Updated: Free agent – UFA and RFA – news of the day
A little crazy here folks as I write this from the Turner Field press box. I have to do a story from the Braves game tonight.
However, first I had one-on-one sit downs with new coach Craig Ramsay and GM Rick Dudley. I will have a story on Ramsay later today and then a bigger profile on Tuesday. I also sat down with Dudley to discuss the free-agent news. I’ll have a story previewing July 1 coming up.
Here’s the updates:
As at tweeted earlier (from my cellphone), the Thrashers made qualifying offers to Niclas Bergfors, Bryan Little, Ondrej Pavelec, Clarke MacArthur, Ben Eager, Peter Mannino and Anthony Stewart. The following players were not qualified: Chad Denny, Rylan Kaip, Scott Lehman and Matt Siddall.
Dudley and I went over each player that will become a restricted free agent on July 1. Here is what he told me.
Pavel Kubina: “We’ve talked to Pavel. I’ve got to talk to him today. He’s talked to [Don Waddell] a couple of times. We are a little ways apart. Ramsay did say he hopes Kubina takes a “hometown discount.”
Update: I just talked to Kubina. He told me, as he did in April, that he would like to come back but he’s looking for a fair deal. He said he has not spoken to Dudley and last spoke to Waddell at the end of May (Kubina did go to Europe). “We can always talk. Like I said, I hope to come back. I like the direction of the team and I really like Rammer. He’s a great teacher.”
Max Afinogenov: “We’ve talked to Afinogenov, although it would see now that Max is going to test the free-agent market. We’ve made him an offer.”
Colby Armstrong: “My guess is he’s going to enter the free-agent market.”
Christoph Schubert: “He’s a guy that it’s not inconceivable could come back here. We like the way he played for us. Right now, I think he’d like to see what’s out there. I think he liked it here.”
Eric Boulton: “We made an offer earlier to Bolts.”
Johan Hedberg: “We are a little ways apart. Not insurmountable but a little way.”
Evgeny Artyukhin: “We will probably allow him to go to the free-agent market.”
Mark Popovic: “He’s looking for a one-way contract. I think we feel more comfortable with what we’ve done having him on a two-way contract.”
As a little forshadowing, Dudley told me he’s still in the market for a 15-goal scorer. However, don’t be so sure it has to come with a free-agent signing. A trade is a very real possibility and, maybe, the most likely.
Thanks for bearing with me folks.
Look for those other stories a bit later.
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78 comments Add your comment
Game On
June 29th, 2010
9:08 am
JB saw that last night as well, very unfortunate. Army can go, he is too undiscipline and not productive enough for the money he is demanding. Also with his comment” wanting to be hockey city” let him go, because I sure don’t want any players that do not want to be here. Sounds like he is dealing with the Joe Johnson Disease,
Alan R.
June 29th, 2010
9:35 am
Alan R, thanks for becoming Sage clones
What the hell are you smoking? Frankly, I’m offended. I state a fact that Colby Armstrong wants to go to a real hockey city (that is an exact quote). I then state another fact that we as fans should get used to that attitude from players until we prove to them, and they prove to us, that they are winners. Then you, Mr. Fresh Off The Turnip Truck, pop in here and spew the idiocy quoted above?
I daresay you should get your facts straight before even thinking about my name again.
rob
June 29th, 2010
9:37 am
Chris,
Off topic here and I know you are VERY BUSY but I have a gripe I would like to file, and since you are the go to guy for the AJC and the Thrashers hopefully you can help. On the AJC Thrashers page there is a spot called “More”, and following that are the names JA, Kovy, Kozlov, Lehtonen……all of whom are no longer with the team. Any chance we can get them removed? Makes it look outdated and as though no one cares about what is happening with the team here. Again, I know you’re busy. Thanks for the hard work, I know it seems thankless most of the time due to the constant bombardment, but we appreciate the info on the blogs and articles.
Qualifying offers and other Free Agency Rumors | My NHL Trade Rumors.com
June 29th, 2010
9:41 am
[...] Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution: The Atlanta Thrashers made qualifying offers to: Niclas Bergfors, Bryan Little, Ondrej Pavelec, Clarke MacArthur, Ben Eager, Peter Mannino and Anthony Stewart. They didn’t not send qualifying offers to: Chad Denny, Rylan Kaip, Scott Lehman and Matt Siddall. The Thrashers and Pavel Kubina are a little ways apart, he would like return but only at a fair price. They’ve made Maxim Afinogenov an offer, but he’s looking to test the market. Colby Armstrong will head to free agency. Eric Boulton has received a contract offer. There’s a bit of gap between the club and Johan Hedberg. They’ll probably allow Evgeny Artyukhin to go to free agency. The Thrashers are looking for a 15-goal scorer, which might come through a trade (A 15-goal scorer, I bet Thrashers fans are really excited now). [...]
Schroeder
June 29th, 2010
9:53 am
Cliff,I throughly enjoy reading ignorant posts such as yours,if you had read any post in the past you would know that Alan R. is one of the most factual,yet most positive bloggers on this site. Read the facts before coming out of left field with an insult such as that!!
cliff
June 29th, 2010
9:57 am
Sorry people-just got over-Saged. Won’t happen again.
jack
June 29th, 2010
11:59 am
So who should we replace Maxim with. If my numbers are correct that would mean we would need 20 goal producers on the team. Also, who will be captain?
