Updated II: Ramsay the next coach, deals done
NOTE: SINCE I POSTED THIS FINAL VERSION WITH TONS OF NEWS AFTER 2 A.M., I’M GOING TO LEAVE THIS BLOG UP TODAY FOR ALL THOSE WHO WANT TO COMMENT ON THE BIG DAY. I WILL POST NEW BLOG AFTER TALKING TO RAMSAY.
The Thrashers will officially name Craig Ramsay as the francishe’s fifth head coach on Thursday. The announcement will come later this afternoon. The 59-year-old Ramsay has served as assistant coach with the Boston Bruins the past three seasons.
In a conference call to discuss the two trades the Thrashers made early Thursday morning, general manager Rick Dudley said he “won’t tip our hand” about the new coach. However, he did acknowledge that he has spoken to Ramsay “quite a bit.” He said the two had coffee in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning and Ramsay had dinner with team president Don Waddell Wednesday night.
There is a report from TSN that John Torchetti, the Chicago Blackhawks assistant who was the other leading candidate for the head coach job, would join the Thrashers as an associate head coach. I have not confirmed that. I do know that when the deal is announced today, Torchetti won’t be involved. Just Ramsay.
Ramsay interviewed with the Thrashers several weeks ago. The 59-year old has served stints as head coach for Buffalo and Philadelphia. He has also served as an assistant with Florida, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and, most recently, Boston. He was an assistant with the Bruins for the past three seasons.
Ramsay played 14 NHL seasons with the Sabres, where he was a teammate and linemate of Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley. He retired in 1985 with 672 points (252 goals, 420 assists) in 1,070 games. He won the Selke Award as the league’s top defensive forward in 1984-85. He played in 776 consecutive games between 1973-83.
By now you know the old news. The Thrashers acquired Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu from Chicago for Marty Reasoner, Joey Crabb, Jeremy Morin and a first- and second-round draft pick in this year’s draft.
In order to make that deal work, the Thrashers also made a trade with San Jose, sending Mike Vernace, Brett Sterling and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft for future considerations.
Here are some of the highlights from Dudley’s after 1 a.m. conference call:
* He thinks Byfuglien is a 20-30 goal scorer and that he is every bit the player that excelled in the playoffs.
*He called Sopel a “character guy” that will “block as many shots as he takes.”
*Praised Eager’s forechecking and his “pugilistic side.”
*Called Aliu “a bit of a wildcard” that just needs to mature into an NHL player.
*Now that he traded his second-round pick, Dudley would like to try to replace it. The team will pick No. 8 and then not again until 87th as it stands now.
*He said he would continue to talk to UFAs such as Colby Armstrong and Pavel Kubina but admitted they have “pieces in place that make it easier to move on without them.” He also said, in regards to talks with Kubina, that they are a “little ways apart right now.”
*He said he’s not done dealing and would like to trade for a 20-goal scorer and maybe a defenseman.
*Team will focus on restricted free agents after the draft.They have deadline of June 28th to make qualifying offers.
Back to the deals: I talked to Reasoner about the trade. He said he talked to his agent early Wednesday and heard rumblings that something might be happening. Here is some of what he said.
“You can’t beat going to a team that just won the Stanley Cup. I’m pretty excited.”
“It’s always a little shocking to be traded, but we’ve been through it before.”
“I would have liked to have stayed in Atlanta another year and help that team build, but it’s a new chapter. It will be exciting. You can tell from watching the playoffs that the Blackhawks have taken over the city.”
“[My time in Atlanta] was good. I met a lot of great people. … I think you learn a lot about yourself when you are in different situations and I definitely learned a lot about myself there. I will always have fond memories. My daughter was born there. … You become part of the community even if it’s a short amount of time. But we signed up for this.”
I also spoke with Ron Hainsey about the deal. He said he was not surprised that Dudley made a deal with Chicago, considering his relationship with the franchise.
“We added some great pieces today,” Hainsey said. “We hate to see Marty go but we got a lot back. We got a player who was a huge part of their playoff run, a veteran right-handed shooting defenseman. Another good player and a prospect. Those are some pretty big pieces.”
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174 comments Add your comment
Stat Man
June 23rd, 2010
11:59 pm
If nothing else, these moves (trades, coach singings) have generated more blog replies than after any game in years.
That’s what it takes – generate some interest!!!!
