Antropov deal looks to be done
Geez, we’ve been a little busy in Blueland the last two days, haven’t we?
Looks like the deal for Nik Antropov is done, just waiting for it to be officially announced by the team. Looks like this is the top-6 forward the Thrashers wanted this offseason. Four years, $16 million are the terms.
Keep letting me know what you think of the deal.
Heck, they even re-signed Chris Thorburn to a multi-year deal Thursday.
Help me out with what’s next for the Thrashers. My question still remains.
If they acquired a top-4 defenseman, at least for one year, via trade without losing one of the three goalies and now they have a top-6 forward via free agency – what will they do with at goaltender?
Surely all three won’t be here. Who stays and who goes?
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102 comments Add your comment
JAmes_kovyboy
July 2nd, 2009
2:12 pm
OK for sure Antropov kovy on the same line… now lets try to get Koivu
i live in MTL and i know this guys commitment hes amazing
thank god wwe didnt get Komisarek!!
Kubina is awesome, Antropov is the reason kovy will stay
But if we get our youngsters going, we got so much Depth at C its unbelievable:
here are our top C
Antropov, White, Peverley, Reasoner, Kane, Espostio
ill make these lines
Kovy-Espo-Antropov
Kozzie-White-Little
Kane-Peverley-Armstrong
Thorbs-Reasoner-Crabb
Toby
July 2nd, 2009
2:20 pm
Get The Puck Out
I believe he’s staying put in the KHL
Toby
July 2nd, 2009
2:20 pm
…but, I haven’t heard anything on Zhuberev
muttonsourdough
July 2nd, 2009
2:26 pm
GTPO – Yeah, Nikulin probly makes his biggest push to come over this year when we genuinely might not need him.
I understand the guy is talented, and I dont fault him for wanting to play in his homeland, but lets just say its been nice this year that he seemed to waffle back and forth less and teased the NHL less. Id still take him, but now it appears there is no room for him. Shame.
LAC
July 2nd, 2009
2:32 pm
Well some GOOD news, let’s see if waddell still has some money left for another scorer and defenseman… Let’s hope so.
jonathan
July 2nd, 2009
2:44 pm
i just don’t see antropov being that great of pick up there are better players out there
Russian
July 2nd, 2009
2:53 pm
I am not sure that Nikulin come here. Latest new from Russia taht he will be playing in Kazan. We have to forget about this guy.
MB
July 2nd, 2009
3:02 pm
LAC, that’s it? After all of your ranting yesterday, I would have thought you might actually pony up and give Waddell and Dudley at least a little credit. While it doesn’t make up for 10 years of gaffes, surely you could allow yourself to feel pretty good about drafting Kane, Klingberg, and Morin and then bringing in Kubina and Antropov in the last 24 hours.
Would’ve liked to get Nik for less, but when you consider his cost compared to Gionta and Gomez (all around the same # of pts), then it doesn’t look so bad.
There’s a lot more to be optimistic about than there was at this time last year, that’s for sure.
As for having money left for another scorer and d-man, I’d be surprised.
Thrashy Thrashy
July 2nd, 2009
3:28 pm
What the hell do the Thrashers need another defenseman for? Another scorer would be nice (won’t happen unless a goalie is moved), but…another defenseman?
ben
July 2nd, 2009
3:47 pm
we need another scorer.
LAC
July 2nd, 2009
3:54 pm
Interesting tidbit here…. How about this Gomez 58 pts 7.6 mil Nik 59 pts 4 mil… Interesting and he could get better.
How about Kovolev ? 2 years, 3 ? He’s 36 I believe. but can ring up 25-30 goals a year… Worth the risk ????
MB
July 2nd, 2009
4:09 pm
Ben, why? We were 9th in the league in goals per game, just behind the Flames and the Sharks, and that despite Kovy slumping through the first third of the season. With the additions of Kubina and Antropov, we just added 42 more goals, minus the 5 that Stuart potted.
Defense, now there’s our bigger issue. We were 29th in goals allowed per game. Both Ks should help there, not only with their size and defensive ability, but also with their passing and puck possession skills. Reducing turnovers and retaining possession of the puck could go a long way in helping our defensive numbers.
Chris Vivlamore
July 2nd, 2009
4:23 pm
Just got off the phone with Waddell and Antropov (Ben Wright can thank me for setting that up!). New story should be online soon.
