AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 26
Friday, December 26, 2008
Gifts, Returns And Re-Gifting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ah yes, ’tis the season to…return gifts!
Didn’t get the new NHL ’09 you were hoping for…but instead got that lovely Chia Pet?
No prob…return it.
Got another sweater that looks more like a wooly mammoth than wool? It’s so hideous that you don’t even want to take it back to the store?
No prob…re-gift it next year!
Uh-huh…the Christmas season isn’t quite over until the mass rush to the mall and/or Walmart is made on order to exchange the gift… that someone else lovingly picked out… for something that we really wanted in the first place.
Ah…the true spirit of Christmas!
Anyway…after 34 games played by the Thrashers, let’s do some swapping, returning and re-gifting of our own, shall we?
First off, of the gifts the Thrashers have received from Chicago over the season…Joey Crabb, Nathan Oystrick and Ondrej Pavelec… the only returnee to the Wolves that I see is already back there…Opie. Like last fall, Pavs once again was called upon to fill in for an injured Kari Lehtonen and performed well overall. He showed us again the promise of what he can be in another year or two. But the last two starts also showed just why he isn’t quite ready for the big show on a full time basis…not yet, at least. Next season?…eh, quite possible.
Crabb and Oystrick on the other had have shown no reason why they need to go back down. In thirteen games, Crabb has a pair of goals to go along with a pair of helpers and is a +4, showing a lot of hustle and energy doing it. Oystrick, in 26 games, has played very solid defense and has chipped in with three goals and six assists.
OK…exchange time. Right now, I’d like to exchange Erik Christensen and Jason Williams with Colin Stuart and Brett Sterling. In the 21 games played by EC, he has seven helpers to go with his one whole goal and is a -8. Remember, this was to be Ilya’s top-line center and he’s filling the roster spot once held by this cat named Marian Hossa.
Williams, well he hasn’t performed as poorly as Crusher…7 goals, 10 assists and a -4…but at times he has looked as invisible as Santa is to the kiddies on Christmas Eve. Besides, when you’re 12-18-4 and you own the third worst points total in the league…again…it’s time to see if Stuart and Sterling are ready to fulfill their promise of a bright future.
Thinking of re-gifting? Well, once Zach Bogosian is 100%…no, make that 110%…ready to hit the ice again in games, I think the odd man out should be Garnet Exelby. Oystrick was called up to fill his spot last October and, as stated prior, I don’t think he needs to go back down on the farm. Boris Valabik is needed for his size, but needs to still cut down on the PIMs. He is second on the team with 51 behind Boulton’s 69…but he’s played in 15 fewer games. Still, I’d keep Boris as the #7 D-man.
That would mean my six blueliners are Hainsey, the Swedes, Schneider, Zach and Oystrick.
In my opinion, XLB, owner of 0 goals, 4 assists -6 and 49 PIM in 30 games needs to be packaged up and delivered to one of our 29 friends in the league.
And with that…let’s get ready to enjoy the rest of the season, starting with the Canes at home tonight. A win would mean the Thrashers leapfrog over the Ottawa Senators for 12th place in the East…even though the Sens will have played three fewer games than we have.
Then the Big-Bad-Beastly Bruins come a-callin’ on Sunday.
Don-Speak
During an interview in between periods of last Tuesday’s game on Long Island, Thrashers general manager Don Waddell indicated again that he thought the team he has put on the ice this season should be in the thick of the playoff race…and once again citing his belief that you don’t win five games in a row without being a “good” team.
Huh…whaaaaaaaa…?
Well, OK Don…I can dig that whole “5-game win streak equals good team” jive. But then, isn’t the opposite true as well? A team doesn’t LOSE SIX games in a row without being an UN-GOOD team, right?
This was the case with the Waddell-constructed Thrashers between Oct. 21 and Nov. 1 earlier this season when they lost to Tampa Bay, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, the Rangers and New Jersey by a cumulative score of 29-12.
Sure…they followed that up with five consecutive victories against teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs last spring. However, since that time Atlanta has stumbled at the pace of just five wins over the last eighteen games.
Do good teams do that?
In this recent Q&A session with our own Mike Knobler, Waddell was asked about his assessment of the season so far. His response, “The frustration part is, we have eight games where we were tied in the third period with less than seven minutes and we have found ways not to win any of those games. … You take even half of those games and split it, it makes the whole season look much different. … Most games we’ve given ourselves a chance to win and we haven’t found a way to do it. That’s the frustration part, because I think we’re a much better team than our record. I think we’re a better skilled team than we had last year. I think we got deeper at every position”.
I tell ya…he did everything but take Russ’ suggestion of saying, “Ya know…in games that we have won, we’re undefeated”.
Look, I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else from the GM of a 12-18-4 team that is following up a 34-40-8 season. I mean, it isn’t like he’s gonna say, “Whew…we stink on ice! God-almighty…it sure looks like I screwed the team with those trade-deadline deals over the last couple of seasons”!
Oh, And Speaking Of Sunday
The Thrashers play Boston at 5:00…the same afternoon the Falcons will host the St. Louis Rams. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00. So, traffic around Philips and the Dome should just be dandy and parking will be at a higher premium than most Thrashers games. Plan accordingly.
Oh, And Speaking Of The Falcons
Make that…the playoff-bound Falcons. If things go right Sunday, we might even have the ability to call them the Division Champion Atlanta Falcons.
WOW! What a turn around for the Dome Birds and congratulations to them indeed!
When you think about where they came from just last season…what with the turmoil they faced…the whole Vick saga…having a coach grab his skirt and catch the first hay-wagon out of town to Pigville after just 13 games…going 4-12…well, nobody…nobody gave this team a chance.
They have overcome far more adversities than …ahem…their neighbors have and have soared to heights unimaginable. Amazing, isn’t it?
They…like the Thrashers…finished low enough to pick third in the entry draft last year.
They…like the Thrashers…brought in a new coach that is going through his first season as such in the big leagues.
They…like the Thrashers…brought in many new faces to upgrade from last years disappointing campaign.
They…like the Thrashers…were given ZERO chance to finish the season with their heads above water.
They…like the Thrashers…changed the entire tone and direction of the team by bringing in a new general manager that has…
Oh, wait…
Anyway…congratulations Falcons and good luck in the post-season!
