Kari Lehtonen has another back surgery
We are back! Now with some breaking news: Kari Lehtonen underwent another back surgery on Friday. The procedure was to remove edges of bone that were applying pressure to nerve roots in his back at two locations. The surgery was performed by Dr. Paul Maurer at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The locations on the back were different than the location of the surgery he had on July 20.
The team says he will be sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks.
Thrashers had a late optional skate on Wednesday. They start at 1 p.m.
We’ll need to check the status of Ron Hainsey, who missed both games in Canada. He left last Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury that coach John Anderson said was “day-to-day.” I will let you know if I find out anything new and what his status might be for Thursday against Columbus.
Looking to do a story for today/tomorrow on Ondrej Pavelec. I think with need to catch up with the goalie after two impressive games in Canada. What do you think was his better game: stopping 50 of 51 shots against Ottawa or the number of impressive stops in the win over Montreal?
Let’s get this posted and we’ll check back in 20 minutes when the players start to take the ice. Johan Hedberg and Evander Kane just came out to join Noah Welch and assistant coaches.
We will check back.
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83 comments Add your comment
J.B.
November 4th, 2009
12:51 pm
stopping 50 of 51 is EXTREMELY impressive but worrisome, though that’s more of a defense issue than goaltending issue. From what I could tell, Pavs was spectacular in both games. Wish I could have watched rather than listened. Looking forward to the story on Pavalec but I’m REALLY curious what Kari thinks of all this… it’s noticably quiet on the Lehtonen front.
Russian
November 4th, 2009
1:19 pm
I am agree about 50 of 51 and plus Mask of Save. It was fantastic job. Also I am wondering about Kari. What’s he think about huis job? Pavs might became as Number One.
Chris, Tell us about Welch little bit more. How is he practice? What’s his stile of play? I did not see him on action.
Russian
November 4th, 2009
1:22 pm
Kari has anotehr surgery.
How did we sign him? He is not going to play until February. Bad news.
jonathan
November 4th, 2009
1:24 pm
dude you can get free atlanta thrashers games free on atdhe.net you should check it out cool website
ThrasherTim
November 4th, 2009
1:31 pm
I think at this point, Thrasher fans have realized that this team is Pavs’…this year. I am sure Kari is more worried right now about just being able to walk without pain, let alone playing hockey. If he ends up being healthy later in the year, that just leaves more options for the organization either to play him or trade him. Right now, Kari = zero on the “asset” side of the organization until further notice.
jonathan
November 4th, 2009
1:31 pm
i can’t beileve kari had another surgery it doesn’t matter anyways pavs is better anyways
KLS1
November 4th, 2009
1:54 pm
This team can never have too many goalies, unbelievable. Let’s hope the injury bug doesn’t nip either of our active goalies or we’ll be playing in front of the likes of Adam Berkhoel again.
JB17
November 4th, 2009
1:59 pm
Honestly, I’m not surprised by this. Pavs has clearly taken over control of this team. Kari has had his shot more than once and blew more than once in many different ways. I’m just fine with Opie taking the number one spot from here on out; he’s proven he can do it and I really think the team as a whole trusts him more than Kari.
As for Pavs best game; they’re both equally impressive as he made some awesome saves last night. BUT, he almost single handedly won that game in Ottawa. Just like he stole that point in Montreal earlier this year. That’s something this team has been sorely missing; a goalie that can stand on his head and steal a point or points. Pavs can do that, I don’t know if Kari can or ever really could.
Matt
November 4th, 2009
2:01 pm
Kari injured/surgery again, cue Stendec rant in 3..2..1…
J.B.
November 4th, 2009
2:05 pm
we’re going to have a hard time moving Kari to another team. Isn’t he UFA at the end of this season? We’ll be lucky if we can even get him on the ice by then. And, even if we could get him on the ice this season, do we WANT to? I say HEEEEEELLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOO!
JB17
November 4th, 2009
2:12 pm
J.B.: Kari and Pavs are both RFA’s after this year. I’d sign Pavs and let Kari walk; get a sign and trade if you can. This team has spent too many valuable resources on Kari and has got almost nothing in return.
Tony C.
November 4th, 2009
2:12 pm
Yeah I’m pretty sure that if DW tried to include KL in a trade the GM on the other line would die of convulsions from hysterical laughter…
IllegalCurve.com » Blog Archive » On the Beat: Alexander Ovechkin is feeling much better, Kari Lehtonen has back surgery, Blackhawks surface in trade rumors, Patrik Elias will delay making his debut, Have Hurricanes reached ‘that point&#
November 4th, 2009
2:15 pm
[...] like the injuries are piling up in Atlanta, as goalie Kari Lehtonen will be out 6-8 weeks after he had another back surgery to remove some bone, which was causing him [...]
Clemson538
November 4th, 2009
2:16 pm
Sign and Trades are a NBA thing.. Not NHL
JB17
November 4th, 2009
2:16 pm
Haha, Tony your right. I wouldn’t be, IMO, going to far out on a limb to say Kari might be done for the year.
I’m not one for letting “assets” walk for nothing; but Chris if the Thrashers let a RFA go unsigned through the summer he becomes a UFA correct?
Midifeld
November 4th, 2009
2:18 pm
Honestly, if I were him, I would take it easy and hope that I can squeeze a few seasons in Europe somewhere, when I get healthy enough. NHL is not the place to nurse potentially career ending injuries.
