THRASHERS REPORT

> WELCOME HOME: Montreal isn’t like the other 29 NHL cities for Eric Perrin, and not just because he can speak his native French. This is home. “It’s always very special whenever you go back to playing where you’ve idolized all the legends and watched them play on Saturday nights,” Perrin said. Guy Lafleur was his first hero, and when Lafleur retired it was Guy Carbonneau, now the Canadiens’ coach. Bob Gainey, another Perrin idol, is the Canadiens’ general manager.

> FRANCOPHONES: Perrin, on the French-speaking ability of the other Thrashers: “It used to be pretty good, but now it’s gone to pretty bad.” The exceptions are Todd White and Garnet Exelby.

> DOMINO EFFECT: The line shakeup that put Ilya Kovalchuk with Marty Reasoner and Chris Thorburn also knocked Perrin off the Kovalchuk line, back to the fourth line. It was a blow for Perrin, who believes he has a lot to offer on offense. “I’m frustrated,” he said. “What are you going to do? I’ve got to keep going, figure out a way. I felt pretty good about my game, and now it’s back to square one.”

> NO DEMANDS: Kovalchuk on Monday said the Thrashers are a good team and proved it on their five-game winning streak. But when asked whether the players currently on the roster are the ones the Thrashers need to accomplish their goals, he avoided saying something that could be seen as impolitic if the Thrashers do or don’t make a trade. “I’m the player. I am not the GM this year,” Kovalchuk said. “My job is to get on the ice and get the work done.”

> LEHTONEN UPDATE: Goalie Kari Lehtonen, who hasn’t played since October, skated Monday and appears to be making progress on his return from a back injury. Thrashers coach John Anderson said Lehtonen will need 10 days to two weeks of skating before he’s ready to play a game. That first game might be in the NHL or the AHL. The question of which it would be has yet to come up, Anderson said.