AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October
October 2007
Things are clicking on road trip
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Montreal (for the next couple hours) - So that was the biggest win of the season, right? That’s as well as I’ve seen the team play all year. The defense was strong, the goaltending was outstanding and the offense kept the pressure on Montreal for most of the game. Remember, this was a Montreal team that had been lighting up opponents in the first period, and the opposite happened. The Thrashers were pretty dominant in the first period and set the tone for the rest of the game.
And the most encouraging thing was that they shook off that Montreal goal in the second period like it was nothing. That’s something I haven’t seen from this team all season - well, maybe the Toronto game. But you get my point. They battled back, the confidence is growing and this is a team that is starting to believe in itself.
I saw that a couple of you were complaining about the home-cooking in regards to the 3-stars of the game. How about the home cooking from the scorers? Eric Perrin’s goal was officially an unassisted goal. Really? Hossa drives down the boards, gets a shot off, Todd White whacks at a rebound and Perrin knocks it home, and it’s unassisted? I know the Thrashers filed a complaint to get a look at the replay. By all accounts, nobody on Montreal had possession of the puck, so Whitey, in my humble opinion, got robbed.
Interesting that Hossa was the second star. I’m saving all my Hossa stuff for my story for the paper, but he’s struggling to score right now. But otherwise he’s playing a complete game. He’s logging tons of time on the penalty kill, and is getting plenty of scoring chances. At some point he’s going to have a three point game and everybody will settle down.
The Thrashers had an optional practice today, and one of the guys sitting was Tobias Enstrom. It’s not often a rookie will sit out practices, but when you put in 27:33 of ice time the night before, you’re entitled to time off. He had five blocked shots last night and he and Havelid were great on the penalty kill.
I know you’re tired of hearing it, but there’s still nothing to report on the coaching front. Don Waddell’s focus right now is on winning games, and he believes that bringing guys in and doing interviews right now would be a distraction this team can’t afford to have. Brad McCrimmon ran practice today, and the sentiment around the dressing room that he’d be a worthy replacement for Hartley continues to grow.
Expect Johan Hedberg to continue to man the goal for now. The team is playing strong around him, and he’s making big saves. How about that 6-0 record in the shootout? Also, feel free to blame me if he loses his next shootout, because I asked him about his perfect record. He should be alright, because he knocked on wood while he talked about it. If he plays well, that back-to-back stretch on Nov. 9-10 becomes Ondrej Pavelec’s best shot at making his first NHL start.
I thought Bryan LIttle looked great in the shootout. He thought he got the call as the second shooter because of his familiarity with Carey Price from their time together in the World Junior Championship, but that wasn’t the case. You’ll find out the details in my story for Thursday. But he was surprised, and agreed that he was probably better off not knowing he’d be the second shooter until the moment it happened because nerves might have gotten the better of him. Waddell says Little has five or six great moves for the shootout, so they may just be scratching the surface there.
Kari Lehtonen’s rehab is going strong. No setbacks or anything right now. He’s doing a lot of physical training, although the groin isn’t being tested. The priority is to keep him in shape and let the groin heal. Also, speculation that he wasn’t in good shape at the beginning of the season is being shot down by the team. I haven’t talked to anybody who had issues with Lehtonen’s conditioning this season. The fact is, it’s a different groin injury and just one of those things that happen in hockey.
Thrashers will continue to ride Moose
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I thought it might be fun to see an all-rookie goalie matchup tonight between Carey Price and Ondrej Pavelec, but that’s going to have to wait. Price will start for Montreal, as teams continue to get their backup some action against the Thrashers but Johan Hedberg will continue his string of starts. Ultimately it comes down to winning, and the way Moose has been playing lately, he gives the Thrashers the best shot at winning.
Don Waddell pointed out that, although this road trip is a grind, the games have been spaced out evenly so Hedberg has been able to handle the load for now. I don’t anticipate many lineup changes tonight. The lines at the morning skate were the same, although Bryan Little and Pascal Dupuis were both centering the Kovalchuk line. Both Dupuis and Little have been bothered by hip injuries, but Waddell said Little is now 100 percent, so I expect to see him tonight.
With the large media contingent that comes with a game in Montreal, came the usual questions to Marian Hossa about his contract status. He re-iterated that, yes, he changed agents. That yes, he loves Atlanta but winning a Stanley Cup is his ultimate goal and that will be the most important thing when determining where he’ll play. I asked him if he was more inclined to wait until he a coach is named, and he said that the coach is a factor, but not the biggest factor.
I chatted briefly with Haydar about playing with Kovalchuk and he’s obviously pleased with the opportunity. He said he really felt like things started to click in the third period of the Chicago game, so look for some more chemestry in game two. Plus, Kovalchuk loves playing in these big Canadian markets, so he always has an extra push in games in Toronto and Montreal.
