After trades, question for Thrashers: What's next?

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

DENVER -- They are both gone.

The two issues, involving two players, that faced the Thrashers for much of the season finally have been resolved. The ongoing contract negotiations with Ilya Kovalchuk could not be completed, and the franchise player was traded to New Jersey. The ongoing back issues with Kari Lehtonen appear over, but with two other goaltenders on the roster he was traded to Dallas.

Without the potential distractions, one question remains. Where do the Thrashers go from here?

“I think for us as a team, all these things have been happening very quickly,” goaltender Johan Hedberg said. “It’s a huge adjustment for this organization, this franchise. As a group it brings us closer together, but it’s up to us. We have to do it, inside this [locker] room. We can’t wait for Kovy to come in and score four or five goals or Kari to come back and stand on his head. Right now, it’s us. It puts more pressure on us, but it’s also something that, hopefully, is going to make us pull harder together.”

Defenseman Pavel Kubina said the team spoke about the situations with Kovalchuk and Lehtonen, but they were not issues on the ice.

“You always talk to your teammates about what is going on and what’s going to happen,” Kubina said. “They were traded. But when you step on the ice you worry about the team and you try to do your best. I don’t think it was a distraction at all.”

When Lehtonen finally was ready to return to the NHL after two off-season back surgeries, the Thrashers had one too many goaltenders on the depth chart. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said the play of Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec made Lehtonen expendable.

“That’s great to hear those comments,” Hedberg said. “I knew it was going to come down to this sooner or later, to move one of us in some manner. With the season going, I’ve been trying to do my best to show my teammates and everybody that I want to be here. It was up to Don to make the decision on what he wants to do.

"It’s a great move of confidence for me and Pavs.”

Thrashers coach John Anderson calls the final two months of the season “a new era, a fresh new start.” The push for the playoffs is on.

The Thrashers entered Wednesday’s game against Colorado 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three points out of the eighth spot.

“I think [there is a sense of relief],” Anderson said. “I think that everyone is going “OK, this is where we are; this is our hockey team.’ It’s up to us to make the difference. Either we are going to make the playoffs or we’re not. It’s up to us in that room.”

Hedberg, who started against the Avalanche on Wednesday, said he sent a text message to Lehtonen following the trade. He said he thinks a fresh start will benefit the 26-year-old, who owns most of the franchise’s goaltending records.

“Use the adrenaline you get from a situation like this, and use it as a positive,” Hedberg said.

Hedberg has been a steady performer for the Thrashers all season. He entered Wednesday’s game with a 13-9-4 record with a .916 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average. Pavelec has a 12-15-4 record with a .902 save percentage and a 3.45 goals-against average.

Anderson said he had some input into the decision to trade Lehtonen, discussing with Waddell that carrying three goaltenders was not a real option. Anderson knows Lehtonen well. They were coach and goalie for several years with the Thrashers’ AHL affiliate in Chicago. Lehtonen would not have played in any of the team’s three games this week. With the two-week Olympic break to follow, Lehtonen would have been out of the picture too long.

“It’s a little disappointing, but at some point in an organization’s mind you have to say ‘When is it time to move on?’ ” Anderson said. “I think if you ask [Lehtonen], he’s probably a little excited to get a fresh start and hopefully he stays healthy for them. I think that’s the key for him.”