Couple of the hightlights:
Kovy sent Waddell a text saying great move. He and Antropov played together in Russia during the lockout. They were even linemates for four or five games, he said.
Waddell said they are pretty much done going after big free agents. Might sign a player or two for depth, but don’t look for another big name. He feels they have the two missing pieces in Kubina and Antropov.
Antropov is reunited with Kubina from their days in Toronto. He’s really looking forward to the reunion and they shared some text messages about joining the Thrashers.
I have the schedule for developmental camp next week. The highlight of that is all the draft picks will be there. I will give you the details in a new blog tomorrow. Figured I would leave this one up to continue the conversation.
j nes
July 2nd, 2009
4:31 pm
This was the move I wanted the Thrashers to make at the last trade deadline. I have always liked Antropov and I think he will really surprise people this year. He needs to be our first line center with Kovalchuck. If he does center the first line, I bet he scores at least 25 goals and 40 assists (including some powerplay time). Think about it, the guy has never played (in the NHL) with anyone as prolific as kovalchuck. Neither Toronto nor the rangers had even a thirty goal scorer on their teams last year. I think the best player Antropov has ever played with is Jason Blake. Antropov with Kovalchuck will make both players better. I cant wait.
I hope this addition makes Todd White expendable. His trade value wont get any higher, but I dont know if any team would want to take on his salary.
Nice job so far Mr. Dudley!
Leafs Nation
July 2nd, 2009
4:33 pm
To Thrashers Fans–Don’t worry, you won’t have to put up with Antropov’s soft play, questionable effort, dumb/lazy penalties and maddening inconsistancy for long. Those two surgically rebuilt knees are just about due for a blow-out. Oh yeah…and thanks for Exelby!
J
July 2nd, 2009
4:40 pm
MB Becase it is not just defensemen that are the problem the Thrahsers need forwards that can control the puck force turn overs and cut down on the amount of time the puck is in the defensive zone. This will bring down the not only the shots on goal but force the other team to take bad shots from a distance.
Look for Hainsey’s points to go down next season like Enstrum’s went down last season because Kubina will be playing the top line on the PP. Maybe Hainsey can work on his Plus minus a little.
The Thrashers need to package moose and a forward white or pev and pick up one more d-man
Jared
July 2nd, 2009
4:48 pm
No problem laughs nation. Enjoy your newfound defensive liability ^_^
ThrasherNY
July 2nd, 2009
4:49 pm
Antropov “pleasing” Kovy adds more value to the deal; can someone confirm that is indeed the case?
This is a great signing…….Looks like a Dud-ell is better than a Wad-ell!
MB
July 2nd, 2009
4:56 pm
Dear Leafs Nation, you’re welcome for Exelby. Enjoy those three highlight reel hits each season, along with the forty others he’ll miss, leaving his partner with a two-on-one. Oh, and you’ll also like the blind pass to nowhere that usually ends up as a turnover, along with the look over the shoulder as he realizes he’s out of position again. But, he’s great in the community and he’ll wear some funny hats that make the kids giggle.
J, that’s exactly what I was saying in my earlier post, and why I questioned the desire for another scorer. Now a responsible, two-way forward? You betcha. I don’t, however, see why you’d want another blueliner. We have our top 4 in Enstrom, Bogo, Kubina, and Hainsey, then a solid competition this fall for the remaining spots between Oystrick, Valabik, Salmella, Lewis, Kulda, and possibly Wilson. I think we’re fine there.
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 2nd, 2009
5:01 pm
j nes — Antropov played alongside Sundin in Toronto.
Tim
July 2nd, 2009
5:05 pm
Apparently, after DW complete the Antropov deal, Kovalchuk sent a txt msg to DW saying: Good Job. This is reported on Ben’s blog on Thrashers Official Website.
Leafs Nation
July 2nd, 2009
5:09 pm
ranallo10 & j nes–And that was a big contributing factor in Sundin’s leaving Toronto. He knew that he had zero chance of winning if Antropov was the best we could offer as a linemate.
frosty the snowman
July 2nd, 2009
5:11 pm
Antropov has had alot of injuries, never gotten over 60 pts in a season. I think we could have done better. whoops, I forgot we are the thrashers. 5th from last here we come.
polskidawg
July 2nd, 2009
5:12 pm
Not a bad 2 days for the Thrash, not a bad week if you want to go that far back. Actually, this might be DW’s best summer. As for the activity, let’s play good news/bad news:
Thor – Good News is that he is an effective 4th liner that doesn’t cost much, plays hard. Bad News is that he’s about at his limit at 4th line. More than 2-3 games in 3rd line minutes is too much.