MB
November 4th, 2009
2:19 pm
More bad news (depending upon your point of view) about Kari. Sorry to say, but this may well be the straw that breaks the camel’s proverbial…well, you know. Now the question is will he get enough reps once he is ready to boost his rapidly-declining trade value before the deadline? There seem to be quite a few teams with goalie issues this season, so maybe somebody will be willing to give up some decent picks/prospects for an enigmatic goalie with the “potential” to steal some games. Of course, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but assuming Ondrej keeps up his strong play, I just don’t see Kari sticking around through the end of the season.
As for Pavs’ best effort, definitely the 50 saves against Ottawa. He robbed the Sens on numerous occasions and had no real chance at the goal they did score. Last night he made some amazing saves as well, but my guess is he’d like to have the first and last goals back.
Speaking of last night’s game, I don’t speak French, but it was pretty apparent that the announcers were very impressed with both Pavs and Peverley based on the number of times their names were mentioned. Maybe those Canadians will start to realize we’re more than Kovy and some scraps.
J.B.
November 4th, 2009
2:42 pm
I think Kari is done in Atlanta. I just don’t see how they can put him back in goal with the issues he’s had considering Opie is doing so well. Let’s hope he continues to do so throughout the season (AND PLAYOFFS).
Spud Webb
November 4th, 2009
2:45 pm
Don Waddell would be the only one who’d trade for KL right now, thank god we’ve already got him!!! ahhahahahahhahahaa.
Seriously, I’ve had the same KL had and someone else said it, that joker is going to be happy walking pain free, probably not to worried about hockey right now. Hope you get better Kari.
Yankee
November 4th, 2009
3:12 pm
Terrible news but at least we get to see if Pavs can handle it without looking over his shoulder. I hope he does it!
The Earl of Bud
November 4th, 2009
3:15 pm
MB, I like to watch the oppossing team´s coverage all the time just to hear what they say about us. And I like a lot of other team´s coverage better but that´s another issue. Anyway, in the other game against Montreal which was in English and the game against Ottawa they were both singing Atlanta´s praises rather than bashing us.
As for Peverley, I am very happy with his scoring touch. But one thing that is driving me nuts is the turnover he made last night. For starters he fanned on it and the Hab took it to the net and scored. Secondly, even if he had made the pass, I don´t know which of our Thrashers was on the other side of the ice, but he too had a Canadien right near him on the other side of the blueline, so that other Canadien could´ve easily jumped the pass and intercepted it and taken it to the net for an easy chance.
Finally, Peverley made the exact same mistake in the Ottawa game. I wrote this on the last blog or whichever it was for that game, but don´t make cross ice passes in your own zone like that. The only thing that saved us in that Ottawa game was that Pavalec made an amazing glovesave to rob the Senator who jumped the pass for an easy breakaway. At some point Peverley has got to know to play the puck up along the boards in those situations.
All that said, he is a point per game player that has only made those 2 glaring mistakes. Hopefully he can easily fix that.
Lee
November 4th, 2009
3:37 pm
Kari might as well not play the whole season! I mean FEBRUARY?? UGH!!! I know I know, Pavs has been great, but he’s very streaky, and I’m a little concerned at this point. Just watch Kari, get injured when he comes back in feb. His back must be in pretty bad condition!
Hotrod
November 4th, 2009
3:39 pm
Well this has come out of left field. Seems like the exam and diagnosis was a little botched over the summer. I mean really! “We fixed him over the summer, should be out 6-8 weeks” then now we find this and that?
Oh well, crappy for Kari to be so young and have a back this screw’d already.
Mike
November 4th, 2009
3:41 pm
I noticed Chris mentioned Noah Welch. Is he here for insurance due to Hainsey being out or has he been hurt since beginning of season and is still working on rehab?
J.B.
November 4th, 2009
3:42 pm
no misdiagnosis occurred. apparently this was something altogether different than the disc issue that was fixed earlier in the summer.
LAC
November 4th, 2009
3:46 pm
I agree, I think in light of Pavalac’s play, it might be the end of #32 in Atlanta, I look for Atlanta to NOT resign him, not a bad goalie, but just too many injuries over the years, to risk the money.
Chris Vivlamore
November 4th, 2009
3:47 pm
Practice update: A couple of things to note. It looks like Hainsey will play tomorrow night. I could only determine that he missed the last two games because of a “lower body injury.” He said he plans to play and Anderson said he’s day-to-day but expects him to play. Anderson said if the game against Montreal was a playoff game, Hainsey would have been in there.
Heard it here first (again), Pavelec is likely to be the starter in goal. I’ll be at the morning skate to confirm, but that’s what I understand.
Talked to Bryan Little about his first goal. It was a bit of a fluke, but he’ll take it. Admitted he was gripping the stick a little tight trying hard to get that first goal.
Time to finish the Pavelec story.
Bob
November 4th, 2009
3:50 pm
Lehtonen lost me back when he died his hair blue along with that maroon Sutton prior to our 1st playoff game. That and his complete inability to play consistent for more than 4 or 5 games in a row after a long rest, and he’s just not a #1 NHL goalie and never will be.
Did Waddell burn a #2 overall pick on him? Who else came out in that draft?
biscuit
November 4th, 2009
3:55 pm
He’s the Forsberg of goaltenders. Play great for 3 months, have a surgery. 3 more months, another surgery.
Buzzeng
November 4th, 2009
4:13 pm
Chris, try to focus the interview with OP on what more he and the team can do. We sure don’t want his early success to get to his head. He’s done a great job stepping in and stepping up. He wanted this chance, bad, last year so I’m happy to see him get the chance and answer the call. However, it’s still early in the season. Keep him hungry for more success!
Matt
November 4th, 2009
4:55 pm
Biscuit, epic analogy. (slow *clap* *clap* *clap*).