With Ottawa looming, and Tampa Bay the final stop on this road trip, this game becomes even bigger. Ottawa is just sitting at home waiting to play the Thrashers and you know the how well the Thrashers play in Tampa, so tonight is almost a must-win, or at least a must-get-points if the Thrashers are to keep their heads above water. Heck, with a win they could pull even with Florida in the Southeast and could pull ahead of New Jersey to get out of the Eastern Conference basement. Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
Commenting on your comments: Brendan: Thanks for the French lessons. You know, you’d think three years of French classes in high school would mean I could string together a sentence, but here I am in Montreal and I’m drawing a blank. I did try to watch a few minutes of the French channel in the hotel room, but quickly lost interest and went back to TSN.
Bob: Wait, so you’re saying I’m not going to win a Pulitzer?
GaVaHokie: I don’t know if Lang and the Thrashers were ever close, but I know they had serious interest in bringing him to Atlanta.
Marcus: I told Dan that I enjoyed his broadcast, and he said his No. 1 thing is to try and bring energy to his broadcasts. He certainly does it.
Hockeyfan: You’re a very knowledgeable poster, I wish you commented more. Winter was the agent for Peter Bondra (he also represents both Hossas and Hasek, not to mention the starting goalie for Montreal tonight).
author=Craig Custance
Waddell working the phones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You know, I miss two games and you would have thought I skipped all of October. I was greeted with comments like “Who’s the new guy?” and “I thought you traveled with the team.” Guess what? When I’m making seven figures, I’ll do an entire 82 game schedule. Until then, forget it. But it’s good to be back, and the team was in pretty good spirits today after practice. Bryan Little (hip) didn’t practice, but I got the sense that if it was up to him, he would have been out there.
Pascal Dupuis (hip also) said he’s feeling better. Don Waddell noticed that his hip was bothering him in the Nashville game and Dupuis sat against Chicago. I’ve got to say, I listened to the Chicago game on the radio while I painted the walls of my living room, and Dan Kamal can call a game. He made everything sound exciting, and I know the truth. I’m at all the other games, and it’s not THAT exciting. But it was an entertaining call, it was fun to get a different perspective. Same goes for the TV broadcast of the Nashville game. The best part was being able to Tivo and watch plays over and over again. You can really pick up some subtleties.
The team is hitting the home stretch of its road trip. The way Ottawa is playing right now, they’d better get two points in Montreal. No pressure. Don Waddell said he liked the physical presence guys like Boulton and Thorburn have been providing, but he said his lineup won’t be finalized until a conversation with his coaching staff tonight.
Waddell’s been busy. He said he’s had conversations with nine general managers in the last three days. Some he talked to about the coaching search, others about improving his roster. He’s not ruling out a trade in the midst of the coaching search. Obviously this team could use help defensively and at center. It’s a matter of getting the right pieces to fall into place for both teams. I’ll keep you posted. But Waddell wasn’t at practice today and wasn’t flying into Montreal until tonight. Only he and Delta knows where he is right now.
Waddell has also been in touch with Marian Hossa’s new agent, Ritch Winter. If Hossa is convinced this team is headed in the right direction, I think he’ll sign. If he doesn’t, he won’t. It’s that simple. Waddell remains optimistic that something can get done.
I know there were rumors of a John Anderson interview, but that hasn’t happened. Waddell said he and Anderson met in Chicago, but it was a conversation and not an interview. He said he used the meeting as much to talk to Anderson about the job opening as to pick his brain about the players in Chicago. The usual players are doing well - Oystrick, Valabik, Stuart and LaVallee, although none are on the verge of being called up to Atlanta.
Alright, it’s off to Montreal, my favorite trip on the schedule. I’ll get to some of your comments when I land.
Pavelec starting plans on hold
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from the bowels of the Sommet Center in Nashville, where they play live country music between periods.
Hey, it was comforting to a southern gal like me who is transitioning into this sport, learning more and more by the day, and being so bold as to blog in place of Craig today. Be gentle.
The team is loading up for Chicago right now, heading out this afternoon and before they left Don Waddell said no, it won’t be Ondrej Pavelec in goal tomorrow night in Chicago. It’ll be Moose again.
Chicago might have been the logical time to get Pavelec his first start. Waddell has said he plans to play him before these next four games of the trip are through, and the Blackhawks are the only team left that doesn’t have a winning record. They’re 5-5. Montreal is 4-2, Ottawa 8-1, and Tampa 5-3.
But this is also not a good time to take Johan Hedberg out of goal. He made 31 saves last night against Nashville, this after building some momentum in the shootout win over Toronto. So smart move. Agree?
As for the rest of the team, Waddell said after this morning’s practice that despite the 3-0 loss to the Predators - the team’s third shutout in 10 games - he’s not getting in anybody’s face.
