By HonkyTonkHockey

November 10, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this

I say bring Hoffman back. We can use his size specially against Washington. However, I wouldn’t want him to break his hand on Brashear’s head though.

By Brendan

November 10, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

Why are these duplicate blogs for this topic?

By R. Stroz

November 10, 2008 4:22 PM | Link to this

I say bring Hoffman back. We can use his size specially against Washington. However, I wouldn’t want him to break his hand on Brashear’s head though.

Yes, but if Hoffman broke Brashear’s head with his hand, that would be GREAT.

By Alan

November 10, 2008 5:05 PM | Link to this

Stroz - Why is it I think of Tony The Tiger when I read your post?

“Hoffman breaking Brashear’s head with his hand? That’s GRRRRREAT!”

By Alex

November 10, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this

Lol, make Hoffman earn his stripes.

How’s he coming along, BTW?

By ROBO

November 10, 2008 6:03 PM | Link to this

AWWWWW……..THE CODDLERS/HANDLERS/APOLOGISTS……….MUST HAVE CLEANED LETEMINS DIRTY DIAPERS FOR HIM………..HOW SWEET…………ROFLMAO…………

By kracker

November 10, 2008 6:50 PM | Link to this

You mispelled your name…should be BOBO as in “Bobo the Clown” ….except nobody laughs.

Mike These wins have us all smiling and a bit anxious for the days to pass and get on with the rematch w/ the Canes on Friday. Should be a good game and a crowd for that one. I suppose the Trade Kari rumors have subsided a bit by now after the HNIC jolt?

By sisu

November 10, 2008 8:25 PM | Link to this

Right now I would be shocked if there was a trade, especially with one of our goalies. Kari will remain #1 and Moose has shown he still has it. A great effort by the whole team, good to see 4 lines rolling. The timing for the long lay off is bad in a few ways, one it slows the momentum that has been built up. Two, it quiets the attention to the team by media.

Here is hoping the new jerseys will bring good luck.

Tampa looking rough tonight, losing 3 - 0 after the first and still the same score with 7:35 left in second. A slow start or just a bad team?

By stendec

November 10, 2008 9:14 PM | Link to this

The Thrashers just shipped their only true goaltender to Siberia (Illinois)! Team is left with a nice guy (Moose) and untalented Finn SOB (What’s-His-Name). The freefall is about to begin in earnest! So much for feel-good winning streak. Who to call up? Well, as it stands right now, it does not make a damn bit of difference. Coach John Petrino has been exposed in his complete inability to judge talent. To Hell with them. GO HAWKS! Man, never believed I would EVER type those words.

By stendec

November 10, 2008 9:23 PM | Link to this

If the guy with issues is between the Thrasher pipes for the next game he will surrender four or more goals (unless the opponent goes into non-scoring mode). Can anyone say bye bye winning streak? Hope all you apologists enjoy the comeback! Plus the freefall which comes with it. I never believed Falcon fans were well versed in THEIR sport. They are geniuses compared to folks who post on Thrasher sites!

By stendec

November 10, 2008 9:35 PM | Link to this

Just took a quick look at the poll. Fan favorite WILL NOT be in Thrasher net in next battle! Coach John “Without A Clue” Petrino sent fan choice netminder to Windy City. Guess a select few knowledgable hockey fans (who never post) KNOW who top goaltender is! Thanks for the votes. ALL apologists will soon learn. THE HARD DAMN WAY! All of you begged for it (him). All of you are about to get it (him)! Sink or swim? Any of you losers have gills? You damn sure BETTER have!

By stendec

November 10, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this

Censorship? One of my posts was banned! Censored! Rejected! No other sports blog has ever had the utter gall to enact this type of Leteminski. Just because of my justifiable views on certain players and coach! Better not criticize Thrasher goalie (12 letters) or coach. Sacred cows to AJC beat writer. Have a bountiful Thanksgiving Pavs! Wherever you are.

By stendec

November 10, 2008 9:49 PM | Link to this

Post did appear despite message O received. My humble apologies. Forgive misplaced anger. Have a nice evening.

By Rockem Sockem Thrasher

November 10, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this

I don’t get the interest in Hoffman. Yes he is 6’5” & 248 lbs, but so is Valabik. Size and weight don’t make a great NHL player. Do we really need another winger? Fighting Brashear my be interesting to see but it doesn’t mean we get two points at the end of the fight. I think we have quality wingers, we need better D-men.

I’m interested in seeing Grant Lewis on the pro-level. He’s having a good year in Chicago. I think that he should have been called up instead of Valabik.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself:

Chicago Wolves Stats

By Jameson

November 10, 2008 10:53 PM | Link to this

Ranallo- Brendan’s right about Khabibulin. In fact, all the teams I could think of that might be interested in a goalie, except for LA, all only have around $4-5 million in free cap space, so while he’s available, they’d have to give up at least $2-3 million worth of players to get him in under the cap.