Bob, Sutton was not a “moron” he was just a human pylon.
Still laugh over Hartley’s comments about Kari being in the Finnish Army and not being able to do a push up. He is (or was) the Sta-Puft Marshmallow (sp?) man of the NHL.
Don *(Not That One)*
November 4th, 2009
5:09 pm
Gee we pick Kari over the likes of
3rd Jay Boumeester
4th Joni Pitkanen
5th Ryan Whitney
6th Scottie Upshall
13th Alexander Semin
25th Cam Ward (2nd goalie chosen, has stanley cup ring to prove he’s better than Kari)
30th Jim Slater
Maybe it’s not DW, maybe it’s our scouts, assuming he listens to them at all.
JLH
November 4th, 2009
5:49 pm
EOB – What bothered me most about Peverley mistake last night was how long he took to attempt the pass. He had it for several seconds with no pressure, and waited too long to make the decision, then looked up and fanned on the pass. He could have let go of it much sooner or skated up the boards. Hopefully he learned something.
NASCAR Dave
November 4th, 2009
6:19 pm
YAWN… Stick a fork in him, cuz the kid is DONE.
NUFF SAID.
KQuark
November 4th, 2009
6:19 pm
I’m glad to hear Hainsey will be back hopefully Thursday. The pairing of Salmela and Popvich simply does not work. Kuba and Shubert worked well together but it’s much better having Shubert who has been a pleasant surprise this season on a third line pairing with Popvic or Semela. Defensively the pairing of Kuba and Hainsey is one of the best pairing the Thrashers have ever put together.
For me last night was the best night of Thrasher’s brand team hockey I’ve seen, especially in 5 on 5 play. Sure they gave up more chances to Montreal but they had many more chances of their own, The two things that still frustrate the hell out of me is the Thrashers still not getting the puck out of the zone and leaving the slot open.
Brendan
November 4th, 2009
6:25 pm
I’d definitely say the 50 save performance in Ottawa was tops of his appearances in the Great White North. He should be feeling very good about himself. I will say, for the record, that the organization has rushed Pavelec. Goalies take 5 years to develop. So, Ondrej is a little ahead of schedule to be the #1 netminder here.
In the 2002 Draft, I will say this much for Waddell. IFFFFFFF it’s true that he really intended to select a goalie, then Lehtonen was the horse to bet on. He was the top-rated goalie in his draft year, per NHL Central scouting. I wonder if Rick Dudley is ’sorry’ for what he did to Don Waddell that draft year (2002) now that he’s inherited that Lehtonen pick.
If anyone is wholly unfamiliar with the events of the 2002 draft, here’s a recap. Florida owned the 1st overall pick. Rick Dudley was the Panthers GM at the time. Dudley was approached by the team picking 3rd, the Columbus Blue Jackets, to make a trade. Blue Jackets GM Doug MacLean wanted to select Rick Nash 1st overall. But to accept MacLean’s offer, Dudley needed acquienscence from his ol’ pal Don Waddell not to select Bouwmeester with the 2nd overall pick. Don was eager to help out a friend, and his buddy Rick Dudley ’sweetened it up’ by tossing in the 30th overall pick that year, that was being offered to him by Columbus. Originally, that 30th overall pick belonged to the Detroit Red Wings. But when Detroit traded Slava Kozlov to Buffalo, the Sabres acquired that 1st round pick in the deal. Buffalo then made other deals with Edmonton and Columbus. And the pick became Doug MacLean’s, I believe. Then MacLean offered it to Dudley, who then passed it along to Atlanta, as “inducement” not to take Bouwmeester.
Don then told the media, “We got the player we wanted all along,” plus they got an extra pick in the 1st round, 30th overall, that the organization then converted into Jim Slater. When folks in these parts “bad-mouth” Jimmy Slater, it’s not so much that he’s a “bust” of a 1st rounder so much as it is a “frustration” that rejecting that pick might have led the Thrashers being able to select Rick Nash.
That requires some thought, I do realize. See, Florida can’t get Bouwmeester without Atlanta’s “promise” not to take him 2nd overall, if Florida consummates the deal with Columbus. If Waddell had said, “Sorry Rick. I love ya. But I can’t do this deal. We gotta wind up with Nash or Bouwmeester, as team picking 2nd overall. We need IMMEDIATE help.” Well, Florida coveted Bouwmeester so … they would have selected Jay Bouwmeester 1st overall in 2002, leaving Nash for Atlanta to pick. Now, if Doug MacLean then approached Waddell for a deal for that 2nd overall pick, with something a little bit more enticing than a ‘throw away’ “shot in the dark” 30th overall pick … I could have honestly seen Waddell jumping all over Columbus’ offer to let us take their 1st round pick in 2003. (Columbus would pick 4th overall in 2003.) Such a deal would have allowed Atlanta to pick up a player like Thomas Vanek at 4th overall, while then adding Braydon Coburn at 8th overall, in 2003, and still get us Kari Lehtonen from the 2002 draft. Bygones. Well, what if MacLean doesn’t offer us his 2003 1st overall pick? Answer: Simple. Waddell mozies up to the podium and takes Rick Nash, 2nd overall, as is his RIGHT to do so. That’s called “The power of the 2nd overall pick in the draft.” I feel bad for Jimmy Slater being blamed for the GM’s decision. I don’t feel that’s really fair to Jimmy Slater. Guys picked 30th overall in the draft don’t usually blossom into big stars in the NHL. Some do. But, overall, on balance, they don’t. How I wish we could have turned back the hands of time to take either Nash or Bouwmeester, but it cannot be undone. It is what it is.
ksiujgth
November 4th, 2009
7:33 pm
i don’t wish letemin any ill will, but i was screaming for dw to trade him last year while someone still thought he was a good goalie.