Jack
June 23rd, 2010
11:59 pm
From Chris V
The holdup was getting the Thrashers to the 50-player under contract limit. I’m now told, that it will happen with another trade being announced. Don’t have those details yet. Stay tuned.
scottbravesfan
June 24th, 2010
12:05 am
Dre,
Chicago has some big bandwagon fans as well. The Bulls never drew until Jordan arrived. The Blackhawks averaged 12,000 fans a game 3 seasons ago. The Cubs used to have to rope off the upper deck because no one bought tickets for the section. The Texas Rangers, who have never won a play off game in their history has a better attendance record historically than the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox, do we need to say anything about them? The only team that has drawn year in and year out is the Bears.
Mike
June 24th, 2010
12:08 am
I need to go to bed, but I’m so anxious for this second trade….
Hawk Boy 1
June 24th, 2010
12:09 am
As a Hawks season ticket holder , here is what you got:
Buff – one yr left on contract, at 3 mil, Can play defense or offense- how many guys can do that ? Needs to check on a more consistent basis in reg season. Seems to turn it on in playoffs-wish he did it all the time. Will be harder for him to create with Kane and Toews
Sopel – slowest player I have ever seen. Cannot go after a puck in a corner- Guys skate by him like I am out there . Cannot bring the plug up the ice . However, never makes a bad pass. Knows what he can do. Top 10 in blocked shots in NHL. 1 yr on contract left. We got by with him bec of guys like Keith, Seabrook and Campbell who are super fast
Eager – Restricted free agent. Never really did anything for us- a bruiser who didnt fight enough
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:12 am
We shal see………..
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:13 am
Mike I agree with you. I am guessing maybe a goalie?
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:19 am
looks like the other trade may be with the sharks
Thrashers27
June 24th, 2010
12:21 am
Jack,
Where are you seeing info on this other trade?
Mike
June 24th, 2010
12:22 am
send two or more players and prospect or two to Ottawa for Spezza? just a guess/want.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:24 am
Hold please. I am getting the link now T27
The Hub Of Hockey
June 24th, 2010
12:29 am
[...] Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Bruins’ assistant coach Craig Ramsay is soon-to-be named the next head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers. “And maybe the biggest news, I’m also told that it looks like Craig Ramsay will be the next head coach. An announcement could come as soon as Thursday. I don’t have it confirmed but TSN is reporting that John Torchetti will be named associate coach. Ramsay interviewed with the Thrashers several weeks ago. The 59-year old has served stints as head coach for Buffalo and Philadelphia. He has also served as an assistant with Florida, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and, most recently, Boston. He was an assistant with the Bruins for the past three seasons.” [...]
Mike
June 24th, 2010
12:29 am
Hub of Hockey, that is old news…. we are all awaiting the second trade
Joe Friday
June 24th, 2010
12:31 am
I like Buf, but he was underwhelming in the regular season. Obviously had a huge playoffs, but I’m cautious on him. Sopel completely underwhelmed me all last year, cringed every time he was out there. If we don’t sign Kubina or someone as good b/c of Sopel, then Dudley screwed up here big time. Eager is a throw in, no big deal.
If Big Buf can turn his career on now after that big playoffs, it’s a win for us, but this is kind of disappointing. I was really wanting Sharp or mabye Versteeg. Chicago did well, I think, dumping some of their garbage and selling Buf high.
Brendan
June 24th, 2010
12:32 am
Chris Vivlamore, thank you for this excellent blog today. The good news keeps on coming. I’m delighted with the trade, ohhhhh … not that we’re some “lock” for the Stanley Cup, or even the playoffs, but we just did get better. And now this!! Ramsay was my personal choice, from the moment I heard he was possibly available. Why?? Back in the 1970’s era of “wide open hockey,” Craig Ramsay and Don Luce formed one of the greatest checkline lines of that decade, playing for the Buffalo Sabres. His knowledge of defensive strategy can only HELP the Thrashers, whose achilles heel, from Day One, was DEFENSE. We’re about to improve our GA this year by 30 goals, or more. Wouldn’t it be great to start having seasons with a GA more like 220 or 230, instead of 275 to 280, or worse??? I see that Torchetti will/may also be coming, as a promotion from Assistant Coach in Chicago to ASSOCIATE COACH in Atlanta.
Folks, today was a great day for the Thrashers. One of our better ones. Really, truly. And I’m someone who criticizes this team with regularity. I don’t like to ’sugarcoat’ things. Things have been bad, for a long time, in Atlanta. And talk of ‘moving in the right direction’ just pushes the bile to the tip of my throat. But this time around … we are doing better. We’re better than we were yesterday.