The 10 UFA goalies you’d actually want on your team | Sport News
June 29th, 2010
12:09 pm
[...] Moose is now 37, but he started 42 games for the Atlanta Thrashers last season. He’s likely back in Atlanta next year; but if not, he’s the sort of backup goalie that quickly becomes a fan [...]
Flagstaff
June 29th, 2010
12:13 pm
jack– I have a feeling that Hainsey will be named captain. Assuming Kozlov and Armstrong leave, the only remaining alternate captains are he and Bogosian… and they’re not going to make a 20-year-old captain.
jack
June 29th, 2010
12:20 pm
cool thanks Flagstaff. It is hard to make a new signing/trade to be captain. Based on what I have read Kozlov has already left the building, and Dud is not overly disappointed.
Darren
June 29th, 2010
12:24 pm
Patrick O’Sullivan was just put on waivers. Would be a good pick up for the thrashers
TableHockey
June 29th, 2010
12:25 pm
My initial thought was that this was going to be a quiet free agency for the Thrashers but if we lose everyone on Chris Vivs list that are supposedly going to test the FA waters – that puts us under the cap floor doesn’t it?
jack
June 29th, 2010
12:30 pm
Tablehockey. It should, I am a little off but we are 20 million behind in total Salary(behind the highest spenders). So my guess would be yes
J.B.
June 29th, 2010
12:35 pm
you know, grabbing o’sullivan on re-entry waivers at half his salary, i think that would be a very good pickup. I wouldn’t take him at full price which I believe is about 2.5 million.
R. Stroz
June 29th, 2010
12:41 pm
Flames – Thanks and keep providing your insight.
Thrashers prepare for annual trip to the UFA talent pool | Atlanta Thrashers: Iceman
June 29th, 2010
12:53 pm
[...] it looks more and more likely that Max will seek employment elsewhere come Thursday morning. As Dudley recently told Chris Vivlamore, “We’ve talked to Afinogenov, although it would seem now that Max will test the [...]
A look at where Thrashers are prior to UFA season | Atlanta Thrashers: Iceman
June 29th, 2010
12:58 pm
[...] it looks more and more likely that Max will seek employment elsewhere come Thursday morning. As Dudley recently told Chris Vivlamore, “We’ve talked to Afinogenov, although it would seem now that Max will test the [...]
Smoothie
June 29th, 2010
12:59 pm
O’Sullivan or Moreau would be very intriguing pick-ups on re-entry waivers. Like J.B. said, not at full price, but we might be in a position to pick one up on re-entry. Although if we’re going to go after a short-term veteran player, I would like to see them take a run at Ray Whitney. He’s a PP wizard and I think would gel well at wing with Pevs in the middle and Kaner on the left side exploiting slow-footed D-men. Then you can put together a skill (Pettersson or Little).
Richard Dawson
June 29th, 2010
1:08 pm
“We got players later than we had them rated.” Wow, the shine is wearing off Dudley Do-Right pretty fast. Uhh…duh, Dudley. Unless every team has the exact same draft list, EVERY PLAYER is selected ahead of where he was rated by that team. Simple logistics, dude.
Scary stuff to hear something like that coming from your GM. YIKES.
Richard Dawson
June 29th, 2010
1:10 pm
Sign Eric Vail.
da' boomer
June 29th, 2010
1:20 pm
draft analysis..pretty good grade
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/412183-2010-nhl-draft-team-by-team-grades-and-analysis#page/3
J.B.
June 29th, 2010
2:44 pm
For what it’s worth to those out there who are convinced no free agent wants to come to Atlanta, Craig Custance and Kevin Allen both stated on Twitter that Dan Ellis said he thought Atlanta has made some good moves and is interested in coming here. @CraigCustance and @kausatoday.
goose
June 29th, 2010
3:20 pm
Flagstaff-Antro was given an A after Kovy left, I think he has a good shot at captaincy.
kracker
June 29th, 2010
5:55 pm
Now that Marty is gone, Hainsey needs to be the captain. He’s signed for three years, speaks well to the press, he’s generally likeable and good looking and is North American. As far as I know, he gets along well with all the players and is loose in the lockerroon. Plus, Ron is senior enough to provide leadership to our young players.
Whoever is chosen, let’s not do another leader-by-committee until January and then name someone. That’s like politicians, when they don’t have an answer to a situation, they form a committee to study the problem.
jack
June 29th, 2010
6:18 pm
As long as Ron can be the leader of the clubhouse and on the ice, I am good with him being the captain.
Brendan
June 29th, 2010
7:05 pm
Wonder where Moose wants to go, if Atlanta’s offer isn’t good enough, in his eyes?
The 10 UFA defensemen you’d actually want on your team | Sport News
June 30th, 2010
11:15 am
[...] Atlanta Thrashers could get a hometown discount here if Kubina likes the direction of the team as much as he seems to claim, but there’s no telling what he’ll be offered if the 33-year-old behemoth (6-5, 250) [...]
zman13
June 30th, 2010
7:41 pm
Is there still a hockey team in Atlanta? I thought that they moved to Winnepeg, or Seattle, Portland, Quebec City, Cleveland, Hartford … or someplace that knows something about hockey!!