Dwayne
November 4th, 2009
7:44 pm
I’d like to see Kari get healthy, and providing Pavalitchs, PavalehetZ, however those guys pronounced, improves, let Kari play in Chicago, hope he stays healthy, and have a tough decision to make NEXT year. I also feel more comfortable with Dudley in Donnie boys ear to make people decisions. As far as Chelios? Could not hurt having him in Atlanta.
And on a happy note, I will be in Atl. to see my Thrashers take on the Montreal Canadians Dec 21, I am bringing my 2 oldest Grandsons, (I have 6) both age 7, to their first hockey match. We gonna tear it up in Atlanta
Lee
November 4th, 2009
7:48 pm
Ok, I have nothing against Kari except, he is easily injured and is very streaky, thus said, we could’ve picked Alex Semin, Cam Ward, and other people I mean, actually, Look at their previous records!!!! You never no,
The Earl of Bud
November 4th, 2009
7:52 pm
biscuit, the Forsberg analogy is only ok because PF had 10 years in the league before his body broke down a la Kari.
Brendan, while it is true a lot of goaltenders go unnoticed in their early years. Not many thought that Craig Anderson or Tim Thomas would come out of nowhere. But it´s not asking too much to think Pavelec can have a year like Steve Mason or even Pekka Rinne did last year.
As for all the talk of drafting Kari, I think that´s pointless because to just talk about drafts 5 to 10 years after the picks were made is crazy to claim that you knew better way back when. I had no idea that Kari was a broken down jalope when we drafted him so I will not claim that I knew we should´ve picked player X instead. And as Brendan said, Kari was the horse to bet on, and every expansion team starts with goalie first. Norm Maracle wasn´t the answer along with the slew of other guys like Dafoe, so I have no problem with drafting Kari. I am with “ksiujgth” that I was ecstatic when I heard some of the names mentioned in rumors for a Kari trade only to weep when nothing went down. But considering no one here including myself had an ounce of faith in Pavelec at the beginning of the season, so be it.
The Earl of Bud
November 4th, 2009
8:00 pm
Brendan, I have a hard time buying that Rick Nash story. Why would Atlanta be so hungry for Nash when the previous 2 years they already drafted left wingers Kovalchuk and Heatley? Doesn´t it make sense we would want someone else besides another left winger?
Jimbo
November 4th, 2009
8:47 pm
Brendan – Where in the world did you come up with the Nash Fantasy? At the time that we drafted Kari, knowledgeable hockey buffs applauded our finally getting a goalie who had NHL skills. With few exceptions, successful teams have built from the goalie out. Our retread strategy, Norm, Damian and Lord Byron simply didn’t fly. It was interesting to me listening to the Canadian broadcasters talk about the exceptional play that Pavelec had shown in Canada in the World Juniors. They seemed to see it as a logical development for him to become a big time NHL goalie. The one thing that he has over Kari is control of rebounds. Kari fights them. Pavs gloves them. Pavs recent performances are a perfect example of how a hot goalie can carry a team. Let’s hope that he stays on this hot streak.
Nat
November 4th, 2009
9:02 pm
Jonathan, thanks for the info about atdhe.net. It’s very cool — and free. They play all kinds of live sports. The Chicago Wolves are on right now.
The Earl of Bud
November 4th, 2009
10:02 pm
Jimbo, great, I forgot about Rhodes. But the Canadian commentators (English, not the Frenchies) were talking about how Pavalec was barely giving up many rebounds. In some games before I seem to remember him giving up more, not the big juicy ones Kari gave up, but he definitely has great control now.
KLS1
November 4th, 2009
10:07 pm
Brendan is right, but we wanted Bouwmeester or Lehtonen. Knowing we weren’t going to get Bouwmeester under either situation, we agreed to the sweetened pot and took Lehtonen at 2. Rick Nash was not what we were looking for then with Heatley and Kovy already on the roster. It wasn’t a bad deal if our goalie had actually worked out…Lord knows we needed one.
LAC
November 4th, 2009
10:20 pm
Kinda rekinles the idea waddell is NOT a good GM and does not do positive things to greatly improve the team. He’s a nice guy no doubt, but remember… Nice Guys Finish Last and waddell’s record proves that theory very very well.
stendec
November 4th, 2009
10:42 pm
Kari Lehtonen should be behind bars for theft! The LaLa Land inhabitant misrepresented his injuries to the Thrashers in order to secure a contract! Those funds could/should have gone to make this team better. Not to pad the bank account of a fraud who never will be worth a damn! Know knuckleheads who follow team will never admit I was right about this untalented loser. BUT I WAS! Will root against Thrashers when/if this lying scumball ever goes back between pipes. Sori Letemin apologists can f#ck off! Go Thrashers. Peace. ++STENDEC
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
12:21 am
Oh, for sure, a draft is best summarized in ‘hightsight being 20/20.’ But that’s not what I did. I presented what actually took place. Where did ‘fabricate’ anything?
Fact: Florida owned the 1st overall pick.
Fact: Atlanta owned the 2nd overall pick.
Fact: Columbus owned the 3rd overall pick.
Fact: Kari Lehtonen was the top-rated Goaltender of his draft year. And was considered to be a ‘Top 3 pick.’
Fact: Don Waddell received ‘inducement’ to not take Bouwmeester at 2nd overall to allow Columbus to pick Rick Nash 1st overall.
Fact: Don Waddell used the inducement to select Jim Slater, 30th overall.