Look, Kovalchuk is gone. And without ’sugarcoating’ things, he’s gone PRECISELY because this team’s ownership was clueless about how to run an NHL franchise. Dudley is an improvement over Waddell. Dudley has more credibility than Waddell. Dudley isn’t mired is “minor league-dom.” We could very easily have been looking at Slater, Boulton, and Reasoner in Atlanta next year. But instead, we’ll have Ben Eager, who is an improvement over every player on our 4th line. (Assuming his signs his RFA contract, or salary arbitration award.) Next year, we’ll have Brent Sopel on our blueline, a guy who routinely logged over 21 minutes per game, including in the Stanley Cup Finals, the most series Sopel will ever play in. That is GOOD, not bad. And we all saw what Byfuglien can do, as did Chris Pronger. Now, I agree … that Byfuglien is a guy who was acquired for his potential in the playoffs over what he’ll do in the regular season. Bottom line: We couldn’t get this guy, all on our own. We wouldn’t have drafted him, cultivated him, or utilized him properly under Waddell. Chicago did all the work for us. And now, we’ve got some muscle. We can actually start to win puck battles in the trenches. Every team needs a Dustin Byfuglien in the playoffs. This is GOOD, not bad.
As for Jeremi Morin, I didn’t want to lose him. But what if the guy never makes it to the NHL? Or plays 12 games over the next two seasons, as a call-up? I like the guy. We saw what he could do at the World Juniors this year. But that’s juniors, not the NHL. And how many years will it take to get Morin “NHL-ready?” We’ve got three members of the Cup winning Blackhawks as Thrashers now. That’s good, not bad. We’re not ‘as much’ of a JOKE as we were before. But the job’s not done. Not even close. There’s still a quality goalie to be found, and really, I still say Waddell has to be fired, for the organization to have truly turned the corner. This ownership hasn’t even supplied a reason behind the GM change. If they want to be taken seriously as owners, they have to ‘cut the cord’ with Waddell. Once they do, and accountability takes root, some other players will come here. Once they do, guys with six years left on their contracts won’t fear a WAIVER CLAIM by Atlanta anymore. Once they do, players will start to talk amongst themselves that Atlanta might be a nice destination for them. And won’t that be nice?
I don’t think there needs to be so much negativity out there. I agree that the Spirit are subpar owners. I agree that Waddell should have been fired, with a statement of explanation. I agree that Atlanta still hasn’t secured its future in this league, but it’s not relocating. In Max Afinogenov’s shoes, I’d actually reconsider Atlanta as an option, especially if I don’t get interest from a contender.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:36 am
T27 sorry for the delay. The information I found was a blog off the TSN website. I apologize but I can not find the actual link
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:45 am
: “Thrashers second deal is Brett Sterling (expiring contract), Mike Vernace and seventh-rounder to San Jose.”
Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Grinder/entry/view/69702/ramsay_expected_to_land_thrashers_job#ixzz0rk6Oz8Tf
Die Hawk Black Hard Fan
June 24th, 2010
12:48 am
I truly am going to miss BUF’S BIG BLACK ass … So is Longo from Vancouver(. Seriously, this guy i think carved out his niche this year – an above average crease sitter that will absolutely wreak total HAVOC. Sopel – Eager … whatever. I’m excite to see what becomes of MORIN. Go Hawks!
Thrashers27
June 24th, 2010
12:54 am
That second deal sounds like a whole lot o’ nothing, but the footnote in that article is that Joey Crabb is part of the Chicago deal. Hmm…
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:56 am
True that. But of course Nabokov playes for San Jose
Jack
June 24th, 2010
12:57 am
i wonder why Crabb was added
Brendan
June 24th, 2010
12:59 am
Who do we want off San Jose? And don’t say Heatley.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
1:04 am
we are getting just future consideration? WTH
Jack
June 24th, 2010
1:05 am
Heatley can stay. That would be a bad move to get that jack back here
Brendan
June 24th, 2010
1:15 am
Fair or not, people are starting to wonder about Jumbo Joe. In 2002 & 2004, Boston won its division with Thornton, and fizzled in the playoffs. Thornton was traded to SJ, where again, great regular season results were found, (#1 seed, two years in-a-row, President’s Trophy,) but insufficient returns in the playoffs is what they’ve experienced.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
1:19 am
Do you know something I don’t. Did we get Thornton?
It’s official: Byfuglien, Sopel, Eager to Thrashers | chicago.rssible.com
June 24th, 2010
1:34 am
[...] can’t beat going to a team that just won the Stanley Cup,” Reasoner told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m pretty [...]
Hockey Biltong
June 24th, 2010
3:08 am
Well done, Dudley!!!
