country. It’s an eye opener to see the every day operations and how much work they do,” Boulton said. “Even in training every day — they’re risking their lives training every day. The Red Dogs are going over to Iraq, we wish them the best.”
Lastly, how about a morsel of Thrashers news? The team opted to let former 4th-round draft pick Mike Vannelli join the ranks of available free agents rather than sign him by the August 15th deadline. He was the team captain at Minnesota, and the 6-foot-2 offensive defenseman had 10 goals and 29 assists his senior season.
Examining the defense without Sutton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — I’ve got to be the first NHL beat writer to blog about hockey while a live NFL press conference is going on behind him, but with all due respect to Bobby Petrino, it’s time for a Monday blog update. First, it was good to see Tim Tucker give us an update on the ownership situation, even if there isn’t much to update.
By now the Andy Sutton signing in New York is old news, but you have to give Sutts and his agent credit. Three years for $9 million is good money. Especially considering he was a third-pair defenseman once the Thrashers got Alexei Zhitnik. I know some fans were frustrated with Sutton, but he’s a big body who isn’t afraid to block shots. I think for the right price, he could have stayed in Atlanta, but not for $3 million per season. From my perspective, he was great to deal with, so I wish him the best in New York.
The deal does make the Thrashers defense look pretty economical. Here are the cap numbers for the Thrashers blue line this season.
- Alexei Zhitnik, $3.5 million
- Niclas Havelid, $2.7 million
- Garnet Exelby, $1.4 million
- Ken Klee, $1.250 million
- Tobias Enstrom, $750,000
- Steve McCarthy, $725,000
- Karel Pilar, $600,000
- Mark Popovic, $500,000
Now I’m not saying that’s a Stanley Cup winning defensive corps, but it’s priced right. And there’s some upside. You figure Exelby can still get better and the foursome of Enstrom, McCarthy, Pilar and Popovic all likely have their best hockey ahead of them.
But is it enough? You need a good defense to win, especially in the playoffs. I still wouldn’t count out a trade, especially if Bob Hartley and Don Waddell don’t like what they see from some of the younger guys in camp.
So working with what we have now, grade the defense. And while you’re at it, pair ‘em up. I wouldn’t be that surprised if Zhitnik and Havelid split up, especially if you want to pair a veteran with a youngster. But for now, I’m going to keep them together in my projected pairings.
Havelid - Zhitnik
Exelby - Klee
Enstrom - McCarthy
I’m curious to see Pilar, who if healthy, should be able to break that third pairing. It’ll also be interesting to see who contributes on the power play. I’m guessing we’ll see less of Havelid on the PP this season, which should help keep his legs fresh. Last year, he averaged 25:16, the most ice time in his career. I think the low 24s might suit him better. Zhitnik, McCarthy, Pilar and Enstrom are all guys who can QB the power play. Just think of the strides the special teams have made since the team was floundering last January. The penalty kill unit is faster, and the power play has more options at QB, which wasn’t the case then. If the Thrashers are going to build off last season, it’ll have to come from improved play on the special teams.
Catching up with Jon Sim
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First, let’s address the Marian Hossa trade rumors. Despite rumors to the contrary floating around the internet, I want to stress that the Thrashers are much more interested in signing Hoss to a contract extension than trading him. There are no serious trade talks as of right now, and I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon.
So rather than fan those flames any more than we already have, let’s start a new debate. Who do you think the Thrashers are going to miss the most off of last year’s team? The obvious answer is Keith Tkachuk, but that’s cheating. What about guys who were around a little longer? Andy Sutton? Greg DeVries? Eric Belanger?
When free agency hit, I got as many questions about Jon Sim as any other possible free agents. I know fans liked his grit, not to mention the 17 goals he scored in somewhat limited ice time. My neighbor has a Jon Sim Thrashers jersey, and in late June she was worried about a possible Sim departure. I assured her that it was likely he’d be back. I was wrong.
So after Monday’s Falcons practice, I caught up with Sim, who was on his way to the beach in Nova Scotia, for a quick interview. Here’s an excerpt from that interview.
Q: What are your thoughts on your deal with the Islanders?
A: I’m excited. It’s another new team but I’m used to that. I think we’re going the right way. They want to win. They want to make the playoffs, they want to be the last team standing. That’s the same way I feel.
Q: Were the Islanders a team you knew was interested in you?
A: July 1 came and I wasn’t expecting anything right away. My agent called me and said he had a 3-year deal with the Islanders and said ‘How do you feel?’ I said ‘3-year deal? I feel great.’”
Q: You signed a 3-year deal for $3 million. For a guy who has bounced around a little, what does it mean to have that security?
A: It’s just a relief, we’re looking for a house to buy now. We won’t be renting, it’s just exciting. It’s something that every hockey player wants, everybody in their life wants security, We have that now.
Q: Some criticized the Islanders for losing a couple big-time players in free agency, what are your thoughts on their off-season?
A: They lost a couple big fish, but they also signed a couple with Bill Guerin, [Rusian] Fedotenko, [Mike] Comrie, - three really good players. It’s all a circle. They lost Blake then got Comrie — I just think they want to win. The moves that they made are the right ones. Comrie made it to the Finals — Billy’s won Stanley Cups. I’ve been around winning teams too. That has a lot to do with it.
Q: How close were you to re-signing with the Thrashers?
A: We were close, I thought. I was trying to get more money and another year. They kind of said, we can wait and see what the market is. On July 1st, it kind of happened. We called Don [Waddell] and he had his hands tied. I spoke with Don myself, and got a call from Larry Simmons, to me that was very classy. I had a lot of fun there.
Q: Was there any disappointment when you realized a deal in Atlanta wouldn’t get done?
A: A little bit, I liked it there. I made some good friends on the team. We liked where we lived in Sugarloaf. I like the organization. Obviously, I was only there the one year, it was a fun year for the team, making the playoffs. All that was fun, we were looking to next year, but that’s the game of hockey, right? I know that best.
Q: Did the Thrashers offer you a multi-year deal?
A: They had a two-year deal but my agent was pretty keen on checking out the market. He thought this was a good year for me, I scored 17 goals on not a ton of ice time. He thought the market was going to be right. It was for me.
Q: What do you think of the Thrashers off-season moves?
A: Obviously they got another centerman — lost Belanger, got another winger in Perrin. They obviously, they’re trying to do the same things we are. You move a couple players and you bring a couple in.
Q: Now that you’re on the outside looking in, what do you think the Thrashers are going to need to do this season to make the next jump?
A: They’re going to have to gel like we did last year early. That’s where we got a big jump on the field. We got a really good start, that was huge for the whole season. If they can do that again, I’m sure they’ll be in the picture. They still have a lot of a good people in the organization.
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