What ‘fantasies’ did I cook up? The top 3-rated prospects were Bouwmeester, Nash, and Lehtonen in 2002. It is not factually inaccurate to suggest that Atlanta had the option of either drafting Nash or Bouwmeester, depending on who Florida selected 1st overall. Or traded away at 1st overall. If Florida makes the trade with Columbus, then we’re FREE to select Bouwmeester, 2nd overall, because that (#2 overall)was our draft position.
What I have always said is, “Goaltenders take 5 years to develop, generally-speaking.” And, in the interests of conserving the requisite development time,’ I thought, back in 2002 as I do now, that the best options were to take whatever skater wasn’t taken 1st overall. I don’t think that seats me in the “Kookville” section of the seating chart. Goalies, that is proven commodity netminders, are almost always available every blessed year out on the Free Agent market. You just have to be willing to foot the bill for what they cost. In 2002, Hasek “un-retired,” and Curtis Joseph was placed on waivers by the Red Wings. Cujo had 2 more years, at WHOPPING $8 million each, left on his deal. It wouldn’t have cost Atlanta anything … but the cost of his contract, to obtain him as a waiver claim. Between 2002-2004, these goalies became available on the free agent market, Evgeni Nabakov, Dominik Hasek, Cujo, Ed Belfour, Arturs Irbe, and Nicholai Khabibulin. Did any of those goalies need 5-years to develop??? Allrightee, then.
I do not advocate drafting a 17-18 year old goalie, with expectations of placing him, that Fall, into the NHL starting lineups. (This was not Waddell’s intentions, either. He knew Kari was years away from being ready.) I guess maybe Tom Barrasso did that. But that’s the exception, not the norm. If, at pick #2, the best available skater were Rick Nash, then that’s what I would support. If need be, I could always trade Nash later on. And had Atlanta selected Nash, the lost of Heatley would have been very much softened. Why wouldn’t we want “depth” at the LW position? If, instead, the option were Bouwmeester, it wasn’t as if we didn’t need blueliners back in 2002? I saw Central Scouting rank Bouwmeester the #1 prospect of 2002. Now, I hear ya, if you’re saying, “But Brendan, he’d take YEARS to develop, too.” You’re right. No argument. Blueliners take longer than forwards to develop, generally-speaking. But goalies take even longer than defensemen to develop. So, I’m fine with Bouwmeester. That said, I’ll reiterate, if picking a goalie were really the objective, in 2002, I would have selected Lehtonen. Why? He was the top-rated goalie. It’s hard to argue with what Central Scouting universally projected as the top goaltender pick. Was the draft … the best way … to get immediate help in net? I suppose, if you believed that Kari was the “goaltender of his generation,” then the answer could be, “yes.” But you’d also have to believe that he was READY to make the jump to the NHL quickly. And I don’t Waddell really saw Lehtonen as “fast solution” to the problems Atlanta was having in net.
Tim
November 5th, 2009
12:28 am
Stendec, I’m sorry that Kari Lehtonen raped your sister… and your mother… and your girlfriend… and your dog… your father?
Kari is much more technically sound and much more athletic than OP. When he’s on, he makes it look way too easy. OP never makes it look easy. OP battles like Moose but takes a year and a half to get off his face and lets in softies that make you pull your hair out. OP will be a great 2nd goalie for Kari IF Kari can ever stay healthy. I admit that that is a great big IF.
How anyone can say that OP is a better goalie is beyond me. Being pushed by OP could make him a great goalie. I’ve always thought that Kari would be well-served by being sat every 4th game… for his head and his body.
If Kari can’t get healthy this is all a mute point. This latest surgery is actually encouraging… it seems as though they may have found the source of his pain and hopefully he can put this behind him.
Lastly, accusing people of lying and fraud without any proof is a dangerous and slippery slope. Of course, President George W. Bush did plan the 9/11 attacks at the behest of the oil industry. WWNN
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
12:47 am
Shifting gears into the present, Carolina got shutout tonight. And don’t look now, but they’re 0-7-3 in their last 10 games. That’s 10-straight losses. Toronto has the same number of points, with a game-in-hand on the Hurricanes. That means, tah-dah, the new LAST PLACE TEAM in the NHL is the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?type=lea#&navid=nav-stn-league
The Islanders are coming up on the Thrashers radar. Remember last year, when Waddell said, “Bad teams don’t win 5 games in-a-row in this league?” Yeah, well … if you did forget, I just reminded you. Segue, the NY Islanders put together a string of 4-0-2 from October 24th up until tonight’s 3-0 loss at Buffalo. Technically, before the Isles’ loss tonight, they were 5-1-2 for twelve out of a possible sixteen (12/16) points in eight games.
Are the Islanders a “good” team? Straight up, I think they’re 5-10. My conclusion? Nothing definitive, but I’d add that I’ve seen plenty of “bad” teams put together a 5-game winning streak over the course of an 82-game season. The Thrashers finished with 76-points in back-to-back seasons, and Atlanta managed to establish a new franchise record for consecutive wins last year, at six staight.
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
1:00 am
I meant to say … that I hope Kari Lehtonen can resurrect his hockey career and play many more seasons in the NHL. I think we fans tend to get caught up in the “What have you done for MY TEAM lately?” mind-set, forgetting that Kari Lehtonen is a human being who is undergoing an ordeal right now.