“We’re not going to be knocking these guys down, it’s all positive reinforcement,” Waddell said. “What we talked about today was consistency (game-to-game). I don’t think we were that bad last night, we’ve got to give (the Predators) a lot of credit. I was talking to their coaching staff this morning. It was by far their best game of the year. They did a good job of shutting us down. They didn’t give us a lot of opportunities.”
He won’t get down on the team, but I will for just a second. As much of an ability as they showed Tuesday to come back from adversity in Toronto, after they gave up their second goal in the second period last night, I pretty much knew I was free and clear to bang out my game story. This team isn’t coming back from that much.
Yes Ilya Kovalchuk hit the post, but as Moose pointed out after the game, so did the Predators. Marian Hossa did get off four shots, which was better than his previous two games when he combined for three.
And looking for things to build upon, rookie Tobias Enstrom led the team in ice time with 24:49, getting more time on penalty kill and making an all-around impact.
That’s it for now. Off to Chicago. Does Oprah go to hockey games?
Hedberg getting in a groove
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So is it ever good when they announce that the plane you’re supposed to fly from Toronto to Atlanta had to be re-routed to Cincinnati and now they’re trying to find another plane? No? Didn’t think so. But here I am, in beautiful gate A1d in Toronto. Waiting.
Big win for the Thrashers last night, they needed that one. For the most part, they did a lot of good things. They stayed out of the penalty box, except for a brutal Bobby Holik roughing penalty that not only led to a Maple Leafs power play goal, but happened behind the play, which was a Slava Kozlov (if I remember correctly) led rush up the ice.
I was sitting next to Ken Campbell, who writes for the Hockey News (and did the great cover story on Thomas Vanek, give it a read if you haven’t already). About the moment Toronto pulled the goalie in the final minute, I turned to him and said - ‘there’s no way this game doesn’t go into overtime, right?’ He smiled, because we both knew. Toronto was getting too many good looks in the final couple minutes and it just seemed like a matter of time.
For the first time all season, the Thrashers showed the ability to overcome adversity. This is a team so far that has fallen apart at the first sign of trouble. But in this game, Toronto scored before the guy who sang the anthems found his seat. And that last goal could have been devastating. The Toronto crowd was going crazy in the overtime, and you just could feel the momentum building in their favor. But if there was one play that turned the tide, it was a defensive gem from Steve McCarthy. Toronto had a 3-on-1 midway through overtime and he sprawled on the ice to break up a pass. Moose didn’t even see a shot. It was an absolutely great play, one I wish I could have included in the game story, but I pounded that out in about five minutes. Sorry Mac, that was a great play that should have been in there.
The Kovalchuk line was outstanding. Anytime you get eight points (Kovy 3, White 2, Perrin 3) from one line, things are probably going pretty well. Marian Hossa, however, was a non-factor. He’s due a big game sometime soon. Slava Kozlov played better - he was one of four Thrashers to finish with four shots (Dupuis, Little, and Sterling the other three). And Kozzie looked as dependable as ever in the shootout. Tobias Enstrom had another strong game. What a find he’s turning out to be.
As for Moose, after the game you could tell he was still pretty upset about that last goal, even though the Thrashers pulled out the win. Until that goal, the third period was as good as I’ve seen him play all season. He was making big saves in an attempt to get out of Toronto with a win. After the game, he said he was starting to get in a groove for the first time this season. I don’t know when Don is planning on starting Pavelec, but I’d hold off if I was him because Hedberg seems to be getting his legs under him.
I asked him if this is as good as he’s felt all season, and he answered: “Yeah, but it’s all pretty relative, right?” He finished with 32 saves and took out Mats Sundin in the shootout. I think he’s on to something there, just take out the shooter and you’re in good shape.
Alright, I’m rambling, being stuck at your gate for hours at a time will do that for you. I should be able to get to a lot of your comments this morning if there’s anything you have questions about. Also, I’m turning the reins over to Carroll Rogers for Nashville and Chicago so expect a new coach, Hossa extension, blockbuster trade and winning streak while I’m trying to sneak away for a couple days.
Don’t give up on Hossa extension yet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kind of a dreary day up here in Toronto and it’ll only get worse for one of these two teams tonight. Both are in desperate need of wins, and both teams seem to have confidence issues. First, the lines are what we thought they’d be (you like how I channeled my inner Dennis Green?). Here’s a breakdown:
Kovlachuk - White - Perrin
Sterling - Little - Hossa
Kozlov - Holik - Dupuis
Boulton - Slater - Haydar
The D is the same. I thought Popovic might get a look, but he was skating late with the rest of the scratches (Larsen and Thorburn). Moose is in goal.
There was a lot of attention on Bryan Little by the throngs of Toronto media. Lits played in nearby Barrie last season and has a following in this area. It’s a great opportunity for him to center Hossa’s line and Sterling is excited about that line as well. But Little has certainly earned it. Don Waddell called Little the Thrashers best offensive center so far this season, and I think it’s safe to drop the offensive. He’s been the best center on the team. I know the Thrashers aren’t exactly loaded in the middle but that still says a lot about Little, who I thought would be playing in the AHL this season. Seriously, this team is struggling, but where would they be without Little and Tobias Enstrom? Probably 1-7, but that’s beside the point.