By stendec's mother

November 10, 2008 11:34 PM | Link to this

stendec, shut up you moron.

By ranallo10 (in AT)

November 11, 2008 4:28 AM | Link to this

Jameson — Yeah, he’s right regarding the need to make wiggle room for Khabibulan (if they were interested). My point still remains…there are better options than any of our goalies, that a team like Ottawa could pursue. Those options would cost their team less (in terms of talent, not salary), and would improve their team.

I’m not even saying Ottawa needs a goalie. I’m simply saying they wouldn’t send Jason Spezza away for a goalie who is not a drastic improvement over Gerber. They can win with Gerber…they could win with Lehtonen or Khabibulan…but they’ll have a much harder time winning without Spezza.

Trading Spezza for anything but another star would be a big mistake, in my opinion.

By GaVaHokie

November 11, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this

Brashear won’t fight Hoffman… why would he fight someone his own size? He’s a chump.

However, Hoffman makes the most sense… the team finally has some real chemistry, you don’t want to disturb that, so the best option is an 8 minute a game enforcer.

By Toby

November 11, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this

Mike

Any quotes from DW regarding the rumored trade talks and what he plans on doing with 2 top goalies? Considering Pavs (or just his loud-mouth agent) was unhappy being sent down in the first place, thought it would be interesting to hear what Dub has to say after sending him down again….this time 2-0 in the NHL.

By Nikita

November 11, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this

I believe you on Grant Lewis. I saw him play during camp, and he looked more or less ready — I don’t think he’s top-D now or for a few years, but I think he’s a good, solid, intelligent player. Plus he’s cute.

Valabik is, well, a big body. He takes a lot of stupid penalties. He’s not particularly gifted at actually stopping anyone, either. We could do better.

I did not notice Hoffman at camp, so I can’t comment on his abilities. But…I would like to beef up the 4th line snd get Perrin on a higher line. I would like someone with enforcement abilities if he can also make a reasonable offensive contribution.

By GaVaHokie

November 11, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this

Colby Armstrong was on the Giant Show this morning… here’s the clip if you want to hear it.

By Mark

November 11, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this

If we are to trade a goalie,I would have to guess it would be Hedberg. I know Lehts could bring us more in return, but I don’t see DW giving up on him yet. Edmonton is also shopping either Roloson or Garon, so there is a competitive market out there for goalies right now. Only a few teams have goalies to give up, and many teams need another goalie. It just would not surprise me to see either Lehts or Hedberg moved.

By GaVaHokie

November 11, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this

I think we’ll keep three goalies until a fourth goalie emerges… like Turple or Carrozzi.

The ideal situation is to be 3-deep at goalie… Chicago has Bulin, Huet and Crawford… Detroit has Osgood, Conklin, Howard… Montreal has Price, Halak, Denis… Philly has Biron, Nitty, Aubin

By Garrett

November 11, 2008 11:50 AM | Link to this

We also have Alex Kangas in the system (somewhere) and I don’t think Dan Turple will ever amount to much. Carrozzi looked ok at prospect camp.

By Thrashers27

November 11, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this

Hey Garrett!

According to the Wolves stats link above, Turple has better numbers than Pavs.

By Spud Webb

November 11, 2008 5:05 PM | Link to this

By Rockem Sockem Thrasher agreed we need better D, which is why Hoffman is the man to come in as a winger and crush some folks. You cannot afford to have your enforcer be a defensman. Winger is ideal. Make no mistake about it, teams will start running the Slava, Little, White line and we need someone on the team to make sure there is justice! I’m not saying goon hockey, I think most of the fans on this site no what I mean. Hoffman is a must, love Bolts, but he doesn’t put the fear into anyone.

By kracker

November 11, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this

Pens are visiting the Wings on VS right now…1-0 Pens on a Crosby goal.

By Tony C.

November 11, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this

Dude.

This Pens-RedWings game is ridiculous 10 goals so far!!!

By Brendan

November 11, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this

Pens win it, 7-6, in overtime. Red Wings were up, 5-2, and 6-4. Jordan Staal stole the show in the 3rd, with a hat trick. It was 4-2, Wings, after two periods. I wonder what Detroit’s stats are, in terms of wins and losses, when leading by two, AT HOME, after two periods.

GaVaHokie, outstanding post at 11:42 AM. That’s right on the money. In our entire team history, we’ve rarely had a season without some sort of sustained injury to one of our goaltenders. I know it wasn’t a popular sentiment when I suggested Moose should be up in the pressbox, with a Lehtonen-Pavelec rotation.