Good coaching will make a big difference here.
Can’t wait for a goalie and 20+ goal scorer.
Wonder if Max pauses for a minute???
Acer
June 24th, 2010
3:38 am
Wait and see. That’s my first reaction to the trade. My gut tells me that this isn’t a good deal long term. Chicago was more desperate to make a trade and still managed to acquire plenty of quality assets.
Thanks to B-hawks fans like Russ for giving an impression on the new Thrashers. You guys reaffirm my doubts about the this trade.
Pittsburgh Pirate Fan
June 24th, 2010
4:56 am
Still love reading you guys tossing cold water on this deal. We get winners, wguys that know how to win. Sopel is a suitable replacement for Kubina. We gave up draft picks in a weak draft, last first round pick is more like a second rounder, last 2nd round pick is more like a 3rd rounder. We kept our #8 pick and there’s more to come.
The coaching selections are excellent. So much for ASG being so cheap!
East Point Bob
June 24th, 2010
8:07 am
Everyone watch… Next season will prove this trade to be a disaster. We gave up way too much and
the only thing we did was help Chicago dump salary. These guys were worth maybe a 2nd & 3rd pick, but not what we gave up for them, if this is a sign of things to come, then we are again headed for another poor season, just mark my comments, bad bad trade, it will play out.
Thrasherpenguin
June 24th, 2010
8:54 am
To all of you that complain and say that this team sucks and will be moved soon, here is what I have to say to you. GO HOME! There are several teams in the NHL that have never won a Stanley cup….some of them have been around for 40 years. I trust Dudley! Look at his track record….it is very hard to argue with.
Who do you think was responsible for Chi’s Stanley Cup champ team this year? I have been with this team since day one. People were spouting the same “Atlanta Sucks” crap then and we are still here! So if you don’t like it ether sit down and shut up or go away. No one is forcing you to be here! You want to make a difference….go support the team in the town you live in….a little support goes a long way!
Dudley gives Thrashers a needed jolt with trades | Jeff Schultz
June 24th, 2010
9:20 am
[...] Boston assistant coach Craig Ramsay reportedly is on the verge of being named head coach, with John Torchetti also possibly coming as his top assistant. This would be a mild surprise as [...]
Chris Vivlamore
June 24th, 2010
9:37 am
Going back to re-write the NHL draft advance I wrote yesterday morning – hours before everything broke crazy. I actually wrote this: “One possible trade partner could be the Blackhawks, one of Dudley’s former teams. The Stanley Cup champions face major salary cap issues and general manager Stan Bowman told reporters in a conference call this week that “I’ve talked to every GM multiple times over the last week.” Dudley was the assistant GM in Chicago for three seasons before joining the Thrashers.”
Guess we can tweak that now.
Expect the Ramsay hire to be made official later this afternoon.
Thanks to all those that stayed with me late last night as all this went down. For those who couldn’t stay up that late (or early), this should keep you busy for awhile.
Get The Puck Out
June 24th, 2010
9:51 am
Did anyone notice that Ramsey looks like Geddy Lee in the picture on the Thrasher’s page?
Lee
June 24th, 2010
9:51 am
Oh, man! Great trade! Duds is the man! I’m sure Waddell would’ve never thought of this! On the coaching side, I was kinda hoping for Torch, but Ramsay is fine. And the fact that Torch may become the associate coach is great.
Now let the draft begin!
Somaatl95
June 24th, 2010
9:52 am
Thrasherpenguin – I couldn’t agree with you more! Its to the point where I think the AJC should allow people to rate comments like other websites do. Tsn.ca/nhl is an example. Also any article on http://www.dailytech.com . A comment starts with a rating of zero. If it gets voted down, it is collapsed and has to be expanded to be read. That way maybe people will STFU when it comes to anything/everything that the Thrashers do! C-Viv and Rawhide have excellent blogs and most of you have worthwhile comments but for the love of god you Negative Nancies need to go back to whackin it to UGA or find another set of people to annoy with your hatred!
SouthSideHawkFan
June 24th, 2010
10:01 am
Chicago guy here, I wanted to see the thoughts of Thrashers on this move. Hawks fans can be broken down into two groups. The old school hockey guys like this trade. The new bandwagon guys hate it!
Hawks fans that have watched Big Buff over the last several years(not just the cup run) say the same thing. ((IF)) he plays hard he is a dominating player with an unbelievable skill set. Buff scored 17 reg season goals and DISAPPEARED for games. His conditioning is suspect, and he needs to be motivated. I am not really sure how playing in front of 7,000 fans on a reg basis is going motivate him. He was also a guy that has been a 3rd/4th line player almost all season.