Kubina – Good News is that he is a good skater for a big man, has offensive game, good (not great) defensively and may re-sign for a more palatable salary is he likes the Thrash style. Bad News is that is overpaid (now), not overly physical on D (though far more than Hainsey) and general a minus player throughout his career.
Anthropod – Good News is that he is skill, skill down low, big, will have the opportunity to have his best year with Kovy and Kovy likes him. Bad News is that he has been injury-prone, not very physical for a big man, zones out for weeks at a time and is S-L-O-W and will play on Kovy’s (fast) line.
ThrasherTim
July 2nd, 2009
5:16 pm
I love the moves but what about addressing the PK? We can gain numerous additional wins by shoring that up. I mean, not that they were great, but we lost 2 of our forwards on the PK in Perrin and Stuart. Who replaces them — and brings improvement? Assuming Colby will have to step up in this arena?
j nes
July 2nd, 2009
5:18 pm
ranallo, did they play on the same line (not powerplay)? I thought Antropov was their 2nd line center when Sundin was there.
Either way I still think he is the best pick up the Thrashers could have made. He is the closest we could get to a bona-fide number one center.
Leafs Nation–suck an egg
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 2nd, 2009
5:34 pm
He played wing with Sundin and second line center when they didn’t develop good chemistry.
Barry
July 2nd, 2009
6:21 pm
Our first two forward lines are shaping up to be very sick. You can bet Antropov will rack up more points and goals that he had previously. You then have probably Kozlov and Little together on a line. That’s two more 30 goal scorers. Throw White in there who had like 70pts last season. Also most of last years team will be playing this year and they are already familiar with Anderson’s system and played great down the stretch last season. It’s just a matter of accumulating a couple of players and this team should be ready to go first game of the season. I’m really exciting for this season to get started. Man these next 3 months are going to be murder.
Jason(Darkhorse)
July 2nd, 2009
6:24 pm
Stating the Obvious-
Darkhorse needs to get his head out of the sand.
“I’m whatever about the signing – he’s a 4th liner”
I was talking about the Thorburn deal genius. Vivlamore
changed the blog to be about Antropov after the news broke, without leaving in the original info about Thorburn. Of course I am stoked to have Antropov on THE TOP LINE.
Thanks for making me look like one of the many looney posters on the Thrashers message boards Vivlamore. There’s no grass being smoked at my house.
World Be Free
July 2nd, 2009
6:29 pm
Still more talent out there-
Todd Marchant, Chad Larose, Dennis Seidenburg, Mike Grier, Mikael Samuelson, Derek Morris, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko, Travis Moen
Don’t stop now!
Tom Lysiak
July 2nd, 2009
6:32 pm
Leafs Nation: You could have stopped typing after “…that was a big contributing factor in Sundin’s leaving Toronto. He knew that he had zero chance of winning….”
GaVaHokie
July 2nd, 2009
6:57 pm
For what its worth, Eklund has us interested in Andrew Alberts… he’d be a nice depth move, probably cost around $1.7 maybe $2 million.
Nikita
July 2nd, 2009
7:26 pm
Here goes again. Thorburn has better than 4th line talent — contrary to popular opinion, his hands are pretty good and he’s capable of decent speed. He sprints well, but his overall speed and effort appear a little flukey. He has stayed on the 4th line due to inconsistent flashes of better play and because he’s effective on that unit. Actually, I’m not entirely sure why we signed him other than the naked pictures he has of Randy Cunneyworth, but I think he’ll do fine for us, even if he doesn’t rise to his talent level.
re: the PK, Slater needs to be taken off it. Bogosian, Oystrick, and Valabik are all reasonably good. Which means that we haven’t made a great decision in resigning Slater or Thorburn with regard to it if we plan on keeping them. Plus, keep in mind that we’re losing Eric Perrin, most likely, and the best remaining PK player (White) is also on the PP.
So…Antropov’s pretty good at PK. And we did lose two of our worst PKers. So we’re at worst even, but we still need to do some work on that unit.
Alan
July 2nd, 2009
8:17 pm
Thorburn has better than 4th line talent — contrary to popular opinion, his hands are pretty good and he’s capable of decent speed.
