Thrashers

By sheldon

September 8, 2007 4:00 PM | Link to this

what do you think about chad denny is he going to makeit to ALT or WOLFS;

By sheldon

September 8, 2007 4:03 PM | Link to this

IS CHAD DENNY going to ALT or WOLFS?

By Liberation

September 8, 2007 4:11 PM | Link to this

Thanks for the coverage Craig!

Kulda and Enstrom…interesting.

By Troy

September 8, 2007 4:15 PM | Link to this

From what I hear, he might even be destined for Gwinnett, so I’d say at most Chicago.

By Brendan

September 8, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this

I’m hoping that Turple can one day be a backup to Pavelec or Lehtonen. Or at least traded for good depth.

By Burkov

September 8, 2007 4:45 PM | Link to this

Bryan Little, go to the Thrashers roster for regular season!

By Todd

September 8, 2007 5:08 PM | Link to this

RANGERS LEADING 3-2!!!! BOURRET WITH A GOAL AND AN ASSIST! WHAT A STEAL THAT TRADE WAS!! W00t!!!!

By gavahokie

September 8, 2007 5:49 PM | Link to this

If Waddell wants Bourret back, I’m sure he can get him back… the Rangers have money to buy whoever they want again. They don’t need prospects.

By Inferno272

September 8, 2007 6:05 PM | Link to this

Gavahokie, spoken like someone who knows nothing about hockey outside of their own team. The Rangers have the third-fifth best prospect pool in the entire NHL. Bourret is right near the top. You can slam him all you want, but like it or not it was a terrible trade for the Thrashers, one im sure Waddell would want back. Also the Rangers wouldnt trade Bourret unless an amazing offer came back. They had him pegged as the player they were going to take, however an opportunity came to trade up to grab Marc Staal and we took it. Now we have both players we coveted from that draft. Not bad.

By FiveHole

September 8, 2007 6:23 PM | Link to this

Useless Stat of the Game!

Total 2006/2007 AHL/NHL Experience Players and Games Played in Lineups today:

New York: 9/276 Atlanta: 1/3

By chowdersurge

September 8, 2007 6:25 PM | Link to this

Give me a break,big deal Bourret scores a goal in the prospect tourny WOW. Talk to us when he makes the bigs…like Dupuis.

By Aaron

September 8, 2007 7:17 PM | Link to this

Are the players wearing the new jerseys at the tournament?

By Brendan

September 8, 2007 9:25 PM | Link to this

Todd, I would agree that there’s a lot to be impressed about in the NY Rangers organization. But if I were to start spouting what they were, I’d name 10 players, maybe 15, before I ever got to Bourret. Sheesh.

The crown jewel of recent Rangers drafts was the absolute steal of Cherepanov, a top five prospect who slid all the way to #17, and didn’t cost the Rangers a thing! No inducements. Nothing!! It was highway robbery, and shame on the GM’s who passed on him. If the NY Rangers “allegedly” called my table, I’d at least have bluffed them that I was taking him. Just to see what they’d offer, like their 2nd round pick, to swap 1st round picks.

Ohhhh alllright!! If I’ve got a top 5 pick, I’m NOT switching down to #17!!! Fine! Ya got me there!! But if I’m sitting at #14 or #15, in that “crapshoot area” of the 1st round, yeah. I might try to pick up another 2nd round pick to move three spots back. Unless I’m in love with the player who’s still up on the board at #14, and I’m afraid teams picking #15 and #16 might take him. Shoot, at #14, I’d still just take Cherepanov!! Or however you spell it. I’m not a RUSSIAN MAJOR. But I digress.

Todd, Dupuis filled an IMMEDIATE NEED for Atlanta that Bourret couldn’t. That’s it. And Waddell re-signed the speedy Dupuis for FAR LESS than I thought he’d fetch. I’m not confident that Bourret will even make the Rangers roster this year.

But I’m sure Todd will, at this point, tell us all that we must wait to see what materializes in the coming years before declaring a winner in the trade. He’d be right to say that. Dupuis only signed a one-year deal. So he may not be a Thrashers beyond this season. Likewise, Todd, Alex Bourret may get traded if the Rangers see an asset they like at the trade deadline, from some faltering Western Conference team that is looking to snare some draft picks or prospects. Something tells me the Rangers wouldn’t pull a “Bob Denver,” (Gilligan’s Island reference,) whereby the GM shakes his head from side to side while muttering, “Unh-uhh. I won’t trade Bourret. You can’t make me! You can’t make me!! You can’t make me!!” Yeah, watch. I think they’d give ‘im up to fill an immediate need, (there’s that word again, Todd,) as the Blueshirts make their move to win the Stanley Cup this year.

