AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2009 > February > 11
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Which defenseman could play forward?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Anderson threw it out there at the end of his post-skate interview this morning, and I was sleep-deprived enough not to know if he was serious, but …
Marty Reasoner’s wife was having a baby today, and Anderson said Bryan Little wasn’t feeling well, and Jim Slater is still on the injured list. Now, Reasoner and/or Little might be able to play tonight against Chicago, but if for any reason neither can the Thrashers would be down to 11 forwards. They’re up against the 23-player limit, so they can’t fly in someone from the Chicago Wolves without putting someone else on the injured list or sending someone down.
Regardless, at least as a theoretical exercise, it could be interesting to consider which defensemen could be an emergency fill-in. I think Zach Bogosian and Nathan Oystrick would seem to have skills that could translate to a spot on the wing. Maybe Tobias Enstrom. What do you think?
Kari Lehtonen will try to make it back-to-back victories tonight after making 40 saves at Tampa Bay. The rest of the lineup might depend on the status of Reasoner and Little.
Today’s morning skate was optional. My flight didn’t land in time for me to see the start of it, so I am not sure I have a complete list of players who participated. However, I can say Johan Hedber was there in goal, defensemen included Oystrick, Bogosian, Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby and Boris Valabik, forwards included Eric Perrin, Eric Boulton, Joe Motzko, Colin Stuart, Chris Thorburn.
Perrin and Boulton made the smart move of checking into the Omni Hotel after getting back to Atlanta late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning rather than driving all the way home and then having to fight traffic to make it to the skate.
