Updated: Pavelec agrees to terms with Thrashers
Ondrej Pavelec has agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth a total of $2.3 million with the Thrashers. Pavelec was quoted on a Website in the Czech Republic about agreeing to a new deal and his agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed the agreement this morning via Twitter.
I’m told the deal will pay Pavelec $1 million this season and $1.3 million in 2011-12.
The Thrashers will not officially announced the deal until the contract has been signed. That was not expected to happen Thursday.
“This corresponds to my performance. I’m quite happy it turned out according to my expectations,” Pavelec told the Website iDNES.cz.
That would set up the goaltending tandem of Pavelec and Chris Mason, who signed a free-agent deal with the Thrashers, for the next two seasons.
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86 comments Add your comment
Brendan
July 24th, 2010
9:01 pm
English Teacher, what if Kovalchuk’s “ruse” was just that he wanted to stay near his wife, and their small children, during the final year of his deal in Atlanta? In which case, he’s GOT play Waddell like fiddle. If he tells him the truth, he potentially gets traded back in July, or September, or even October. But by stringing Waddell along, he gets to stay with his family in Atlanta, until February. And, truthfully, it takes two to lie. One to do the lying, and one to believe it. Plus, who knows? Maybe Kovy actually told Don the truth, and Waddell couldn’t bear to trade him … trying to hold on to him like a ‘down on his luck’ guy tries to hold on to his girl … right to the last and final day he can. As she walks out the door, he’s still clinging to her pant-leg, crying, “Don’t Go! Please! I (we) can change!!” She packs her bags and moves in with a girlfriend, in New Jersey.
I never quite know what to think of Waddell. On one hand, maybe he is legitimately an idiot. On the other hand, he’s managed to bamboozle ownership into a paycheck for eleven straight years, going on twelve, without a playoff win. I sadly imagine contract talks that go sheepishly like this. Ownership: “Okay, Don. It’s time to discuss your contract.” After an awkward pause, where Waddell cringes and expects Donald Trump to enter the room, he hears, “Well, to tell ya the truth, we’re delighted with your performance, and are looking forward to many more years with you, working your ‘magic’ with our shoe-string budgets.” Don Waddell looks around, and without seeing Ashton Kutcher ready to spring into the room to announce he’s just been “Punk’d!,” he smiles, wryly, and says, “Well, I’m just tickled pink to be continuing to blee-, milk, hornswogg- err … guide this club through its coming years.” Don pens his signature on yet another franchise crippling contract.
Both sides walk out of the room, muttering to themselves, “SUCKERS!!!”
To me, what I CANNOT understand is this … I see quotes in the AJC about a player’s contract … in the same breath as “sitting down with Waddell.” Why is Don Waddell writing or negotiating ANYONE’s contract? He’s the team President, on paper. What the organization spouts as a rebuttal is … that Don Waddell has “experience with contracts.” What, duh? And Dudley DOESN’T? Dudley has been a GM before. He should have some idea how contract negotiations work. And market value. And if he doesn’t, what the heck business does he have being a GM?, other than Don Waddell ‘hand picked’ him as his “successor.” What other “Team President” handles contracts? Waddell’s alleged job … is budgetary oversight of the Thrashers. What the organization sells is … that Don Waddell controls the purse strings, but Dudley makes the personnel decisions. As in, “who to draft,” “who to trade away, and who to trade in,” “who to target in free agency,” “who to place on waivers and claim off waivers.” But it’s Waddell’s call how much Dudley can offer a player. I cannot buy into this notion that Dudley’s “too busy” to negotiate contracts. He’s the frekkin’ GM. That’s what the name plate on his desk says, anyway. Who ELSE should be making contracts? I’m extremely concerned that Waddell is still participating in this process. All the more reason why … he just needs a fresh start, somewhere else. He’s had his shot. And until he’s fully gone, I don’t think Dudley has ‘proper enough’ control of the team.
As for specific talk between Kovy and Waddell during negotiations, can Kovalchuk really say, “Don, (long pause,) unless you resign … and new GM is brought in … I’ll never re-up here.” He can’t. He just can’t say it. Just like, he cannot say, “With this ownership, Don. I’ll never re-sign,” if he wants to remain with his family, in Atlanta, until the trade deadline.
Brendan
July 24th, 2010
9:03 pm
Chris Vivlamore, when are we going to hear news about Bergfors RFA contract?
Sage of Bluesland
July 25th, 2010
9:01 am
…and therein, Brendan, lies the truth about who is still running the team [Waddell]…This fraud of an organization can’t even get its ’smoke-and-mirrors’ down in a consistently correct manner!
Whoever gives this group a single dollar is simply wasting it and enabling the fraud to continue. Whoever thinks ’significant’ change has been made is delusional.
