Unless you got “buddies” or your a former player/coach of a said team…… you already suck.

I don’t think our birds will take the #1 spot in the east,but a 6-8 th spot is a reasonable projection considering our improvements,cause they are better than alot of other teams that did absolutely did nothing or took some losses in who they have returning.

I’m hoping that JA isn’t so hard headed as to leave Antropov as the #1 center for to long,cause as another poster pointed out in another blog/thread…… he isn’t good winning draws. So that means our “top” line would be spending alot of time and energy trying to get the puck back and constantly chasing the play.

And batcork,sorry my friend (and PLEASE don’t take that as being sarcastic)… but I still feel White is our best center overall and should be centering Kovy and Antropov. I disagree that White can’t come close to his point total from last season cause we have better offensive depth,he is now removed 2 seasons from Lemaires choking style system and seems to have Anderson’s system down pretty well.

I know some don’t like him cause he isn’t a physical player,but he is a good set-up man and play maker. His line was clicking pretty much out of the gates last season with Kozzie and Little and until around January when he was bumped up with Kovy….. was one of our best point getters while still back checking and being responsible in his own end. To me,he’s a steal at his salary when compared to other players with similar numbers from last season.

The goalie situation will be a +/- 10 win factor. It will trump everything else.

Scoring, I think will be there as expected, but I’m not expecting anywhere near a repeat year for Todd White. Some of those points will have to be made up by others. We should have moved him at peak value after last year. I hope I’m wrong and it wasn’t an anomaly.

2009-10 Final standings

Eastern Conference W L OTL PTS
p-Carolina 54 23 5 113
y-Boston 49 25 8 106
y-Pittsburgh 47 28 7 101
x-New Jersey 46 29 7 99
x-Washington 47 31 6 98
x-NY Rangers 45 31 6 96
x-Philadelphia 42 32 8 92
x-Florida 40 33 9 89
—
Tampa Bay 40 38 4 84
Montreal 37 36 9 83
Ottawa 39 39 4 82
Toronto 36 37 9 81
Buffalo 34 37 11 79
Atlanta 34 42 6 74
NY Islanders 31 41 10 72

Atlanta, Losersville USA !!!!!!!!

Good. It’s the truth. Does that mean Waddell is a good GM? Pfft! Moving right along. If the day ever ARRIVES that Don Waddell isn’t the GM, it’ll be because one of three things happened. (1) Waddell retired or resigned, (2) because the team was sold to new owners, or (3) because Waddell got promoted to some budgetary oversight position for the Hawks and Thrashers. And even then, he’s still calling the shots, no matter WHAT PUPPET GM is installed. If Ric Dudley is ever made GM, he’ll have as much power, scope and authority as Emperor Puyi did over Manchuria, during the Japanese occupation of Northern China.

Waddell, in my view, is doing all that he can. He’s TRYING. Good lord, he’s trying. But he’s a limited-ability GM, who is hamstrung by ownership to make any serious reforms. Truthfully, I don’t know what I wish for more. Tighter control of Waddell or turning him loose, to land the next Uwe Krupp, Jani Hurme, or Steve Rucchin. Or to sign some Bobby Holik-like crippling contract, or some defensive upgrade like Ken Klee or Jaroslav Modry. (Or Mandy.)

The thing that bothers me the most about Waddell … is his ability to obtain and develop blueline talent. While Enstrom and Exelby were latter round draft picks, and Bogosian and Coburn with high-end picks, the rest of his defensive selections, trades, or free agent signings have left a lot to be desired. And what is worse, in my view, is that Waddell was, HIMSELF, a defenseman! He should have a much better handle on judging that position. Don’t get me started on Waddell and his goaltender selections. Wait, what did Mother say? “If you don’t have something nice to say, say nothing at all.”

When I stop to think that the first ever Thrasher signed to a contract was Damian Rhodes, I should have known then. But truthfully, I didn’t think that was a bad contract, at the time it was signed. Who knew Rhodes would play 81 games over 3 seasons, collecting $10 million in the process, in a contract that couldn’t be bought out, either. Uggh. And that 2005 trade to get Pavelec … is now under the microscope.