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Monday, June 30, 2008
‘Big part of our future’ now part of team’s past
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m new to covering an NHL team, and I’m learning. One lesson: Asking the right question and reporting the response accurately doesn’t always shed light on the subject.
On June 16, I asked Thrashers general manager Don Waddell about the team’s plans for Alexei Zhitnik. Specifically, would the Thrashers buy out the final year of his contract. Here’s what appeared in the June 17 Journal-Constitution:
“Waddell rejected speculation the team might buy out the final year of Zhitnik’s contract. ‘That’s never been talked about,’ Waddell said. ‘We think he’ll be a big part of our future. We expect him to come back and be part of our team.’”
Two weeks to the day after he said that to me, Waddell bought out the final year of Zhitnik’s contract.
I asked him about the apparent contradiction. “That was prior to the draft,” he said Monday. “If we don’t get that player [Zach Bogosian], he could still be a big part of our team.”
It was no secret the Tampa Bay Lightning would choose Steven Stamkos with the No. 1 pick and that one of two excellent defensemen, Bogosian or Drew Doughty, would be available when the Thrashers picked at No. 3.
I talked about some of this with my brother, Danny Knobler, who covers baseball for CBSSports.com. His advice: Don’t get caught up in worrying about when there’s a gap between what somebody says is going to happen and what happens. Hey, it happens. (This is a family blog.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep asking the questions, reporting the answers and hoping, more often than not, I might shed a little light more often than I add to the darkness.
A few updates from a Monday conversation with Thrashers coach John Anderson:
—If you know of anyone looking to buy a house in Chicago, point them Anderson’s way. Unfortunately, the house in in mid-renovation. “It’s a little tough to sell when there’s no roof on it,” he said.
—Don’t be in too big a hurry for Anderson to announce a staff. With free agency this week and the rookie camp the next week, it is likely to be the second half of July before the Thrashers make any announcement.
—Three of the seven players the Thrashers drafted are planning to play college hockey next season, but they are still expected to be in the rookie camp. It’s OK with the NCAA as long as the players pay their own expenses, including travel.
—Anderson has been busy. He said Sunday night was the first he had spent in Chicago since his hiring. He had a quick swing through Atlanta for TV and public appearances, including a night as honorary captain for the Braves, and he was in London, Ont., at the end of the week for a hockey camp aimed at players ages 15-17 about to choose between college and major junior hockey. He will be back in Atlanta on Saturday and stay through July 15, when he returns to Chicago to get his things in order.
A topic for discussion: Which player do you want to see the Thrashers get most in free agency, and why, and which player do you think might actually sign to come to Atlanta? Brian Campbell? John-Michael Liles? Mike Commodore? Brooks Orpik? Mark Streit? Michal Rozsival? A 2008 Cup winner, such as Brad Stuart or Andreas Lilja?
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