Only real news to come out of this morning’s practice is that defenseman Boris Valabik did indeed suffer a torn ACL in his left knee. He was placed on injured reserve today. The plan is wait several days for the swelling to go down before scheduling surgery.

At practice today, Niclas Bergfors and Evander Kane were working with the power-play unit. Coach John Anderson said he would like them to get a little more practice before getting into a game on the special team but “if I see we need a little spark, I will put them in.”

Here is Anderson on the importance of this road trip:

“We were just talking to the team, our goal on this trip is to get into the playoffs (position) before the break That’s going to be our goal. I think it’s pretty realistic. I think we’ll need four or five points. We’ve got some tough teams to play but if we play as a team … we are moving in the right direction and I think we can do …

UPDATE:

* Kari Lehtonen was back at practice and got a lot of work. He says he is NHL ready. Coach John Anderson said there is no timetable for him to get into a game. He will make the three-game road trip.

*The extent of Boris Valabik’s knee injury is not known. They are waiting a few more days to let the swelling go down to determine the next step. The initial thought is he tore the ACL.

*There are no plans to recall anyone from AHL. They will play with the six defenseman. Christoph Schubert’s return is not imminent. He hasn’t begun skating yet, although was walking around the locker room today without a limp.

Team is back to three goaltenders. Kari Lehtonen is back from his conditioning stint at AHL Chicago and working with assistant coach Steve Weeks along side Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec.

Newcomers Johnny Oduya and Niclas Bergfors are on the ice for their first practice as  Thrashers.

Boris Valabik is not on the ice. He …

Lehtonen made his final start on Friday night, losing in a shootout after stopping 17-of-19 shots in regulation and 6-of-9 in the shootout. In all, Lehtonen appeared in four games, going 1-1-2. He allowed 11 goals on 109 shots for a .899 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average.

I will see what the plan is at Monday’s practice.

Also, it appears the Boris Valabik’s injury, suffered to his left leg on Friday night, will cost him some games. The team did not have an official word following the game. I saw Boris in the hallway after the game and asked if he was OK. He was on the phone, but shook his head no.

I will see what the word is on Monday.

If anyone is interested I can blog about the adventures of covering the Ilya Kovalchuk trade and then getting back from Washington D.C. I did see former beat writer Mike Knobler (funny story about eating at an Ethopian …

There is no decision yet where they will play – what line for Bergfors and what pairing for Oduya. Discussions have begun, but no decision made. Stay tuned on that.

I am trying to arrange to catch up with them either at the team hotel or before tonight’s game.

Let me get this posted and I’ll come back later to update.

There could be a guest appearance from one Mike Knobler – Georgetown law student – at this morning’s skate.

If you didn’t see it, there is also a blog from my interview with Kovalchuk in the lobby of the team hotel as he was on his way to New Jersey. I posted that around midnight when I got back to my hotel.

I will report from the morning skate. We’ll see if Bergfors and Oduya arrive.

Here is the interview. I asked most of the questions, but some came from our local TV and radio folks and a Washington writer.

Q. Why New Jersey? Was that the best deal?

A. For sure. We did a lot of work these last couple of weeks talking to a lot of teams, exploring a lot of different possibilities. This fit everything we were looking for. We were looking for players to put on our NHL team as we speak. But we are also looking to add some assets into the basket. We think we did that very strongly. Patrice Cormier is a high-end junior …

Q. What was your reaction to the trade?

A. [New Jersey] is a good team and it’s a great chance to play in the playoffs and go far in the playoffs. It’s sad at the same time because, now I can say it, I’ve been a Thrasher for eight years. I’m appreciative of everything, the organization and the fans. We are going to play against each other on April 6. I’m already …

WASHINGTON — That didn’t take long. One day after informing Ilya Kovalchuk that he would be traded, the Thrashers on Thursday night sent its franchise player to New Jersey for two players, a prospect and a first-round draft pick. The Thrashers swapped Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela to the Devils for forward Nicklas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, center Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick in this year’s draft. The teams also traded second-round picks this year. Circle April 6th on your calendar. That’s when Kovalchuk returns to Philips Arena in his new uniform. After months of negotiations on a long-term contract, Kovalchuk, the franchise’s all-time leader in every major offensive category, turned down the team’s final offer that was worth over $100 million. At that point, negotiations were terminated.

“At the end of the day, we felt we did everything in our power,” Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said in an impromptu press briefing in …

Ilya Kovalchuk is on the ice despite being told yesterday that he will be traded. I will talk to him after practice and see what his thoughts are.

Kovalchuk is working on one end of the ice with Bryan Little and Nik Antropov, taking shots on the two goaltenders.

UPDATE: Here are some quotes from Kovalchuk, who spoke to the media for about 12 minutes.

“The rumors are flying all season long. What do you want me to do, sit at home and cry?”

“I asked [Waddell]  if I’m going to play [Friday] and he said yes. So I just show up and do my job.”

“It’s nobody’s fault. Everybody in the locker room can be traded. I’m in the same position as anybody. If they tell me I can be traded, that’s OK too. I just have to show up and play. I love my teammates. I’m one of them.”

“The rumors are getting louder and louder because the deadline is coming up. … It’s a distraction for everybody, but we have to show up and play through it and play our best.”

We have …

I talked to Ilya Kovalchuk and several players on whether his contract situation – and trade talk – are becoming a distraction. Everyone said it was not, for various reasons.

Here are Kovalchuk’s comments before being notified that he was to be traded:

“I’m the player and my job is to go on the ice and play hard. We are all professionals. I’ve worked here for eight years and hopefully I will stay but you know it’s a business and you never know what’s going to happen.”

Kovalchuk said at one point this season he address members of the team. “I talked to some guys. You don’t want to be a distraction. We are in a playoff race and we are only one point from the playoffs.”

When asked if he wanted the whole situation to be over, Kovalchuk said: “Whatever it takes. …

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell had no comment other than to say that the franchise and Kovalchuk’s agent have not had any new talks in more than a week. Both sides currently have proposals on the table that differ in salary and length of contract.

Kovalchuk, the franchise’s all-time leader in games, points, goals and assists, becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Waddell was in Philadelphia last week scouting the Flyers and Islanders. It also has been reported recently that the Kings and Bruins are interested in obtaining Kovalchuk.

Several NHL teams, including the Flames and the Rangers, have cleared salary cap space recently.

NHL rosters freeze on Feb. 14 for the two-week Olympic break. The trade deadline is three days after the freeze on March 3.

Waddell has previously stated that he will …