Be sure to write that down, for those who like to criticize me…and then we’ll see if you’re still around here in two years…Maybe you’ll go all “Sara” on me? (It wouldn’t be the first–it won’t be the last, either…)
NHL Ready
July 25th, 2010
9:37 am
Hey any of you Bloggers out there interested to split a pair of Thrasher season tickets? It looks like we should have a good year. The price is excellent and the seats are in a great location. We can alternate choosing the games and use the tickets with family and friends. I will check blog later in the week to see if any one would like the offer.
Thanks
Pittsburgh Pirate Fan
July 25th, 2010
9:58 am
Same old Sage-speaking of two years, we could pull one of your posts from 2 years back and it would be the same. Same message, S.O.S.
World Be Free
July 25th, 2010
10:41 am
Brendan, I think most of us agreed last year that this time, that the Kovalchuk contract had to be signed by the beginning of the season. If the situation lingered, it would become a distraction to the team which is exactly what happened. Much of last winter’s swoon was can be blamed on the constant questions to Kovalchuk and his teammates concerning the captain’s pending free agency. Nothing really changed with Kovalchuk and his agent, the circus has just moved north to New Jersey. I can’t be too surprised that Waddell let it drag on but what shocked me was seeing how low Lou Lam (the sham) has sunk in order to get this guy in a long term contract with the Devils.
Like I said last year at this time-if you couldn’t get his name on a contract by the start of the season, trade him, just like Ottawa traded Heatley-get rid of distraction. But that didn’t happen; as far as a contract for Kovalchuk, it still hasn’t happened. No finalization yet, to the longest contract negotiation in NHL history. Think about it.
Both Waddell and Lou needed to be chided for participating in a process that is damaging to their teams and for that matter, the league itself.
Sage of Blueland had a nice compact swing
July 25th, 2010
11:47 am
YOU’RE GAY!!!
Brendan
July 25th, 2010
1:08 pm
WBF, you’re right. There certainly were a lot of voices who said, “He has to be signed by September. October at the latest. And if not, he’s got to be moved by Veteran’s Day, or at the very latest, Thanksgiving. I remember softening my stance, from May 2009, which was, “Either Kovy’s name is on a contract by July 14th, or he’s traded. You’ve got two weeks after July 1st to get it done, Spirit, LLC.” I thought it over and tried to see it Kovalchuk’s way. Kovy said he wanted to see how well the team came together before he re-signed. I was a sucker to fall for it. But then, a story came out that Kovalchuk was READY to re-sign later that Fall, and the franchise inexplicably walked away from contract discussions in November. And that’s pretty much where the “Koastalchuk” name was born, as I’m sure that if he weren’t “demoralized” already by then, he soon became it. I don’t know that Kovalchuk would have re-signed with Atlanta, even if the team’s record were 15 games over .500 at Thanksgiving. I think Kovalchuk sized up the ownership and thought, “I can’t stay here. This isn’t the pony to bet on.” Now, look. I don’t buy relocation non-sense. I don’t give it an ounce of credit or consideration. It’s not going to happen. So, in my view, Kovalchuk looked at the ownership, which kept a GM in place entirely too long, and fielded league-minimum budgets, and saw them as either (1) clueless or (2) indifferent about hockey operations. Winners want to win. And there it is. With no ’sugarcoating.’ I wish Kovalchuk well with his next team, be it the Devils or someone else.
Brendan
July 25th, 2010
1:12 pm
Correction, he’s not allowed to be wished well, if Los Angeles is where he gets to play. I’m not going to bless Kovy’s “rock star” lifestyle, in L.A. Even if the Calfornia State property and income taxes on Kovy’s deal would bail the Governor out of their budgetary mess, there on the “Left Coast.”
Thrashers27
July 25th, 2010
2:29 pm
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ…is it October yet?…I hate this “iceless” time of the year.
World Be Free
July 25th, 2010
4:03 pm
You know Brendan, I think we all wanted the Kovalchuk in Atlanta situation to work out long term. But we noted the troubling signs early on, like the “I want to wait and see how the team comes together” balony. A long term commitment isn’t about how the team plays in 2 mos., but we took Kovy at his word, which was our mistake. And like you, I wish Kovy the best with his next team.
But it’s clear to me that Kovy really doesn’t know what he wants or doesn’t know how to get it; this situartion is not settled yet. Waddell can’t take the blame for not getting Kovy’s signature on a contract-look what it took for Lou to get him signed? Fans all over the league are going to hate this guy.