Think about it. He’s in pain. Or potentially is in pain. His position with the club has been thrown into doubt. He is in his ‘contract year.’ And he ‘may’ wind up playing for someone else next year. For all my, “I wouldn’t have drafted him because we didn’t have time to develop him” arguments, the fact is … we DID develop him. I still see Kari as a quality netminder, who has value as a back-up for the Thrashers. I don’t advocate trading him for a song. If Kari can make a full return to Atlanta, and if trading him won’t bring better than a throw away draft pick or some longshot prospect, I’d actually say it’s worth trying to retain him as a 20-25 game-a-year backup. That is, if Kari is still willing to play here. He’ll be an RFA next July. Believe it or not. So, I wouldn’t think he’d cost too much to keep. And if some team makes him an offersheet, which seems unlikely, then Atlanta would at least be compensated for his loss. If Kari is to be traded, I would hope that the return could be something “decent.” This organization did invest a 2nd overall pick in the guy. Maybe it’s time, like with Patrik Stefan, to forget where this guy was drafted and to just look at what he can still possibly do for your club. Having Kari Lehtonen as a back-up goalie might not be a bad thing.
LAC
November 5th, 2009
5:58 am
Gee Whiz tim, that type of comments have NO place on this blog, while you may not agree and Stendec does get a little over the edge, saying that shows you have ZERO class… for starters !
Empty Netter Assists - 11-05-09 - Empty Netters - post-gazette.com
November 5th, 2009
6:12 am
[...] -Thrashers goaltener Kari Lehtonen, who has yet to play this season due to offseason back surgery, will miss an additional six to eight week following another operation on his back. [...]
Sara
November 5th, 2009
7:11 am
How do we end up in the same discussions over and over and over and over? We needed a franchise goalie, Waddell had a great shot to get one. Kari was a highly touted prospect. Drafting goalies early is also not unusual, at least not over the last ten years (although in the last 3 drafts no one has taken a goalie in the top 15). But …
2000: DiPietro 1st overall, Krahn 9th overall
2001: Leclaire 8th, Blackburn 10th
2002: Kari 2nd overall
2003: Fleury 1st
2004: Montoya 6th, Dubnyk 14th
2005: Price 5th
2006: Bernier 11th, Helenius 15th
Moral of the story, lots of GMs around the League have no problem drafting goalies high when they are seeking a blue-chip prospect. Some of those picks have worked out better than others. Montoya’s played all of 5 NHL games, Dubnyk 0, Blackburn 63, Krahn 1. We’ve done better with Kari than others have done with theirs. Drafts are crapshoots, even in the 1st round.
Tim
November 5th, 2009
8:22 am
I’m sorry if my humor has offended… I was making a point. I am truly sorry… especially if Kari actually did those things to his family.
A2B
November 5th, 2009
9:11 am
I am still not convinced Pavs is a better goalie than Kari. It seems to be that everyone here has forgotten that Pavs has a much better Defense in front of him than Kari has ever seen. If Kari can get his back loose this team will go on a tear (anyone that has had a back injury knows that 9 times out of 10 you get hit when you are off balance and that is what pulls something badly… IT IS NOT A CONDITIONING PROBLEM LIKE HIS OTHER INJURIES). Pavs has proved he can be a number one, but if Kari comes back and proves he can play, I bet Pavs is the one to go. He would get us much more trade value at the deadline and Kari would be capable to hold the helm here.
Nick
November 5th, 2009
9:12 am
stendec…I don’t even know where to begin on your accusations. The team has known about the back and leg issue since the beginning of 2009. There course of treatment they chose were shots in the back to make it better. They were fully aware of the issues, why do you think they only signed him to a one year deal and did not increase the pay?
Kari is not a doctor, the medical staff is to blame for putting surgery off until a month before training camp. Did anyone notice Mr. Lehtonen left the state for this second surgery? I don’t think that is a coincidence.
Bill
November 5th, 2009
9:17 am
The focus needs to be on getting someone else reliable in the mix besides Pavelec and Moose. Some great performances by Pavelec so far but at best he is going to be uneven as the games start to pile up. Moose is good for a game here and there but if Pavelec hits a rut I don’t like having him in there every night for a 2-3 week stretch.
Still – no Kari, no Kovy, a bunch of road games – they are in good shape considering. Nice work by JA.
chc4
November 5th, 2009
9:22 am
Kari was the consensus best prospect in the draft the year he came out so blaming DW is unfair. There wasn’t a single person — expert or fan — that criticized the pick at the time. Who knew he’d be so brittle? We can blame alot of decisions on Waddell but Kari isn’t one of them.
IllegalCurve.com » Blog Archive » Thursday Morning NHL Papers: Eastern Conference
November 5th, 2009
9:38 am
[...] There doesn’t appear to be any Thrashers news in this morning’s AJC, so here’s yesterday’s news about Kari Lehtonen’s injury. [...]
Bob
November 5th, 2009
9:46 am
“There wasn’t a single person — expert or fan — that criticized the pick at the time.”
Sorry, you’re wrong. As I recall, Brendan criticized it, at the time, as he said. And I recall it being called the first time a Euro goalie had been taken that high in history. Yep, Waddell as the first to do it. Before DiPietro, no one took goalies that high at all, and who was the Isles GM who made that move?
