Today was Boris Valabik’s first practice after getting called up from Chicago. He’s a big body out there, that’s for sure. He practiced with the team then spent some one-on-one time with Brad McCrimmon after the morning skate. The plan is still to sit him tonight, and I’m guessing he’ll make his NHL debut against Carolina.

He said he’s been told he’ll get a lot of ice time so he can get an idea of the speed at the NHL level. He still expects to play in the AHL playoffs when Chicago gets to that point.

I asked him how Ondrej Pavelec has been doing in Chicago and he said he’s playing really well right now. The two are roommates and friends and evidently Pavelec was giving Valabik a hard time for being called up after Pavelec was. If both of those players pan out for the Thrashers, that would bode really well for the Thrashers future. Five years from now, who do you see as the better pro?

Speaking of goalies, Kari Lehtonen will start tonight against Philly, a team that has owned the Thrashers for awhile now. Last time the Thrashers were here, they lost in Bob Hartley’s last game as the Thrashers head coach. Now that seems like a lifetime ago. Was that even this season?

Chatted with Toby Enstrom for a few minutes and he said he’s been a little frustrated with his play the last couple games. Neither Enstrom or Don Waddell think he’s wearing down, but you have to think maybe that’s a factor. Let’s not forget this is first full NHL season. His ice time is down a little bit, but that’s mostly because the Thrashers haven’t spent a lot of time on the power play lately, not because Waddell is trying to manage his minutes. The 21:19 he played against Washington was the least amount of time he’s played since Feb. 2. Remember though, Washington is pretty big, I wonder if that was part of the reason. Anyways, he’s a minus-6 in his last three games. And a minus-10 in his last ten. On the bright side, he’s one point away from setting a franchise record for points from a defenseman. That’s pretty impressive for a rookie, although he said he’d trade it all for a few more wins.

Permalink | Comments (89) |

Advertise here »