Hossa update: Like I mentioned in the comments section of the last blog, Hossa’s camp is still communicating with the Thrashers and that’s a good thing if you’re looking for him to resign. I know there’s a lot of speculation about Marian right now, especially in light of Scott Mellanby’s comments, which I didn’t hear. But here’s what I know — Marian recently changed agents. That’s not something you do if you’re closing up shop until the summer. There’s still communication between Hossa and Waddell. I know everybody wants a deal done yesterday, but the bottom line is that Hoss isn’t in a hurry to get one done. Any why would he be, especially in light of the coaching changes? What if Don brings in someone who Marian can’t stand? What if this team completely tanks, and ownership cleans house? I really do think that all things being equal, Hossa wouldn’t mind staying in Atlanta. But he also has to be realistic. He wants to win, so he’s not going to sign a longterm deal with a sinking ship. But until he cuts off negotiations, which hasn’t happened yet, there’s still a chance.
In an unrelated thought, the Thrashers are still keeping 23 players up, which is a departure from the past. But at this point, who do you send to Chicago? You can’t send Haydar, who is playing well. Chris Thorburn would have to clear waivers, and you just gave up a third-rounder to get him, so you can’t risk losing him. You need seven D-men, plus you’re paying Popovic an NHL salary either way. So 23 it is.
Toronto should be interesting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now we know the extent of Kari Lehtonen’s injury (4-6 weeks), and Bobby Holik summed it up best: “We can’t sit around and wait for him.”
Johan Hedberg will take over for the time being, with Ondrej Pavelec waiting in the wings. Ideally, the team would like to see Hedberg get hot and not need to turn to the rookie, but Pavelec will play during this road stretch - it’s too much of a grind for one guy.
But there’s more. All indications point to a complete restructuring of the lines for Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. It looks like Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa will be split up, for really the first time since I’ve been on the beat. Look for Hossa to play in Haydar’s spot on the kid line. So it’s not really the kid line anymore. I kind of feel for Haydar, since he’s been playing pretty well with Little and Sterling, but at 1-7 you can’t keep rolling out the same lines. If the Kozlov, Hossa and Perrin line is blown up, look for Perrin to land in Slater’s spot on the Kovalchuk/White line. That bumps Kozzie down to the third line with Holik and Dupuis.
We’ll see how they look at the morning skate in Toronto, but that gives us something to talk about today anyways, right?
Don Waddell still hasn’t contacted any candidates about the coaching opening, but he’s sharpening his list. He spent a lot of Sunday reaching out to his contacts around the league to get a feel of what people thought of the guys he’s looking at. While Don is refining his short list, I’m in elimination mode. While I was in Tampa, I found out Mike Sullivan’s contract won’t allow him to leave during the season, so that eliminates one guy who I thought might be a good fit. I had also mentally eliminated Pat Burns because of his health issues, but now reports are surfacing that he’s interested in getting back into coaching. I think Wolves coach John Anderson will get a fair shake for this job, which is really all he wants. He’s definitely interested. And just because Waddell is behind the bench, don’t cross Brad McCrimmon off your list. Everything with Hartley happened so fast, I think Don wanted to get a first-hand look at what was going on. McCrimmon ran practice today since Waddell obviously has a lot going on.
Other than Lehtonen, this team is pretty healthy. They face a Toronto team in nearly as much turmoil as the Thrashers. There’s a goalie rotation, when there probably shouldn’t be. Fans are already calling for the head of GM John Ferguson. And I wonder when the heat will start to build on head coach Paul Maurice, if it hasn’t already. It should be an interesting trip.
Pavelec on his way to Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well, Kari Lehtonen was placed on injured reserve because of the groin injury suffered in the first period of the Rangers game last night. Just got done chatting with him, and it seems like his spirits are okay. It really helped that he was probably playing his best game of the season when he got hurt, so at least now he has that to build on.
“That was huge,” he said, saying if it would have happened during the New Jersey game it would have been miserable. Johan Hedberg will get the majority of the work in Lehtonen’s absence, but expect to see some of Ondrej Pavelec, who was called up from Chicago today.
Pavelec showed he could play at this level, talent-wise, during a strong training camp. But as we know with young goalies, the mental side is just as important. He’ll join the team in Atlanta today then fly with them to Tampa Bay. Do you think the 20-year-old rookie is ready?
There was some grumbling about the referees in last night’s game, especially the hit on Tobias Enstrom that sent him crashing into the boards. What’d you guys think of the calls last night?