No, the safe move was to take Nash, take him and trade him for a proven goalie if you want, but don’t take a goalie #2 overall, it blew up in his face, like many things have blown up in Waddell’s face, and thus we are where we are.
stendec
November 5th, 2009
9:54 am
Tim, I do not usually respond to vermin but I will make an exception this time. I do not dislike Kari Lehtonen as a human being. I do wish him well. I do believe he is a cancer to the Thrasher organization. It is not his fault the team offered him a contract which he rightfully accepted. It is his fault that, in my opinion, he misrepresented the extent of his injuries to those paying his salary. You do not agree? No problem. Opinions are common and diverse. I am not a physician but I have sense enough to know when something is really wrong with me physically. I believe the injured goaltender knew his ailments were more severe than initially reported. Hey. He banked the cash and ran. Good for him! BAD FOR THRASHER FANS. Those funds could would been better served going to Captain Ilya Kovalchuk or players to strengthen the team. GM Don Waddell basically threw those bucks away. Agree? On that I really do not care if you agree or not. It is fact! Maybe KL will be a superstar someday but it will not be as a Thrasher. His opportunities are exhausted here. Peace. ++STENDEC++
DWTOO
November 5th, 2009
9:56 am
Another point is that Kari was consistently one of the top rated prospects in the Hockey News – always the first goalie.
Nick
November 5th, 2009
10:16 am
stendec…PLEASE SEE MY ABOVE POST. Kari never misrepresented the pain he was feeling during the off season. He could have played with the discomfort, but the Thrashers determined that the best thing long term was to have the surgery. He stayed in Atlanta the whole off season to work out and prepare for the season, so that he could earn the trust of the organization and get the long term deal he was seeking to stay in Atlanta. The surgery did not go as planned and has caused him greater problems than he had before…hence why he got a second surgery in New York.
stendec
November 5th, 2009
10:34 am
Hi Nick. Read post. Thanks. Peace. ++STENDEC++
stendec
November 5th, 2009
10:34 am
Hi Nick. Read post. Thanks. Peace. ++STENDEC++
Smoothie
November 5th, 2009
11:03 am
CViv! U at the morning skate today?
sisu
November 5th, 2009
11:11 am
Just my .02 cents, think about how goalies have been handled by this organization in their brief history? There has been some bad luck mixed with perhaps a lack of a true goalie coach? Kari was always viewed as a savior where as Pavelic was a second rounder the team took a shot at to see if he worked out. Now, if the team had signed Kari earlier maybe the surgery would have been done earlier? He had every right to expect the teams insurance to take care of this as I do with my health care at work. If he went out and had the surgery done outside of the team then what?
Anyway, it is what it is, no need to beat a dead horse on this.
Nick
November 5th, 2009
11:17 am
The Thrashers were never going to just let him walk not knowing what they had in Pavs. They knew the extent of the injury and that is why they only gave him one year at the minimum salary allowed by the NHL. I still don’t know what Pavs is…got pulled just a couple of weeks ago…gave up a 120 foot goal. The 50 saves game was awesome, but it’s just one game.
Spud Webb
November 5th, 2009
12:04 pm
Bouwmeester SHOULD’VE been that pick. This is NOT hindsight. We (my buddies & I) we’re at the draft party, we we’re SO jacked thinking we would finally get a STUD D man. And then we hear Kari’s name. We we’re SHOCKED and pissed. Oh well, live goes on, whats done is done.
The Earl of Bud
November 5th, 2009
12:42 pm
So for all the people who claim to have known that Kari was the wrong pick, can you tell us RIGHT NOW who the five, or even three, best players were from this year´s draft and last year´s draft? Should we really have drafted Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane? If you can´t even come up with an answer then I don´t believe for a second that you were looking in your crystal ball way back when Kari was drafted and saying that we drafted the wrong guy.
Secondly, no one here doubts Kari´s talent. So why blame Waddell for Kari´s injuries? Clearly Waddell picked the goalie who had talent, there was no report that the guy had a bad back and numerous other problems. The problem with Kari is he doesn´t play because of injury, not because he isn´t a good player. You can´t blame the draft pick on injury.
Again, will anyone who claims to know that Kari was the wrong pick please tell us RIGHT NOW who we should´ve picked instead of Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane.
Cornbread
November 5th, 2009
12:46 pm
Lehtonen is one of the most naturally gifted goalies in the league. And that is his problem. Time for him to take a hard look at where he is, grow up, and start working on his conditioning if he expects to play much longer in the NHL.
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
3:05 pm
My criticism of the Lehtonen pick is routed in a principle of “time conservation.” If I were looking for a goalie in the 2002 Draft, I’d have picked Lehtonen. And been wrong. I’ve been wrong on a lot of picks. I would have taken Patrik Stefan in 1999. And been wrong. I would have taken Heatley in 2000. I would have taken Kovalchuk in 2001. I would have taken Nash/Bouwmeester with who was left on the board. I would have taken Braydon Coburn in 2003, and been wrong, forgoing Phaneuf. I don’t remember who I would have selected in 2004. In 2005, I would have taken Staal, who didn’t go until 12th overall, at the 8th overall spot, and been wrong on that one, too. I shoulda taken Kopitar or even Setoguchi. In 2006, I’d have selected Bryan Little. In 2007, I didn’t get a pick. In 2008, I’d have taken Zach Bogosian, but happily would have settled for Drew Doughty, had he been left on the board. In 2009, I think I would have gone with Brayden Schenn, not that Evander Kane is a bad choice. I don’t regret Waddell making that pick. It’s just that I tend to go with a recognizeable family name, like Staal or Schenn, over something unknown. So, as you can see, sometime my picks would have been exactly the same as Waddells, and other times, not.
But I have never waivered, even once, on the Lehtonen pick. I’ve covered this 2002 draft topic 56 times now. I really didn’t think Lehtonen was the wrong goaltender to pick. It’s just that I would have elected to acquire a goaltender from free agency instead, in a very conscious effort to SAVE TIME. Part of the COST built into paying a free agent goaltender reflects economizing the time required to develop him. Shoot, Khabibulin was just signed by the Oilers to a multi-year deal this offseason. Like I said, every year … some quality free agent netminder hits the market. You just have to be willing to pay the freight to get him here. I wasn’t, for example, saying in 2002 … how’d we “whiff” on Cam Ward? I was saying, “why did we pick a goalie when we need immediate help?” Plenty of free agent goaltenders came along. I’m sure one (1) of them could have been had by Atlanta.
