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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Hossa doesn’t see an extension before deadline
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Interesting chat with Marian Hossa today. He was very forthcoming about the realities of the current situation. As you’ve probably read in the story, Hossa said the chances of him signing an extension before the trade deadline are “very slim.” I imagine that’s the closest he’ll come to saying, there’s no way he signs before the deadline.
He still hasn’t ruled out signing with the Thrashers down the road, but he understands the ramifications of not doing it before the deadline. It puts the ball in Don Waddell’s court, because Waddell has been maintaining he’d like to sign Hossa to an extension before the deadline. It doesn’t look like that is going to happen. So, now Waddell heads to the GM meetings on Sunday with a decision to make.
Don’t be surprised if Waddell at the very least tries to sweeten the current offer of 5-years, $35 million that’s been on the table for awhile before trading Hossa. Because I do believe, he’d much rather extend him than trade him, but like Hossa said, “what kind of miracle is going to happen right now?”
We’ll run a full Q and A with my interview with Hoss in the paper. Hossa also wanted to make it clear that just because he doesn’t expect to sign before Feb. 26, doesn’t mean he’s ruled out an eventual deal with Atlanta. He’s just not ready to make that commitment right now.
Guess who else is getting expensive?: I told Kari Lehtonen that he’s driving his price up with his play lately, maybe the Thrashers should have tried to get a new contract done with him while he was doing his conditioning stint in Chicago. He’s a restricted free agent, and every performance like last night means more zeros in that deal. I’m sure he was paying close attention to the contract Henrik Lundqvist just signed with the Rangers. Lundqvist got a six-year deal worth $41.25 million and he was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 like Lehtonen.
Now, Lundqvist is certainly more accomplished than Lehtonen and was strong in the playoffs last year, something Kari can’t say. So I don’t think that deal necessarily sets the market for Lehtonen. But if you look at their numbers this year, Lehtonen’s strong play lately is starting to make the comparison a little stronger. Lundqvist is 24-21-5 with a 2.37 GAA and .906 save percentage. Lehtonen is now 13-14 with a 2.72 GAA and .917 save percentage. His save percentage since the All-Star break is sick, something like .960. I’ll crunch the numbers later. So are you ready to commit to Lehtonen long-term? If the Thrashers announce a five-year deal with Lehtonen, would you be cool with it?
Let’s not forget the effect this has throughout the organization. From what I’m hearing, Ondrej Pavelec is getting stronger as the season goes on in Chicago after struggling slightly with the adjustment to playing every day. He’s 19-8 with one shutout overall this season. But in February, he’s 4-1 with a 1.81 GAA and .903 save percentage. If you’re convinced Kari Lehtonen is your man going forward, why not deal Pavs for some help down the stretch? Or does Kari’s puzzling lack of focus at times and injury history make you nervous about doing that?
Speaking of the goalies, with back-to-back games, they’ll split duties this weekend. Johan Hedberg will go on Friday and Lehtonen on Saturday.
Kovalchuk update: Like me, some of you have noticed that Ilya Kovalchuk doesn’t seem to be dominating games like he was during the first half of the season. He’s got two goals in his last ten games, although he had a couple good looks last night. I’m sure it’s a combination of two things: The knee and the fact that teams are clamping down on that line as the season tightens up. Don Waddell said that the knee is certainly a factor: “There’s no doubt it’s slowing him down. But most guys would have missed three or four weeks with that injury. Medically he’s cleared to play, he’s playing with a brace. Is he 100 percent? Obviously, he’s not 100 percent. He won’t be 100 percent until the year is over.”
And Kovy? “It’s one of those periods where I’m struggling, but the team is playing well. That’s the most important thing.”