Here we go again, indeed. Tell him to prove it, and people might believe you. I, for one, am still waiting for these “better hands” and “decent speed” to make an appearance in Blueland.
pond scum
July 2nd, 2009
10:05 pm
I like the Antropov signing. He was a late bloomer sure,but he has learned to use his size to score/protect the puck pretty well. But him playing center probably isn’t gonna happen, if my memory serves me correctly he played mostly RW before his trade from the Leafs to the Rags,where they also played him mostly. He seems to have foun his niche,lets not take him out of his comfort zone. As long as his confidence level is up,he’ll score goals as other teams focus on Kovy leaving him room to bury his chances. The money and length are good also,he put up the numbers and still shows upside,so if you were in his skates you’d try to get as much as possible also.
WHY do some of you wanna trade White away? IMHO,he has showed that he’s VERY CAPABLE of being our #1 and after finally getting away from the Wild’s defensive system he showed that he can score an set up his linemates just fine. And his CHEMISTRY with Kovy as well as Little,Kozzie ect. is very good. That’s why alot feel that we are only a couple pieces away from a postseason birth….not a reoverhaul AGAIN! Maybe we won’t stumble out of the gates as we usually do every October from the constant roster turnovers. I’m sorry,but I proudly support White and believe in what I saw from last season and that he is capable of not only matching his output but even better it some.
Kovy-WHITE-Antropov
Kozlov-Pevs-Little
Kane-Reasoner-Army
Boulton-Slater-Thorburn I like that!!!
After this draft and so far freeagency, I gotta give DW some real credit for his work. As some of you have pointed out,we now have 2 targets filled. Now maybe sign a couple depth guys,focusing on the PK and our forward lineup looks pretty good.
As for trading either Kari/ Pavs- I hope we move either. Pavs HASN’T PROVED to be a true #1 yet,not even close. i know you guys remember 05-06,the never ending goalie carousel that probably costed us our first taste of the postseason in blueland. This is the time to keep the cupboard full,unless the offer is going to floor us and really upgrade. WE NEED a youngster to lean on if Kari gets hurt again. I love Moose to death,but he’s getting long in the tooth. I’m not advocating moving him either,tell Pavs to earn it in camp or back to the Wolves you go it’s that simple. Pavs has a ton of upside yes,but show us more than just flashes.Until he does that and PROVES HIS WORTH,then take another look at this position. There is plenty of time between now and the start of the season.
I’d rather see the team be prepared for the unexpected instead of not having a real plan B and having to give up something to patch a hole. Until we develop solid “franchise” depth,we’ll stay stuck in neutral.
LET’S GO THRASHERS!!!!!!!
pond scum
July 2nd, 2009
10:11 pm
And sorry guys/gals,but Zherdev is very moody and inconsistent. When his confidence level is up,he’s pretty good. But that just seems to be his downfall,he doesn’t seem to handle adversity very well. That spells doom in the postseason forsure. With what the Rags would want in return and IMHO his “peaks and valleys” play,it’s not worth it.
stendec
July 2nd, 2009
10:24 pm
TRADE KARI LETEMIN FOR A BAG OF CALGARY FLAME PRACTICE PUCKS! The Thrashers will still come out ahead in the deal. Sports incompetents! Guess all folks with ANY hockey intelligence left Atlanta when the Knights did!
Mike
July 2nd, 2009
10:29 pm
It appears that Clay Wilson has signed a 2 year deal, as it is mentioned in the AP story about Leopold signing in Florida.
Red Light
July 2nd, 2009
10:36 pm
Why did the Leafs want to dump this guy. Why wouldn’t the Rangers re-sign him? Antropov gets a huge raise of about $1.8 million a year and gets four years from the Thrashers to boot. Another shrewd way to get to the floor. $9 million to Leafs’ cast-offs in 24 hours. Where did they finish last season? Where can I get a pair of the rose-colored glasses? Those professional scouts Atlanta has, do they watch games?
pond scum
July 2nd, 2009
10:46 pm
Can I pose a question to some of the “downers”?
What would be the response if the Thrashers spent all the way to the cap and still didn’t improve?
Before the cap,the Rags did this every season and it got them no where. Just throwing money around doesn’t get W’s. Heck,last years Bolts are more proof of this.