Honest to God, I see no purpose in trading Lehtonen. Barring the “king’s ransom,” which won’t happen. Even if you’re not a fan of Lehtonen, he does have value as a backup. Just like with Patrik Stefan, try to forget where his draft position was … and focus on how capable he might be as one of our two goalies. To ship out a capable goalie, who wants to be here, who certainly can deliver 30 starts in relief of a #1 goalie, seems crazy to me. Plus, I don’t think he’s lost the #1 goalie position. At least, not yet. At $3 million, he’s really not breaking the bank, either. And if he doesn’t improve his lot, he can’t command much more than that in the offseason. $3 million isn’t an insane price to pay for quality backup, down the road. I doubt he’d have many meltdowns playing 32 games, to Pavelec’s 50, if that’s the way it plays out, in the future. Truthfully, I envisioned more a 41-41 split in the coming years.

By ranallo10 (in AT)

November 12, 2008 4:33 AM | Link to this

Truthfully, I envisioned more a 41-41 split in the coming years.

I can’t imagine either would be happy with that. Also, I can’t imagine myself in that position and getting psyched to play every game, knowing in the back of my mind that it doesn’t matter how much better I play than the other goalie, I’ll still be splitting time with him (or her).

Of course, I don’t have the mentality of a backup goalie, so it’s also hard for me to imagine their ability to stay prepared mentally.

By ranallo10 (in AT)

November 12, 2008 4:41 AM | Link to this

Brendan — I forgot to mention it, but did you realize that Doughty was one of two Kings defenders with a +, is leading the team with a +6, and is tied for the most points as a defender (with waiver wire acquisition Kyle Quincey) with 6pts?

Sounds like he’s working out well for them, thus far. They needed that, with Johnson being out until Januaryish.

By dhj_1962

November 12, 2008 9:00 AM | Link to this

osgood was horrible last nite for redwings, they should trade him along with the rest of the d-men, they sucked!!!!

By Brendan

November 12, 2008 4:10 PM | Link to this

Doughty was a heckuva pick up for the L.A. Kings. He looks confident, too! I would have been very happy with Doughty, if the Kings had selected Bogosian. But they’re both excellent defensemen around which to build.

Yeah, the 41-41 split is a tough sell to a goaltender who wants to be #1. That’s for sure. But, if a goalie emerges as the better, more dependable guy, then the rotation stops. And the better goalie gets the majority of the starts. And if the backup asks to be traded, then a “nice” GM looks into that, and makes a decision about whether that trade is in the best interest of the team.

Many moons ago, Don Edwards and Bob Sauve combined to win a Vezina trophy for Buffalo, with the 41-41 split philosophy. That’s something of a rarity. But it worked for them. But the other major hurdle for the 41-41 split … is that neither goaltender is apt to hit his “benchmarks” for the $7 million-type contract. Well, unless one of them goes 35-6 in those 41 games.

I wouldn’t trade Pavelec. And I wouldn’t trade Lehtonen. If I traded a goalie, it would be Moose, but even that seems unnecessary to me. And the yield is apt to be a 3rd round pick or a minor league prospect. None of which would be worth losing Moose, in my opinion. The tremendous benefit of Hedberg is that he is a “teammate’s teammate” award winner, two-years running.

Meaning?

He’ll sit up in the pressbox, with a smile on his face. He won’t pout there. He won’t run to Mike Knobler and say, “Ya know, Mike. When I re-signed with Atlanta, I really thought I was looking at 30-35 starts. How am I supposed to ‘hit my numbers’ now??” I guarantee you, that utterance will not escape his lips. He got his contract and is probably content to mentor Kari and Pavelec. And when is is called upon to start, he’ll do just fine. And if, God forbid, a 2005-like season ever emerges, Moose can handle a few weeks of being the #1 guy until one of our other goalies comes back from IR.

By Michael Shapiro

November 13, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this

Anybody see the NHL.com article on Brendan Shanahan? I know he’s been around a while, but he scored 23 goals and had 23 assists last year (far above most Thrashers). How about putting him out with Slates and Perrin on the 4th line? Lord knows he’d score more than Bolts could (and still might throw a punch here and there). We’ve got $10 mill of cap space, even though Rutherford was moaning about losing money on his investment in the ASG the other day during his testimony…..

By Nikita

November 13, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this

Hedberg is being groomed for the coaching staff. We won’t trade him, and he won’t play much. I do think that if his play is bad enough and we need a third goalie he will be traded, but I can’t imagine anyone wants that to happen.

As for Shanny, I adore him. But I don’t think he’ll come anywhere near here. He wants to stay commuting distance from NY, since wherever he goes is likely to be a 2-3 year stint and he doesn’t want to move his family. I think we should try, but I don’t think our chances are good.