Big Buff will be missed and was a fan favorite, as for Sopel and Eager and Aliu LOL you’ll see
Go Hawks
SouthSideHawkFan
June 24th, 2010
10:06 am
Who do you think was responsible for Chi’s Stanley Cup champ team this year?
Hey Thrasherpenguin that would be Dale Tallon and Stan and Scotty Bowman. You have heard of the Bowmans before right?
Lee
June 24th, 2010
10:10 am
South Side – I’m with you all the way. Big Hawks fan. Also a thrashers fan, but Hawks are my all time fav. It’s bitter sweet.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
10:19 am
any more newsw on what future considerations is?
DWTOO
June 24th, 2010
10:24 am
Problem is that discussion is what blogs are for. The other problem is that any idiot can post.
Think we need to differentiate between those who really disagree (this trade is bad because……….) and those who just offer the ususal Waddell sucks, moving to Winnipeg, etc. stuff.
As Rawhide says: “Don’t feed the Trolls.”
IMHO – This is a good trade for the Thrashers. We’re getting a big guy who can bang in front of the net and a consistent D-Man. I’ll miss Marty, and Joey Crabb is a tweener (and nothing wrong with that as most of us would kill to have the talent to play in the AHL), and Morin isn’t a proven commodity.
Slap Shot
June 24th, 2010
10:28 am
Don’t know a great deal about these players, but I can tell you this .. I was in Chicago when 2 million showed up for the Blackhawks parade down Michigan Avenue .. We should be so lucky! Surreal scene that we would all love to see duplicated in Atlanta for any of our teams ..
Chris Vivlamore
June 24th, 2010
10:41 am
Took out some of the comments that don’t belong on this belong. There is enough to talk about from Thrashers, don’t you think?
MB
June 24th, 2010
10:53 am
While I think we gave up a little too much in this trade, at the same time I think it’s safe to say that we just became tougher to play against. Dudley (and apparently the organization) realizes that dramatic changes need to be made to reverse the perception of this franchise among fans and across the league and is taking steps to turn things around…kudos to him for that.
Let’s hope that Buff got hooked on the glare of the spotlight and craves it enough to work for it during the regular season. At worst, he should give us the net presence that we’ve (sadly) never had.
Eager presumably takes over for Boulton and gives us a solid forechecker and should get the chance here to play more minutes and in more situations, if he earns it.
In Sopel we get a fairly dependable stay-at-home type who blocks a lot of shots. Not all that exciting, maybe, but just the type of blueliner that we don’t currently have. A bit pricey for that package, but clearly we have the cap room.
And apparently today we announce the coaching tandem that many on here have been pining for…not a bad couple of days for the Thrash, eh?
rusty
June 24th, 2010
11:07 am
This ain’t your Donnie Waddell Thrashers, that’s for sure. Dudley Do-Right as far as I’m concerned.
Joey M
June 24th, 2010
11:13 am
I really hope we get a stopper on goal. I understand our Defensemen prevent good and open shots on goal, but the goal keeper still has to keep the puck from kissing the net. San Jose Shark Nabokov would be great at goal. If he is too expensive we have Dallas’ Marty Turco, St. Louis’ Chris Mason, Philadelphia’s Michael Leighton and Washington’s Jose Theodore to chose from. If we just walk away without making our goal keepers position better, this whole trade will be for nothing.
World Be Free
June 24th, 2010
11:13 am
SouthsideHawksFan-Reaction is mixed here. Reactions are going to be tempered with caution in Atlanta because of our hockey history and sports history in general. We as fans have to make the trnasition from expecting to lose, draft poorly and lose our stars to a team that we can believe in; folks are skepitcal to say the least and they should be. Chicago had to make the same transition after Rocky Wirtz over. We have to discard our losing stigma and learn to trust the guys making the decisions. No matter how much experience they may have, we take the “show me in a big way” stance until we see results. This could be a great hockey town, with the kind of team Dudley is capable of building. Even if he builds a team after his own style of play, it will be entertaining and people will want to come back to the area again.
Chris Vivlamore
June 24th, 2010
11:14 am
If John Torchetti is indeed coming to Atlanta, and I have no reason not to trust my TSN friends, it won’t be announced today.
Jack
June 24th, 2010
11:19 am
Another trade will be coming in a few days I am sure. I am pretty confident that a new goalie will be coming in, especiallly considering the contract situation on Moose and Pav.