LAC
July 2nd, 2009
11:06 pm
Boy did anyone noticethephoto saying it was Antropov, Why that’s
Nic Zherdev, NOT Antropov… Antropov is a RIGHT hand shot… Oh Boy
ajc missed putting up the correct person !!!! Better fix that !!!
Nice moves, but not nearly enough to put this team in the playoffs.
Perhaps an improvement of 10-15 points, but still below the type points needed to make the playoffs, and we continue to not be a threat forThe Stanley Cup either…. Still trying but another defenseman adn scorer needed,but waddell has closed up shop and thinks we can win…
Sorry don close but NO cigar !
bigjohnthrashfan
July 2nd, 2009
11:35 pm
So…are we keeping all three netminders after all??
Bob
July 2nd, 2009
11:49 pm
“Kovalchuk sent a txt msg to DW saying: Good Job. This is reported on Ben’s blog on Thrashers Official Website.”
Tim, thanks for the info and that’s cool to know, but I wonder how desperate these Spirit guys are to be leaking Kovy’s texts to Wad, that just seems kind of goofy to me
Son of DW
July 3rd, 2009
12:28 am
Per Chris, “Might sign a player or two for depth, but don’t look for another big name.” Great, so this is all we have to be excited about? Two over-the-hill players that may add, at most, another 10 wins to next season??? There is way too much excitement on this board. Calm down. Until we sign a top first line forward, Atl is in for yet another disappointment. I want a team that competes. Not a team that may squeak in as a 7th or 8th seed.
ben
July 3rd, 2009
1:43 am
we need another scorer b/c lehts isn’t the goalie we were led to think he was. we need another scorer b/c kane should make the team. we need another scorer b/c this is the biggest year in the franchise’s history.what if little’s 08-09 was a fluke?
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 3rd, 2009
5:11 am
LAC — You have your facts mixed up…Antropov is a left handed shot handed shot and wore number 80. Zherdev is a right handed shot and wears number 13.
Both photos are accurate.
Bob — I’d say it was Waddell who “leaked” the text message, but it’s rather relevant don’t you think? It makes me curious of all the other text messages he possibly receives from his players…I wonder if after the Kubina trade Kovalchuk texted him “I thought I destroyed him in Torino (2006)”
Jimbo
July 3rd, 2009
8:31 am
I thought that Stendec was cryogenically frozen but someone apparently pulled the plug and he has been thawed out. With dW making some good moves, he can’t bash him so he has chosen Kari. Once Kari starts to show his real ability, who will he light on?
dwayne
July 3rd, 2009
8:57 am
KARI, KARI, KARI!!!!!!
Hockey Biltong
July 3rd, 2009
9:51 am
I’d like to see Sammuelson from Detroit on the right wing. Good price and short term. Just to stop-gap for our propects.
Nikita
July 3rd, 2009
11:06 am
ranallo, wouldn’t that Twitter feed be fascinating?
Zhithed to DW: I can haz contract? I can haz no work? I can party all summer with Baltic Sea babes and still be on team?
**Tell him to prove it, and people might believe you. I, for one, am still waiting for these “better hands” and “decent speed” to make an appearance in Blueland.**
I’ll go whisper it in his ear. Don’t get me wrong — I’m as disappointed as you guys are regarding how his talent has played out for the last few seasons. I’ve been listing Thorburn and Slater among the players I thought we could lose since at least the midpoint of the season. But, that said, I don’t think Thorburn is fundamentally undertalented. I think for whatever reason he needs a swift kick in the ass and/or speed work. He sprints well and his hands are good — it has been noted by the training staff that he has a very good multilevel shot, which we see occasionally on the ice. But he loafs. He’s not a good fighter, either. His numbers aren’t good enough in general. If we’re resigning him I hope that means that someone plans on really laying into him on bringing his game to another level.
Hockey, I like the way you think.
As for White…I’m extremely fond of White. The only disadvantage that I see to him is that traditionally he alternates between awesome years and less awesome years, and next year should be a less awesome year. He is also smaller and older. His advantages are many — he’s fairly tough for his size, age, etc. He has great work ethic. He plays the kind of two-way game that is essential to our success. He’s good on basically all of the special teams. He’s a good person. His point production has never been bad, especially for his salary. And, perhaps most importantly, Kovalchuk is his biggest fan. Kovy has never wavered in his support of White or his determination to play with him. We need to keep him.