Thrashers avoid arbitration, sign Ladd

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Thrashers signed Andrew Ladd to a one-year contract worth $2.35 million Thursday, avoiding arbitration on the day of the scheduled hearing.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward, obtained from Stanley Cup champion Chicago in June, received a qualifying offer from the team following the trade and then filed for arbitration.

Ladd earned $1.65 million last season with the Blackhawks and had 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists). Following the trade, Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley said he expected Ladd to receive a significant increase in salary.

The Thrashers acquired Ladd, a first-round pick (No. 4 overall) in 2004, from Chicago for defenseman prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy, obtained from Dallas in the Kari Lehtonen trade, and a second-round pick in 2011.

In six NHL seasons, three with Carolina and three with Chicago, Ladd, 24, has scored 149 points (63 goals, 86 assists). He won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks last season and with the Hurricanes in 2006.

“He does everything 150 percent,” Dudley said of Ladd following the trade. “He'll bring the tempo of the team up, and that's very important.”

The Thrashers have no more arbitration hearings. They walked away from a salary award to Clarke MacArthur last week, letting him become a free agent, and they signed Ben Eager on Wednesday. The Thrashers will turn their attention to re-signing non-arbitration eligible restricted free agents, such as Niclas Bergfors and Bryan Little.

The Thrashers also re-signed goaltender Peter Mannino on Thursday. He signed a two-year, two-way contract worth $500,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL. The 27-year-old played 35 games for AHL Chicago last season. He posted a 26-5-1 record with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He appeared in three NHL games for the New York Islanders in 2008-09.