And if the Rangers pull it off, how many of their fans will whine, “But we lost Alex Bourret!! How can recover from this!! How???!!!”

By B. Thenet

September 9, 2007 12:57 AM | Link to this

Bourret had some incentive in this game, and you have to respect the effort that out of shape piece of garbage gave tonight.

With all the firepower this Rangers prospects team has(it is F heavy), he managed one assist the other night.

The Rangers have tons of F talent, and Bourret isn’t even a top 5 F prospect in their org right now. I doubt he ever will be.

By Simple_Man

September 9, 2007 1:55 AM | Link to this

I noticed two things went just as I expected against the Rangers.

1) Bourret had a big game against us. Speaking of Bourret, I still say the Bourret trade was bad asset management at best. 2) Turple struggled in net as usual, no offense to Turple fans.

PS: I’ll be very surprised if Turple ever becomes an NHL calibre goalie. In fact, I think he’ll be lucky just to move up the AHL some day.

By fsr

September 9, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

If we had picked Kopitar instead of trading down for Bourret, we wouldn’t even be having this converstion.

By UpperDeck4Life

September 9, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

FSR if we had picked Kopitar, we wouldn’t have gotten Pavelec or Denny who we picked up with picks we got by trading down. In the end…I say a better thing to say might be…if we only hadn’t passed on Stastny, you know the kid who tore it up last season for the Avs.

By Thrashers27

September 9, 2007 1:02 PM | Link to this

Don’t know ‘bout you guys, but I’d rather have Kopitar!

By Craig Custance

September 9, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this

Aaron — No, they had the old jerseys.

Bourret looked good. He was pretty physical and his goal was impressive.

Sheldon — Denny has been solid and they like to feed him on the PP with that big slapshot. I expect him in Chicago this year.

By Brendan

September 9, 2007 5:15 PM | Link to this

If I’m being honest, and not engaging in “revisionist history,” I was eyeing Guillaume Latendresse for that 2nd round pick in 2005. Latendresse still might turn into something. But when Waddell selected Pavelec, I understood why. But the next goaltender wasn’t selected until the 59th overall pick. Which means, at #49, Pavelec may still have been there, allowing Atlanta to select either Paul Stastny or Latendresse with that #41st overall pick. But, again, “you never know. It’s a draft.”

While I’m being honest here, I would never walk away from the 8th overall pick, barring highway robbery in return. And 8th overall picks don’t really command grand theft in return. So, you might as well pick at #8. It’s still a “top 10” pick, and very fertile ground for finding a good prospect.

For the record, either Kopitar or Staal would have been just fine at #8. Kopitar went 11th and Staal 12th overall.

By GaVaHokie

September 10, 2007 9:28 AM | Link to this

Inferno… it sounds like you don’t even understand your own favorite team. When the Rangers have money, which they will from now on as the salary cap continues to rise, they will trade prospects for established, marquee players.

By Brendan

September 10, 2007 11:36 AM | Link to this

Wes Goldstein, of CBS.Sportsline.com, sort of slams the Thrashers calling our lineup lackluster and says we have off the ice issues, including Marian Hossa’s contract. He doesn’t mention the ownership situation. Anywho, if you want to check it out, I’ve provided the link.

My feeling is … the Thrashers will make the playoffs and win at least one (1) playoff game. Second, and I know I’m gonna hear it in SPADES, but I think Hossa will sign here.

Huh? Well, c’mon hear me out, okay? I know out I’m out on a limb, teetering, but iffff the Thrashers do make the playoffs, and they do have some measure of success, let’s look at what Hossa gets in return, if he re-signs. (1) He’ll get WHATEVER HE ASKS in salary. Atlanta has the cap room, especially for him. (2) Allegedly, supposedly, he wants his next contract to be a four (4) year deal. Don is authorized to make 4-year deals. So, he’ll receive a 4-year deal, at whatever he wants. (3) He can be made Captain of the team, if he so desires it. (4) He’ll get all the ice time he could evvvver want, and more, including powerplay minutes to pad his stats. (5) He gets a coach and a GM who ADORE him. (6) He gets to play in front a fanbase that chants his name. And (7) Hossa is generally regarded as the best player on the Thrashers. Truly, if he stays in Atlanta, this is “his team,” and he’s top guy.

