Paul Postma had no choice but to answer his phone. When the general manager calls, it has to be important.
It was.
The Thrashers re-called Postma from AHL Chicago on Tuesday, clearing the way for the defenseman to make his NHL debut. Postma was informed Monday by Wolves GM Wendell Young that his long wait was over. He almost immediately caught a flight to Atlanta. First, he had to make a call of his own.
“For sure, it was my dad, my biggest fan and my biggest supporter,” Postma said following Tuesday’s practice. “I called him right away. We’ve been waiting for this call for a long time. It was fun call to make.”
The move comes a day after the Thrashers re-assigned Arturs Kulda to AHL Chicago. Thrashers GM Rick Dudley said he feels both Postma and Kulda are NHL-ready. It was Postma’s chance to be rewarded for his minor-league season. Postma also brings an offensive element to the team. He is second among AHL defensemen with 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists).
“They’d like to see him get a chance,” Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay said. “We wanted to make sure we had an extra player, especially going out on the road for a couple of games. He can skate. He can shoot. We could use some goals if he happens to get his chance to play. We’d like to see him shoot some pucks and add a little something to the offense.”
The Thrashers play at Phoenix on Thursday and at Edmonton on Saturday. Ramsay would not say when Postma might make his debut, but it could come against the Oilers. Postma said he was not told when he might play, but “hopefully it will be this weekend.”
Kulda was re-called Feb. 4 and played two games. He was a healthy scratch the past two games following the return of Tobias Enstrom. The Thrashers also re-called defenseman Noah Welch earlier this season.
“Finally, I’m part of the real thing,” said Postma, who will wear No. 60. “It’s almost a relief being rewarded for some hard work. I’m really excited. I’m a little nervous. ... A lot of emotions hit you all at once. I’m trying to make the most of it and take it day by day.”
Postma, who turns 22 on Feb. 22, was a seventh-round draft pick (205 overall) of the Thrashers in 2007. After completing his junior career in the Western Hockey League, he played 63 games for Chicago last season. He had 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists). Postma will practice again Wednesday before the team leaves for Phoenix.
“We need to see him,” Ramsay said. “I don’t know him very well, and it would be nice to see him function in practice. Let him see what we do. If he does get a chance to play he’ll be ready.
"We don’t like to have guys just sitting around, but it’s important that we have somebody with us. It’s important that if he gets the call he understands what it is he has to do, and you could see from practice today a little bit of learning went on as he tried to figure out the speed of the players, the speed of the drills, et cetera.”
Injury updates
Alexander Burmistrov suffered a cracked bone in his left foot, but there still is no timetable on when the rookie may return. Burmistrov wore a protective boot on his left foot and walked with crutches Tuesday.
Burmistrov was struck on the inside of the foot on a shot by teammate Zach Bogosian during Friday’s game against the New York Rangers. The forward said he skated a few more shifts, but after making a turn “it hurt so bad I wanted to cry.” He missed his first game of the season Sunday against Carolina.
There also is no timetable for the return of Freddy Meyer. The defenseman has missed four games after being hit, and subsequently losing consciousness, Feb. 5 against Calgary. Meyer said Tuesday he does not have a concussion or headaches, but is experiencing “other issues” in relation to the hits.
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