Brendan
July 25th, 2010
5:09 pm
Now wait a minute, WBF. Waddell has to take some of the blame. Even if Waddell’s hands were tied, financially, he still went out and got Klee, Rucchin, Perrin, Jani Hurme, Uwe Krupp, White, Holik, and drafted Lehtonen, etc. Those weren’t financial decisions, per se. It falls on the GM to build a team that other players want to be a part of. Waddell didn’t do that. I submit … that even with the league minimum with which to work, for four straight years, another GM could have built a better team. At that point, it does fall on ownership to recognize the fine work that the GM has done. In other words, it’s time to “pony up” to keep the nucleus the GM assembled in tact. I don’t think Waddell did his job. He didn’t build a winner. Not only did he not build a winner, he didn’t even have a ‘concept.’ Brian Burke has a concept. Lou Lamoriello has a concept. Ken Holland has a concept. Jim Rutherford has a concept. Don Waddell takes all the slivers of soap in his house, and balls them up and mashes them into a bar of soap. Then exclaims, “Tah-dah!”
Yeah, it don’t work like that. We had NO IDEA what “Thrashers Hockey” was. As best I can describe it, it was, “Here Ilya, shoot!” That’s not a concept. There wasn’t a game plan in effect. That’s inexcuseable after more than 3 seasons. Much less ten.
WBF, what I hoped … was that Kovalchuk might sign a 2-year deal in October or November … just to see how this ownership fiasco would play out. It would still make him 29, and quite desireable out on the free agent market, down the road. I had no idea he was looking for 17 years. Of course, I doubt that’s really true. I think he just wants a team committed to winning, who can pay him at a rate that is commeasurate to his skills.
Okay, look. What do ALL Free agents wants? We’ve done this list before. (1) Committed ownership. (2) Good GM. (3) Good coach. (4) Energized market that will come out to support the team. (5) Good scouts, to keep the shelves stocked for the future. (6) Robust budgets. We’ve just described the New Jersey Devils, among other teams.
In hindsight, why would Kovalchuk entertain a 2-year deal with Atlanta? For more of the same? No, he’s out. With good behavior and ‘time served.’ One fine day, we’ll have a team that players will want to be a part of. Don Waddell told the STH’s at the Town Hall Meetings, “Who do you want to lose down the road, if we re-sign Ilya? Kane or Bogosian?” Yeah, well … we better not lose either, much less BOTH. But if history is our guide, we’ll lose both Kane and Bogosian as soon as they are eligible for unrestriced free agency.
Let’s see how our RFA class re-signs, this offseason. He did ANNNNY of them forego any of their UFA eligibility, by signing a longer contract? Or, did the RFAs just sign until their RFA years are expired? The Atlanta Thrashers are permitted to make a proactive RFA contract to Zach Bogosian right now. I suspect the organization is going to take a Missouri “Show Me” approach to Bogosian’s next deal. By that, I mean that they want Zach to prove he’s worth a longterm commitment. Well, that’s fine, so long as the ownership is willing to PAY HIM his market value. Without excuses. Being ENTIRELY COGNIZANT that they had the opportunity in July, August, September, etc., to lock him up, at BELOW his market value for the duration of the contract. And if the NHL allows these 12, 13, 15, 17 year deals for the purposes of manipulating the cap hit, then the AS, LLC had better be prepared to match RFA offersheets of this type and variety, should one arise. And if they don’t match it, I hope an STH takes ownership to task, by saying, “You asked us which player we wanted to lose … if we re-signed Kovalchuk, Kane or Bogosian.” Well, you just lost Bogosian, for RFA compensation. You said you’d prevent that, by letting Kovalchuk go.
World Be Free
July 25th, 2010
6:38 pm
You know Brendan, I knew I would regret saying that about Waddell as soon as I hit the enter button. My bad, totally, because he is responsible for most of what has happened with this team for the last 10 years. This has been stated by so many others, Zhitnik and the five year plan stuff. So I am asking for a Mulligan on my last post.
Your post is right on-free agents are looking for a first class organization, like the one Kovalchuk believes he has found in New Jersey. Jersey, Detroit, these are not garden spots to live (not ragging on either town), but they have first class organizations in each city, places players TAKE/GIVE discounts to play in. I remember when both hockey clubs were jokes in the NHL, now they are model franchises.
Your 1-6 points are vital for this team’s success and in our case, survival. For me, they key for the immediate future do not lie in another name UFA. We both have stated the need to getting the RFAs signed for 2-3 years, start the commitment (your 1 and 6). Now will that happen, who knows? Dudley has stepped up, now it’s time for the boys writing the checks to do the same. Dudley can turn this around, but it will take alot more than what’s been done so far to make Atlanta a preferred destination.
I still say we are looking at a $50M budget, better than some, less than others. Still alotta work left to do.
Jameson
July 25th, 2010
6:43 pm
Brendan- I’m pretty sure Pavs will still be a RFA at the end of this deal. He’s only 22 now.
Brendan
July 25th, 2010
7:03 pm
Jameson, me too. But I want to see if ANNNY of our current RFA’s sign for any length BEYOND their RFA years. Do we even have one (1) willing to forego at least a “portion” of their UFA years, to remain here, in Atlanta. I’d be interested to see that.