As for the coach search, and I’m sure we’ll be beating this to death on blogs, with stories, etc. but it’s still really early. Don’s focus right now is on coaching the team and getting things turned around. Once the team hits the road and he has a little more time to turn towards candidates, he’ll do so. Look for him to interview, two maybe three guys, after all is said and done.
Lehtonen the only change from Philly (besides the coach)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have to keep it short, but wanted to get you guys an update. Kari Lehtonen is back in goal, and Don Waddell reiterated what we all know - if this team is going to turn things around, Lehtonen is going to be the one. The lines are the same as the Philly game, basically Don said that with all the changes and turmoil he didn’t want to mess with the lines too much. So the rookie line, or the Backstreet Boys as Bob called them, is still together. Chris Thorburn, Mark Popovic and Eric Boulton are the scratches.
So here’s the lines:
Slava Kozlov - Eric Perrin - Marian Hossa
Ilya Kovalchuk - Todd White - Jim Slater
Brad Larsen - Bobby Holik - Pascal Dupuis
Brett Sterling - Bryan Little - Darren Haydar
Pairings are the same.
Don said he got at least 30 calls from agents and prospective coaches once the word got out that Bob Hartley was gone. So we’re already off and running. I’ll get to some of your comments in a little bit.
I’ll miss the one-liners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What an exhausting day. A late night loss in Philly. A 5 a.m. wakeup call for the flight back to Atlanta for practice and then the word becomes official. Bob Hartley is out.
I don’t think anybody can be that surprised but it’s still no fun. We’ll find out if it was the right decision moving forward, and the consensus among the players is that a change was needed. As Moose told me, it’s easier to change one guy than 22. And he’s right. But from my perspective, Hartley was great to work with. Sure, we had our disagreements, but what beat writer and head coach doesn’t? He was a stand-up guy - win or loss. Even when the team was getting swept in the playoffs, Hartley faced the heat. He never shied away from the tough questions. As Eric Perrin said today, he is a class act.
Now, that has nothing to do with the 0-6 start, and the playoff sweep, and everything else that led to today. But from the beat writer’s perspective, Hartley was great. Always good for a quote — He’d tell me, “You get one good one a day,” and more often than not, he delivered.
Understandably, he’s not answering his cell phone right now. And now his voicemail box is full. But I’m sure he’ll be back behind the bench sooner rather than later, and I look forward to dealing with him again when our paths cross.
As for his replacement? Don Waddell’s not tipping his candidates just yet, but I’d start with a group of Dave Lewis, John Anderson, Pat Quinn, and Mike Sullivan and go from there. And who knows, if the team gets hot under Waddell, maybe he’ll give it a run for awhile. Do you have your short list yet?
Mixing things up in Philly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots of changes tonight as the Thrashers try and get their first win. The first is in goal where Johan Hedberg will get the start in favor of Kari Lehtonen. Hedberg’s last action came in the third period of the Buffalo game and he lost his only start of the season in Tampa. In that one he faced 34 shots and made 29 saves.
Marian Hossa said he feels fine and is ready to go. He’ll skate with Eric Perrin and Slava Kozlov. That means Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn sit (with Mark Popovic) like I figured yesterday. Bob Hartley is keeping the rookie line intact with Bryan Little centering Brett Sterling and Darren Haydar. I chatted with Haydar a minute today after the morning skate (while Sterling did a crossword next to us) and he’s excited about getting that first goal, but is determined to make sure it’s not his only NHL goal. Hartley likes the line, because he thinks the young players can play their game without worrying about setting up a superstar like Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk. Haydar pointed out that it’s also three guys fighting for jobs and playing time, so naturally it’s going to bring some energy to the team.
My only concern is that by sitting Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn you lose some of your toughness. Who is going to stick up for guys like Slava Kozlov or Ilya Kovalchuk if some of the Flyers start taking liberties on the scorers? Kovy again?
Hartley said the team prefers not to keep three extras, so be ready for a roster move shortly. If not today, then within the next day or so. You figure they’ll want to keep the extra d-man (Popovic) around, and if Haydar keeps playing well on the all-rookie line… I guess that leaves Thorburn as the odd man out. I’ll have to look in my files somewhere, I’m not sure if Thorburn has a two-way deal or not. Or there could be a trade. As of this morning, Hartley said he wasn’t sure what direction the team would go.
What else… The defensive pairings were blown up, like I talked about yesterday. Hartley re-iterated that he’s looking for chemistry and communication between his defensemen. He was pretty blunt when talking about the Zhitnik-Havelid chemistry. There was none, he said.
Looks like Ilya Kovalchuk and Tobias Enstrom will be at the point for the first PP unit. I asked Kovalchuk if he was moving back to the point, and he said “we’ll see.” I told him we already knew, to which Slava Kozlov responded, “everybody knows.” So the secret is out. I know that’s where he prefers to play on the power play, so maybe he’s being rewarded for his outstanding play so far this season.
So Hartley is trying, you have to give him that. We’ll see how it plays out on the ice.