As for Stanley Cups, name for me a team that is “guaranteed” to win a Cup in the next four year WITH THE CAP ROOM to pay Hossa his “fair market value.” Which is currently at or about $8 million. Still thinkin’. Penguins don’t have the room, neither do the Rangers. Ducks don’t have it, necessarily, depending on what happens with their pending free agents, who still need to be locked up. Red Wings don’t really have it. Senators don’t. Sharks are a bit of longshot. They’ve got serious money tied up in Thornton, Marleau, Michalek, Nabokov, etc. Nashville held a firesale. Colorado is a possibility, but are they a budding cup contender? So, Hossa may not walk into a situation BETTER than what he’s got here, in Atlanta, if you really think about it. Certainly, it works, very much, to Hossa’s benefit to make it appear that he’s headed elsewhere. The season ticket holders will cry, the fans will cry, the media will cry, “Don Waddell, you have to re-sign him!! Period, the end.” All while Hossa grins like a cheshire cat, taking a page ouf the Slava “let me make a trip to Dallas so that I can get my ‘no-trade clause’ outta Waddell’ Kozlov, at $3.75 million, per season. Hossa might like the relative anonymity of Atlanta? I’ve never once heard Hossa bad mouth the City of Atlanta, its management or ownership, or the hockey fans of the Atlanta Thrashers. Now, one can make the arguement, “Who walks up to their bosses and tells them that they’re terrible?” Fine. Got it.

Look, you might be right, folks. This could be the last year of Hossa. But if things go well this season, I kinda think he’ll stay. What more does a player need to have going in his favor than what Hossa has right here in Atlanta?

By Tony C.

September 10, 2007 12:52 PM | Link to this

Brendan-

Good points…in counter, I will offer up just this one: Does ATL have a center who can be realibly counted on to feed Hoss the puck???

All of the other teams with a realistic shot of contedning in the next 2-3 years (which honestly is about all you could plan for-4 years is too far down the road) have at least one, if not two!

Just my $0.02

By Buzilla Baby Blues

September 10, 2007 1:49 PM | Link to this

God I hope your right Brendan

By wink

September 10, 2007 3:47 PM | Link to this

GOOD LUCK TEAM! A ‘MUST WIN” game! MORE OFFENSE WILL HELP YOU. The road ahead is paved with $$$. Go for it!

By ranallo10

September 10, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

Okay, quick statement (bear with me Hokie).

I was talking to my friend today and remembered having an interesting conversation with Mr. Manasso from the AJC over a season ago. My pal and I were curious about the RFA rulings, and how the ramifications of an offering sheet would work out. We had this scenario at the time:

Ottawa Senators are facing tough salary cap decisions with the imminent resigning of Chara, Redden, and restricted free agent Jason Spezza. As a precursor to any of those players being signed (with the thought that only two could be afforded by Ottawa), my bud and I wanted to see how a GM might be able to “force the hand” of Ottawa’s decision. I.E. - offer Spezza an exorbitant amount ($5Mish), which they would likely accept, forcing Redden and/or Chara to be placed on the UFA market for the Thrashers to hopefully have a chance to bid on.

This idea was quickly rebuffed by the ajc representative as being unlikely due to the amount of picks the Thrashers would be giving up IF Ottawa didn’t match (our idea was a logical $4-5M range for Spezza).

Spezza was resigned for $4.5M, Chara went to Boston, and Redden was resigned.

Looking back, we accepted his response and thought “oh, that makes sense”, but while thinking about it today I still come to this conclusion — for a player like Jason Spezza it would’ve been worth those picks. Now a player like Vanek is signed for $7M, the NHL fandom goes beserk over such an offer, and a player like Dustin Penner is actually signed away from a team for $4M.

Personally, I think Spezza would’ve been the smarter choice between the three, at the dollar range they’re currently making. Obviously our scenario didn’t come to fruition, but it is interesting to look at the RFA offer sheet landscape now, and remember how such a scenario was quickly cast aside over a season ago due to the “cost of return” for such an offer.