Brendan
July 25th, 2010
7:06 pm
Mulligan granted, WBF.
Jameson
July 25th, 2010
7:08 pm
I agree. I tend to believe that the most likely RFA to sign past UFA is Little.
kracker
July 26th, 2010
7:51 am
You were more right the first time, WBF. The stacked Kings couldn’t sign K’chuk, they were not willing to wreck the club cap-wise in the near future. To K’chuk, the Islanders = Atlanta. It took an utterly asinine, selfish, me-me-me deal from Lou’s Devils to get K’chuk to sign.
DW surely deserves his share of the blame but for my money the owners (+ Heatley killing Dan Snyder on Lenox Road) are the reason this franchise has been in the dumper all these years. Question: Who hired Waddell when there were better candidates available and presumably willing to GM a new franchise?
BTW, if K’chuk and Grossman think the contract is fairly structured, let them reverse the payment schedule. Yeah, sure….they’d do that. Not.
kracker
July 26th, 2010
8:06 am
Question 2: WHo kept Waddell as GM at least 5 years longer than they should have? At the least, they should have kept Hartley (they just signed him) and fired Waddell in the fall of 07.
World Be Free
July 26th, 2010
8:07 am
kracker-this thing just gets more complicated all the time.
Not Blind
July 26th, 2010
9:31 am
Here is my question: Did Lou purposefully screw Kovalpuke with a deal he was pretty sure the NHL would reject ? Does this Lou orchestrated fiasco now force Kovalpuke: A- to the KHL or B- to accept a shorter term deal or C- Far less money per year ?????
Sage of Bluesland
July 26th, 2010
9:43 am
“Same old Sage-speaking of two years, we could pull one of your posts from 2 years back and it would be the same. Same message, S.O.S.”
At least I was here 2…5…7…11 years ago (and owned tickets, witnessing the first false-advertising scam from this organization about it being the “toughest” ticket in town)…and I’ve been consistent…and been correct…thusly, consistently correct.
You’ve stood for what? Following me around like a little kid? Impressive.
Anyway, back to intelligent recourse: Of course the ownership is the problem–always has been; always will be. Don’t be fooled by the “change”–it’s nothing but mere smoke-and-mirrors (and it’s not very convincing, at that).
Actions–as well as verifiable budgets and accountable strategic plans–speak louder than words. The rest is like the clown who keeps following me around…(or the clown who keeps using my name, but does a pitiful imitation)…
Alan R.
July 26th, 2010
9:44 am
Not Blind – It doesn’t force anything quite yet. The NHLPA has until 5pm Eastern today to file their grievance. It appears they will file that grievance.
Once filed, the NHL and NHLPA must select and agree on an independent arbitrator, and that arbitrator will decide whether the contract is void. If it’s void, Kovalchuk is officially a free agent once again. If not, then he’s Jersey’s problem for the next 17 years.
World Be Free
July 26th, 2010
10:04 am
Sage-I am waiting to see how committed we are to signing RFAs for more than one year. Making a commitment beyond their UFA period will be an indication to me as to how committed this group is to the future. It’s not everything, but 3 year deals for these RFAs would be a start.
Intelligent Discourse with Sage
July 26th, 2010
10:24 am
Is that even possible?
Magic 8-Ball
July 26th, 2010
11:06 am
*shake shake shake*
“Very Doubtful”
Dwayne...(my real name)
July 26th, 2010
11:18 am
Person(s) spewing the same crap over and over is just as bad as Waddel spewing his same crap over and over.
Alan R.
July 26th, 2010
11:28 am
If there is crap being spewed, someone ought to empty the porta-potty.
Dwayne...(my real name)
July 26th, 2010
1:09 pm
empty their potty mouth.
Lord Stanley
July 26th, 2010
2:57 pm
Kracker well said. To answer your question, it was ASG for both questions. I was a hartley fan but Holik the JA blew that up Hartleys chance to turn around the franchise. If heatley was less of a DA the Thrashers would be a complete 180, and would of won some playoff games/series.
The Real Sage of Bluesland
July 26th, 2010
6:35 pm
loves slurping pole.
The Real Sage of Bluesland
July 26th, 2010
6:36 pm
and bunghole.
DWTOO
July 27th, 2010
8:21 am
Question 3 – Who put the fizzies in the fountains?
QUestion 4 – WHo delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni luncheon?
Smoothie
July 28th, 2010
11:29 am
C’mon Viv, how ’bout a new blog? You can’t just tease us with your twittering and then leave us hangin’!
Lord Stanley
July 28th, 2010
5:30 pm
It looks like our brave leader has fallen./
Jameson
July 28th, 2010
8:50 pm
Any update on Ladd?