Hossa back on the ice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a bit of good news for the Thrashers, Marian Hossa was back on the ice to start practice this morning. The best case scenario on Saturday was for Hossa to skate on his own Sunday, practice today and play against Philly on Tuesday. So far things are on track in that department. I’ll have more when I chat with him and Bob Hartley after practice.
EDIT (12:35 p.m.): Alright, just chatted with Hoss and he said that most likely he’s going to play against the Flyers. Hartley said Hossa was at 95 percent, which is pretty good. The only thing you have to worry about his Marian waking up in the morning and the groin in really sore after today’s practice. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll play.
The biggest development out of practice today was that Hartley is splitting up the top defensive pair of Alexei Zhitnik and Niklas Havelid. The biggest reason, he said, is communication. Z and Havelid are pretty quiet on the ice, which doesn’t help. Look for Havelid to skate with Tobias Enstrom, which should immediately help communication since the two Swedes are pretty close. Steve McCarthy will be paired with Zhitnik, and Mac is pretty chatty on the ice which should help Zhitnik. Klee and Exelby will be the other pair.
The all-rookie line looks like it will stay together. The Thrashers have the roster space to keep Darren Haydar up, and he played pretty well on Saturday. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Thorburn and Eric Boulton sit against the Flyers.
A quick fix: Improve the special teams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lots of work on the power play today in practice, not surprisingly. If the Thrashers are going to turn this thing around, it’ll start with improved play from the special teams. If you look at the first period alone of yesterday’s game, you saw a Buffalo team that converted on three power plays while the Thrashers couldn’t even get a shot off on a 5-on-3. In chatting with a couple of the guys, it seems like there’s a hesitation to make plays. The power play isn’t a confident unit, which is stifling its creativity.
That’s going to have to change, fast. Slava Kozlov suggested moving Ilya Kovalchuk to the point, although I seem to remember that not being the answer last year. “They’d have to respect his shot,” Kozlov said. True enough.
More than anything right now, guys are tightening up. Each loss puts more pressure on the team to win the next game, and in hockey, as you know, a team that starts thinking too much doesn’t play well.
Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk were the only two players who didn’t practice today. Hossa plans on skating on Saturday on his own, and if he feels good he’ll skate again on Sunday while the rest of the team is off. Saturday is a crucial day for Hossa and the groin injury. If all goes well, he could be back as soon as the Philly game.
Kovalchuk is a little banged up. There’s the arm, and Hartley joked that his knuckles were sore. But Hartley said it was nothing serious, just giving the sore Kovalchuk some rest.
The Devils are practicing today in Duluth as well, and they’re playing about as well as the Thrashers are right now. Kari Lehtonen, who is winless in his last five starts dating back to the playoffs, might be able to take some comfort in the fact that Martin Brodeur is 0-3 this season. But then again, Buffalo was 0-2 entering Thursday’s game and looked like world beaters.
Don Waddell seems willing to ride this one out. He said he doesn’t anticipate any roster changes despite the poor start. Again, he called on the veterans to improve their play. He thought that perhaps some personnel tweaking on the penalty kill might help. How would you fix the special teams? Put Kovy back on the point on the power play? Change around some bodies on the penalty kill? Is it fixable with the current roster?
Maybe Haydar can provide a spark
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks to a great sports bar called Tully’s near the Buffalo airport, I was able to see most of the Thrashers loss last night to Ottawa. And despite the outcome, it looks like things might be coming together. But for a moment it looked like the season might be in jeopardy when Ilya Kovalchuk skated to the trainers room doubled over. The coaches and players on the bench thought maybe he took a skate to the stomach, but Ilya thought he broke his arm. What a disaster that would have been — first Marian Hossa and then Kovalchuk.
But Bob Hartley said that Kovy was fine when he woke up this morning, so the Thrashers dodged a bullet. Just in case, the team called up forward Darren Haydar from Chicago. He didn’t get to Buffalo in time for the morning skate, but was working out pretty hard on the exercise bike in the dressing room by the time the players got off the ice. We’ll see if he can help the lagging offense get on track tonight. It was an optional skate, so there was a pretty small group out there this morning.
Kari Lehtonen is back in goal, and boy could the Thrashers use a big game from him. If he can steal one here in Buffalo, that would take the pressure off everyone else while the team works things out.
Mark Popovic will be in the lineup tonight in place of Ken Klee, who Hartley said is fine, just getting a breather. There will be an all-rookie pairing with Popovic and Tobias Enstrom, but as Popovic said this morning — “I don’t think we play like rookies.”
Marian Hossa is back in Atlanta working with the trainers, but Hartley seemed optimistic about the groin injury. There’s speculation that the conditions of the ice in Duluth were questionable, but since I’m jumping back into things here I haven’t had an opportunity to get into that with the players. I look forward to catching up with Hossa at practice on Friday afternoon.