By Urkle

September 10, 2007 5:02 PM | Link to this

Brendan, Hossa will probably go play with his Slovakian friends Dimitra and Gaborik. The wild have a pretty good team and can make a strong cup run.

By Brendan

September 10, 2007 5:56 PM | Link to this

Tony C., I don’t know that Todd White cannot be that guy. But if he isn’t, the Thrashers recoup a lot of cap room from Holik’s potential departure ($4.25 million to be precise). (I am assuming he is not re-signed in this hypothetical scenario. For all I know, DW will offer a one-year, $2.0 million contract for Holik to stay for the 2008-09 season.) With that money, Waddell can go get somebody. Or better still, maybe Bryan Little “blossoms?” Yeah, “wishful thinking by a Thrasher fan,” I hear you mutter. Fair enough. But like I said, there will be cap room for a Center after the end of this season. There is also the possibility of landing a quality pivot with a few years left on his contract at the trade deadline. We’ll have to just wait and see.

Folks, I hate to say it, but it’s gonna take something many of us don’t want to do. And that’s “have some faith” in Don Waddell. I know! I know! Look where that’s gotten us. And “Yes, yes, there’s been incremental progress, year-after-year.” Let’s not revisit it. But the truth that I believe is simply this. As long as the Atlanta Spirit Group is in charge, Don Waddell has a job. And if that’s the case, we’ve got to root for him to continue to improve as a GM. What other “options” are there? And he has improved over the last few seasons. He’s still doing things like signing Ken Klee, but he’s also re-signing guys like Dupuis, McCarthy, Exelby, Slater and Larsen without overpaying for them. And because of that, he has some “trade options” available to him. I would add Kozlov to the list, but Kozlov has a “no trade clause.” I do have the feeling that Waddell will re-sign Hossa. Eventually. If I’m wrong, and he winds up in Minnesota, all praise and credit goes to Urkle, who predicted it. At which point, we’ll respectfully ask him to change his handle from “Urkle” to “Nostradamus.” Then inquire about who are “big name” Center will be in 2008-09.

By Brendan

September 10, 2007 6:32 PM | Link to this

Ranallo, that was a good read. But I’m not sure that the Senators wouldn’t have just matched the RFA offer sheet. Spezza was one of their “youngest” budding stars, younger than Chara, Redden, I believe. I’d need to double-check that, however. Chara, I suspect, knew the Senators couldn’t afford to keep him, at his market value. And for the Sens to keep Chara, at $7.5 million, while jettisoning Redden and Spezza, probably wouldn’t have gone over all that well among the Senators’ “faithful.”

Another essential part of the RFA offer sheet is where the offering team is expected to finish in the coming years. Let’s say the Red Wings want to steal an RFA Thrasher. What the heck, Lehtonen. And they offer him something “obscene.” Like $7 million per season. Well, Atlanta gets the draft picks, but the Red Wings have been President’s Trophy finalists like three of the past four years. If they continued at that pace, we’re talking about picks #27-30 of the 1st round, for the next few seasons. Translation: We’re not getting some “spectacular” compensation for Lehtonen’s loss. We’re just hurting the Red Wings’ ability to field a more competitive team, since Lehtonen isn’t worth $7 million. Not yet, anyway. Now, you have to figure Atlanta would have had to cough up $3.7M to $4.25-ish million for Kari’s next deal, potentially. So, if Pavelec were the answer in net, then the Thrashers just picked up four “throw away” 1st rounders and that hypothetical cap room. In a way, both teams really lose in that RFA offer sheet. The Red Wings overpay and overcommit in years and the Thrashers lose a guy they considered to be an essential part of their future when they drafted him.

Alright, back to Spezza and not my hypotheticals. If Spezza could have been had for a $4.5 million offer sheet, the Thrashers very well could have missed the playoffs these past few seasons and Ottawa wound up with a half-way decent pick. Where’d be wind up? 8th overall, in 2005. That woulda been good enough to snare either Kopitar or Marc Staal. Anywho, it was fun to speculate on.

Personally, I don’t like the RFA offer sheet, conceptually. I come from that “old school” of thought that says “let a team draft somebody and cultivate ‘im without interference, to help grow your fanbase.” To me, an RFA offer sheet is like walking around with sign on your back that reads, “I suck at drafting. Please help me. Spare change. Spare change, anyone? Help a GM who’s down on his luck.”