Now, I’ll tell ya what. I’ll listen to the argument that says, “The owners were so cheap … that Waddell knew that the ONLY WAYYYY he was ever going to get a quality goaltender in here … was to DRAFT him.” Rubbin’ my chin. I’d buy that argument. I just think it’s sad that that’s how an organization would treat its fan base, in a non-traditional market, hoping to establish a strong foothold for the sport.
The Earl of Bud
November 5th, 2009
3:23 pm
Brendan, considering that Cam Ward was not even the starting goaltender for the first couple games of the playoffs the year he won the Conn Smythe, can’t you say that even the Hurricanes almost whiffed on him too and they were the ones that selected him?
Wasn’t Byron Dafoe the free agent route that we took with the goalie position?
Finally considering that we were improving every year back then and dare I say it, but we were only 3 years into the 5 year plan, why did we need to pass on the stud goaltender when we were looking a couple years down the road anyway to really break out?
Oh yeah, on that recognizable family name thing, what round would you have drafted Brent Gretzky
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
3:44 pm
Yes. I would have drafted Brent Gretzky. Why not? If I’m in the crapshoot area of the draft, and drafting Gretzky is just as likely to produce something as anyone else? Now, I wouldn’t have burned a 2nd overall pick on him. That’s for sure.
I think, to answer your question seriously, that the way to get better FASTER was to go the “skater” route. Knowing that goalies take 5 years, on average, to develop. Now, I’ll listen to an argument that says, “Draft the goalie ANNNND get Cujo.”
I know, to some, this would set off alarm bells. “What kind of message does it send to Kari Lehtonen that you just signed a STUD goaltender to block his ascension.” I would have answered, “That we’re going to give you all the time you need to develop. And when you’re ready, you’ll become our #1 goalie.” But, again, in the interest of TIME, I wouldn’t pass on either Nash or Bouwmeester, ANNND I’d go into free agecy for the goaltender. But assumes there’s money–a real budget–and not say, $11 million as a total team budget, to go make it happen.
Lehtonen ryggopererad | NHLbloggen– en blogg om hockey
November 5th, 2009
4:30 pm
[...] Allt enligt Atlanta News… [...]
Diego from Lilburn
November 5th, 2009
4:39 pm
They should probably have picked Nash and traded him for a fully trained, conditioned goalie. They should have done this for two primary reasons:
1) No dedicated goalie coach in this organization
2) No real farm system in this organization to develop the talent we draft
Just my opinion.
Don’t most teams with great goaltending have a dedicated goalie coach? I’m asking because I truly don’t know. I do seem to recall hearing that Kari’s groin problem had been exacerbated by doing some conditioning exercise incorrectly. I would hope that a goalie specialist could have prevented that. I think if you are going to draft goalies in the first round you had darn well be prepared to develop them properly.
The Earl of Bud
November 5th, 2009
4:55 pm
The only other organization that I follow close enough to know Diego is Buffalo. They have never had a full time committed goalie coach, only someone that does partial stuff. Considering the names of Hasek, Biron and now Miller have gone through there recently it might not be such a bad thing. If we don’t know of any org that has one, how can we say we must need one though?\\
Brendan, I was just messing with ya on the Brent Gretzky line. However, how does Pasi Nurminen fit into all this?
Brendan
November 5th, 2009
6:01 pm
Pasi is my favorite all-time Thrasher goalie. And he was selected in a perfect place to take a goalie: In the sixth round, as a ‘throw away, shot in the dark’ pick. We’ve seen that goalies come from the latter rounds. It’s all about luck and good development.
If I were, seriously, going to use a 1st round pick to select a goalie, I’d begin at around pick #17. That’s plainly in the “crapshoot” area of the draft. I wouldn’t hesistate to take a goalie at pick #24 or so, if that’s actually what I needed, as a longrange goal. But when I have immediate needs to address, I pick skaters.
stendec
November 5th, 2009
9:47 pm
When these damn heartless quitters miss the playoffs yet again, which they definitely will, the two Thrasher players who actually give a f#ck will remember all of these totally unacceptable Loseland choke jobs! Tell me how wonderful they are Sara and Tim. They are the justified laughingstock of the NHL! They should be damn ashamed and embarrassed after that giveup debacle. They will not. They could care damn less! That is evident by their complete lack of intensity, heart, pride and inner fire. Coach John Petrino is still a f#cking moron! I realize all you idiot fans are partying hardy after another close intolerable defeat. To Hell with accountability right losers! Bye bye Kaptain Ilya Kovalchuk. It was nice having you around for a bit. Jump this sinking ship as quick as you can. These bestards make me sick to my stomach! To Hell with the uncaring quitters. ++STENDEC++ See Thrasher coach is whining again. Wah wah wah. As much a motivator as damn Mark Bicht! Not one.
hossa
November 6th, 2009
4:21 pm
Where can I send Uhaul boxes for Kari??
Fantasy Hockey Report | Quick Hits: Fantasy Hockey Injury Report, Nov. 6th
November 6th, 2009
7:02 pm
[...] has had more back surgery and now he’s gone for an additional 4-6 weeks. Ugh. Forget about that guy and hope Pavelec can [...]
Cahos
November 7th, 2009
7:07 am
Put Lehton in rehab and chicago for the remainder of the seson then try again next year with him at start.
He miht do vetter if that happends.