Too early to panic?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What a whirlwind few days. First there’s the cramming to get everything ready for the start of the season. Then the Commissioner comes to town and was kind enough to sit down with a group of us at the AJC (good Q and A by Tim Tucker on the topic, if you haven’t seen it). Then there’s the banner raising. Then a game. Then a flight to Tampa. Then another game. And now we have to figure out what’s wrong with the Thrashers. Can I exhale yet?
I wanted to get an updated blog up because due to a death in my family I have to take an emergency trip to Detroit so I won’t be able to update for a few days. So here are some thoughts to stir discussion and after that I’m leaving regulars like Brendan, Rawhide, Buzilla and the 45 Bobs in charge for a couple days.
First let’s get to the losses. There’s a lot to be concerned about in every facet of the game. The Thrashers scoring chances have been nil. Two of their three goals came on great individual efforts — one by Kovalchuk setting up Little in game one, and Hossa in game two. You just aren’t seeing the Thrashers spending a lot of time in their opponent’s zone. And when the Thrashers do get a shot off, it either misses the net altogether or the goalies have been able to make a clean save. You’d like to see the same lines get time to develop some chemistry, but I honestly can’t blame Bob Hartley for trying to mix things up and find the right combination, can you? I can’t tell if this is a product of so many new faces playing together or just the makeup of the team. You?
Secondly, I like the Commish. There, I said it. I know you guys booed Gary Bettman when he did his awkward intermission interview the other day at Philips Arena, and I understand why. There was the lockout and the brutal TV deal and all the other missteps the NHL has seemingly taken. But this is the second time he’s given us an extended period of time for a sit-down interview and he’s self-effacing, personable and pretty funny. I just wish he’d admit that the NHL has to be on ESPN, but he didn’t deny reports that the two entities are talking, so I’m confident that will get done. Other interesting things from the interview — I’m suddenly convinced the Vegas is going to get an expansion team. Bettman sounded hopeful that the Nashville situation would work out, but he didn’t count out expansion. He basically conceded that a pro sports team will eventually be in Vegas, so why not hockey? Although from the sounds of it, you wouldn’t be able to bet on the Vegas team at the sports books. Now if we could just get the league to put Las Vegas and Atlanta in the same division and keep the unbalanced schedule, we’ll be alright.
I know some of you wonder who in hockey reads these blogs and all your comments. Some of you have even accused players of commenting under assumed (or middle) names. I was surprised to hear that the Commish was entertained by all the comments on Jeff Schultz’s column for opening day. He said he pulled up ajc.com while flying into Atlanta to check out some of our hockey coverage and he liked the passion of the Atlanta hockey fans in their comments to Jeff. Although, in my opinion the passion was misplaced. I thought it was a great column, but then again I’m biased, aren’t I? But there you go, you guys impressed the commissioner.
Alright - have at it. Fix the Thrashers problems. And don’t count out a trade. I would have said Nashville might be an interesting place for the Thrashers to look, since the Preds have some defensive depth, but the Shea Weber injury thins them out a little bit. Is it too early to shake things up?
Hossa focused on season, not contract
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I see the debate started last night, and continues today. What does Dany Heatley’s contract mean for Marian Hossa? Not much, said Hoss today after practice.
“He knows what’s right for him, so he did it,” Hossa said. “Good for him.”
And that was a sincere “Good for him,” not a sarcastic one. Sometimes it’s hard to pick up tone on the blog. But Hossa also said that the lines of communication remain open between the Thrashers and his camp. He’s spoken to Don Waddell and expects to do so again when the season starts. He said he has no issues with negotiating during the season and doesn’t foresee a time anywhere in the near future where he’ll shut down negotiations. He stressed that the contract isn’t his focus right now.
“Right now, my focus is on the beginning of the year,” he said.
From the Thrashers perspective, they have to be pretty pleased with the Heatley contract. While Hossa said that the two play different styles, he did admit that there would be comparisons made between the two players. I still think the Thrashers would jump at a 4-year deal in the $30 million range if Hoss was willing to do it. But he really doesn’t seem like he’s in a rush to get anything done. If I was a Thrashers fan, I’d be cautiously optimistic that the two sides will wrap things up before it becomes a big distraction. He did say he likes where this team is headed, so we’ll see. I’ve got a ton of preview stuff to turn in here, so I’ll keep this brief. But do you think the Heatley contract helps or hurts the Thrashers cause? Is there any concern to starting the season without him signed to an extension?
Which rookie will make the biggest impact?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Busy day today in Duluth, but more off-the-ice than on. The rock group Mastodon showed up, and evidently they’re real big hockey fans. The got the tour of the facility, given by Mark Popovic and Garnet Exelby. Then the two defensemen were heading to a recording studio to jam out with the band. I knew Exelby could play guitar, but evidently Popovic is pretty good too. I told Popovic that I didn’t realize he was a big rock star along with being an NHL player.
