AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 28
Friday, September 28, 2007
Kwiatkowski and Haydar clear waivers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nothing too exciting from today’s morning skate. Todd White was the only one who missed because he’s got some form of the flu that is suddenly making its way around the dressing room. But like Bob Hartley said, better now than in the middle of the season, like what happened to the Canadiens last year.
Hartley said Kari Lehtonen should play most of the game tonight in his final tuneup before the season starts. Then we can start the debate about who should start opening night - Moose or Kari. The last major decision of camp is the captain. Like I said yesterday in the comment section of the blog, they’re waiting until Tuesday to announce it because of some team function that evening. But at least now Hartley is admitting he knows who it is, so maybe I can wrestle it from him by then. It doesn’t help that the team is off on Saturday and Sunday, so instead of trying to get that piece of news on the sly, I’ll have to watch some college football and the NFL this weekend. Too bad.
In a mild surprise, Darren Haydar and Joel Kwiatkowski both cleared waivers. I thought maybe one of them would get picked up but that’s good news for the team’s depth. I think both can be helpful if there are injuries or one of the rookies can’t hack it. I didn’t even get to do my Kiwi is a rock star story. According to some of the Florida beat writers, Kwiatkowski did some touring with Cinderella or somebody like that and really is into rock music. Would have made a great off-day story, hopefully he’ll be back so I can get to it.
I was interested to see the overwhelming positive response to the choice to keep Little, Enstrom, Popovic and Sterling. I agree, there’s a ton of upside there, but also some question marks. So, are they an upgrade over who they are replacing on the roster from the team that broke camp last year? Let’s break it down.
Bryan Little vs. Niko Kapanen: You’d agree that Little is replacing Kapanen, right? Or maybe Metropolit. But for the sake of this argument we’ll say Kapanen. Last year, Kapanen scored six goals in 79 games. I think Little is capable of that. This one is easy. Upgrade.
Brett Sterling vs. Jon Sim/Scott Mellanby: This one isn’t so clear. You could argue that Eric Perrin replaces Sim, so let’s compare Sterls to Mellanby. There are a ton of things you can’t measure when it came to Mellanby. Bobby Holik called him the best captain he’s ever played with and Holik has been playing forever. He was a huge locker room presence, and let’s not forget that he was still useful as a big body on the powerplay. Mellanby scored 12 goals and 24 assists in 69 games, so I certainly think Sterling can eclipse those numbers. But when you’re talking about the complete package, on and off the ice, I’m going to have to say it’s a slight downgrade.
Mark Popovic vs. Shane Hnidy: Hnidy was the seventh D-man to open the season, then went on to have a good year for the Thrashers. I’d say that if the Thrashers can get a Hnidy-like season from Popovic, they’ll be happy. Popovic is the most NHL-ready player of all the four prospects so he’s certainly capable of replacing Hnidy. I’ll cheat and call it a wash.
Tobias Enstrom vs. Vitaly Vishnevski: Talk about different styles, these two are about as different as any two players can be. Vishnevski brings a physical presence to a defense that, outside Exelby, this current Thrashers blueline doesn’t have. But the Thrashers sorely lacked power play QBs and puck-moving d-men at this point last season, which Enstrom really addresses. Now, with Zhitnik, McCarthy and Enstrom, they’re pretty well-stocked. I think there will be times this season that the team will miss some of the toughness Vishnevski brought to the blueline, but Enstrom’s upside and potential to help the power play makes me think this swap is an upgrade. But not as much as you might think.
How would you break it down?
