With the Thrashers season five games from mercifully ending, it would seem there's little to play for other than a chance at the No. 1 pick. And for some guys that might be true. The season could end Sunday, and Ilya Kovalchuk's year would be a success from a personal stats standpoint. And really, there's not much players like Slava Kozlov and Alexei Zhitnik can do to salvage disappointing seasons.

But here are five players with something on the line for the final five games:

JENNI GIRTMAN / AJC (ENLARGE)

Veteran center Mark Recchi (left) may warrant a new contract with the Thrashers.

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1. Kari Lehtonen

His solid season last year ended on an ugly note in the playoffs and he certainly doesn't want another sour ending to a season heading into the summer. It'd be unfair to pin the Thrashers collapse on the young goalie, but he'd like to get a few wins under his belt before starting contract negotiations with the team. He's a restricted free agent after this season.

"That's one thing, and the other thing is I want to play well because I want to be proud of what I'm doing," Lehtonen said. "This summer is going to be so long, it's going to be very frustrating if you don't end on a good note."

As for a contract, Lehtonen said he hasn't thought too much whether or not it might be to his advantage to sign a one-year deal and hope for a better payoff next summer. That decision could hinge on the players the Thrashers add in the off-season. Waddell seems open to anything regarding a new deal for Lehtonen.

"He's three years before he's unrestricted," Waddell said. "The [long-term] security part might be something for him to look at. I haven't had any talks with them. ... I think we have some room in there to go either direction."

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2. Bryan Little

Little hasn't looked out of place since being called up from Chicago at the trade deadline but he hasn't scored at the rate of a No. 1 center either. A top-line center might be on Waddell's wish list for the off-season, but a strong finish from Little might give the Thrashers the luxury of spending more money on defense and starting next season with Little, Eric Christensen and Todd White as their three top centers.

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3. Boris Valabik

There will certainly be an overhaul on the Thrashers blueline, and Valabik has a short time to prove to the Thrashers that he should be in their plans instead of revamping purely through trades and free agency. Waddell has been impressed with Valabik's development as a skater and compared him to a young Zdeno Chara. "All the scouts who have watched those two players at that age think Boris is ahead of [Chara] as far as a skating standpoint," Waddell said. "It doesn't mean he's going to become the player Chara is, but with big players, the whole skating [issue] is going to be more noticeable because they're so big."

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4. Mark Recchi

Recchi revived his career with the Thrashers and his leadership helped him earn a spot on the team as an alternate captain. But after scoring four goals in his first seven games with the Thrashers, Recchi entered Friday's game against Washington without a goal in his last 13 games. A strong finish would solidify his comeback, although Waddell said veterans like Recchi, who will be a free agent, won't have problems getting a new deal. "The question is whether they want to stay here with that contract or move on to something else," Waddell said.

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5. Steve McCarthy

Another potential free agent, McCarthy got off to a slow start this season but has been shown some offensive flair late in the season along with strong physical play. He scored his first goal of the year against Carolina. McCarthy, who was a minus-12 in the first 10 games of the season was a minus-1 in his most recent ten entering Friday's game. His future with the Thrashers is cloudy, but a strong finish might help his chances elsewhere.