“You play a couple chords and all of a sudden you’re a rock star,” he said laughing.
And there were lots of plans after practice to get everybody where they needed to be. Johan Hedberg was doing a big photo shoot for Jezebel Magazine while Bobby Holik was heading to a television studio to tape an interview with ESPN News. Holik made the radio rounds this morning, and Garnet Exelby will do the next wave - he’s scheduled to appear on 680 the Fan and 99X and Kovalchuk is planning on doing something for 790 the Zone. Am I the only one who thinks Exelby is a natural to have a regular spot on 99X?
It took a debate about the National Anthem to get us near the century mark yesterday in comments, nice work everybody. Let’s see if an actual hockey debate can get us there today. Buzilla brought it up, and I like the idea of it. Which rookie will have the biggest impact this season? I think this is a tough one because Brett Sterling has the potential to score a lot of goals, and Bryan Little has more upside than anyone and he’s playing a position of need. Tobias Enstrom is fun to watch on defense and should really help the power play. And Mark Popovic is probably the least likely to flop. He’s steady and I don’t think there’s any question he’s NHL-ready. Can the same be said for the other three? How do you rank them?
The ‘C’ was for Coach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If nothing else, by withholding the captain announcement, there’s a little buzz around Duluth today. When the media walked into the dressing room after this morning’s practice, the normally quiet Ilya Kovalchuk shouted out - “Who wants to know who’s captain?” When Bob Hartley was asked about the captain after practice, he unzipped his windbreaker to reveal a ‘C’ made out of masking tape on his shirt underneath. It drew a good laugh, then he said - “The C is for coach.”
Slava Kozlov gave Kari Lehtonen a hard time, because Lehtonen was out of the running since goalies can’t be captains. Kari answered that soccer allows it, so hockey should too.
According to Hartley, the players will find out tonight at a team dinner tonight before the season ticket-holder event at Philips Arena.
“We have a pretty good idea who it is,” said Jim Slater, who added that it’s not a big deal since there are so many leaders in that lockerroom. And that’s the bottom line - whether it’s Slava Kozlov, Niclas Havelid, Bobby Holik or some longshot, it’s going to be leadership-by-committee this year with the Thrashers. There are a bunch of good leaders — Garnet Exelby, Brad Larsen, Ken Klee just to name a few more, and they’ll all play a part in filling Scott Mellanby’s shoes.
So one last time, make your pick official, who’s your captain?
There was an interesting debate brewing on the comments section of my last blog about the shouting of the word KNIGHTS! during the National Anthem. I’ll stay out of this one, but I am curious what people think. Is it disrespectful? Is it a nod to Atlanta’s hockey heritage? Is it time to stop? Where do you stand on that one?
Lehtonen will start Opening Night
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Well this is it. The final few days of practice until the regular season starts. The Thrashers wrapped up their exhibition season 5-2, but more important, they avoided any major crisis during training camp. (I’ll avoid the word injury for you superstitious fans out there) The biggest scare was Kari Lehtonen’s groin strain, and as we saw the final two games, shouldn’t be an issue.
Bob Hartley said this morning that Lehtonen will start the season opener on Friday night against the Caps, which isn’t surprising — but still, you never know - right? The lines during practice today were what we thought they’d be in the final exhibition game against Florida, until Todd White got sick. White was back at it today, although he said he was drained this weekend because of the flu.
It was a pretty intense practice, and there was a workout afterwards. Expect another strong practice on Tuesday, then it’ll lighten up as game day approaches.
As far as training camps go, it was a pretty successful one for the Thrashers. Holly Gunning as a good recap on Hockeysfuture.com, breaking down the rookies who made the team. About the only thing that didn’t get done was a Marian Hossa contract. GM Don Waddell met again with Hoss’ agent in Florida, but it doesn’t look like the two sides are closer. There’s no offer on the table, but really that’s because Hossa hasn’t given an indication that he’s ready to sign. There are a lot of reasons why this is a big season for the Thrashers, one of which is - it may take a good year to convince Marian to stay in Atlanta. And can you really blame him?
There is a team dinner on Tuesday, where the players will find out who the captain is. The team will let the fans know at a season ticket holder event at Philips in the evening. Of course Bob Hartley knows, but when I was bugging him about it today, he said I’d be better of bribing Joey Guilmet, one of the equipment managers, because he’s the one putting the ‘C’ on the jerseys. I’ll have it on here as soon as word gets out. I’ve already changed my mind three times on who I think it should be. I’ll say this — when I was doing the story from between the benches, I got a whole new perspective about the kind of leaders Slava Kozlov and Niclas Havelid are. They both come off as quiet, especially in the dressing room. Kozzie will crack jokes and things like that, but neither struck me as a vocal player. But on the bench during games, they’re both very vocal and instructive. In fact, outside Hartley, they are the voices I heard the most.
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