Looks Like Kiwi Will Be Russia-Bound After All
According to Ben Wright…Joel Kwiatkowski will be playing in Russia after all.
Regarding the Great Kiwi/KHL Conflict, Thrashers’ Executive Vice President and GM Don Waddell said, “After agreeing to terms on a contract with Joel Kwiatkowski, we learned that he had already committed to a team in the KHL. Therefore we have rescinded our offer and have been told that Joel will honor his agreement with St. Petersburg.”
So…that puts an end to that little situation.
Prospect Camp Opens Today
Also going on today…the start of Prospect Development Camp. Here is the schedule of events that will take place between now and Wednesday.
In advance of this, Thrashers first-round draft pick Evander Kane made the media rounds yesterday. If you missed them, here is is the interview on 680 The Fan…and the one on Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta.
I’ll be making the trek over to Duluthland tomorrow afternoon to check out the young-un. I hope to see many of you there as well.
Show Me The Money
According to hockeybuzz.com, the Thrashers’ current cap hit is about $42.3 million. However, that figure will climb higher once we come to know the salaries of Kari Lehtonen, Colby Armsrong, Boris Valabik and Chris Thorburn.
If Kari gets a contract somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.5 mil per year and Armstrong…who opted for salary arbitration last weekend…gets about $2 million per year, that alone would bring Atlanta’s cap hit to about $47.8 mil. Add in Valabik’s and Thorney’s and it’ll just get that much closer to the $50 million mark.
Did you ever think you’d see the day?
EDIT: As Toby points out…those numbers still reflect Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart’s salaries. They now belong to the Toronto Mable Leafs. That would knock about $2 million off the projected numbers.
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102 comments Add your comment
Thrasher_Ed
July 10th, 2009
9:00 am
First!
Thrasher_Ed
July 10th, 2009
9:02 am
Hate to hear that about KiWi! But I guess these things work themselves out. Seems as if the Atl. Spirit Group is maybe moving in the right direction for a change.
Vitamin Z
July 10th, 2009
9:06 am
“The right direction”….that a scary thought when talking about Thrashers.
BAF
July 10th, 2009
9:28 am
Nothing against Kiwi but signing Oystrick is a move that made the blueline too crowded if both Kiwi and Oystrick stayed around.
Toby
July 10th, 2009
9:44 am
Bill…I took this quote from the last blog….”Once those numbers are added, the total cap hit could be somewhere around $49 mil…if I’m figuring correctly.”
I checked the cap central page and it still has X and Stuart listed. We may be closer to $47.
…and yeah…not too devastated about Kiwi…
Alan
July 10th, 2009
9:46 am
Good to see him honor his contract in Russia.
A2B
July 10th, 2009
9:49 am
I think its funny that the Russians steal Radulov from the NHL and now they freak when a playe over there tries to come to the NHL, slightly hipocrytical no? I am glad we got Oyster back, we have some serious depth at the blueline. Its weird to think that in a year we really will be an organization that has depth.
Russian
July 10th, 2009
9:55 am
Kiwi will be fine in Russia. He will live in beatiful city St. Peterburg. We have 7 Dman – Oistric and have lot of D men in Chicago.
About the Salary cap I am not very happy what we have right now. I think this Roster can make only first round PO (same as 2007). Don and Dadly must trade few more players. I am looking for Tanguay or Zherdev or Derek Morris even Anton Babchuk did not get contract with Caroina. He was 5-th D man Sniper on the NHL last season. We still have time and available players.
Bob
July 10th, 2009
9:57 am
“Did you ever think you’d see the day?”
Actually, we’ve already seen the day. You seem to have fallen into the same misconception that Sara and ranallo continuosly wrote on this blog that the Spirit were the problem due to not spending money.
I prefer to realize the fact that the Spirit authorized Waddell to spend to the cap max in the 1st year or ownership coming out of the lockout, and they authorized him to spend to near max cap (leaving trade deadline wiggle room) the 2nd year. Only when they got no results and deeper into that lawsuit did they pull the reins in on Waddell.
So it’s made perfect sense to me, if I had a GM who said “give me money and I’ll show you results” and I gave him money and I got no results, I’d fire the guy, but they decided to retain him and just rein in the spending. So factually this isn’t the first time the Spirit has gone up towards the Cap.
It also doesn’t shock me as many of we fans sent the message to the Spirit loud and clear, get rid of Waddell (at least they got Dudley, hopefully Waddell will be gone as soon as his contract is up) and get us a winning team. One thing businessmen understand is an income statement. Sure you can cut expenses, but when the top line drops even further as a result, the bottom line suffers.
Same old whining
July 10th, 2009
10:02 am
Bob can you pull up one of the blogs from a year ago and post your anti-Waddell dribble there? What are you going to say if the team that Waddell assembled through his own draft picks, trades and free agent signings does well this year?
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
10:05 am
Why is it okay for Radim Vrbata to play over in the KHL while still under contract with the Panthers but we can’t have Kiwi??
Technically, there is no official transfer agreement so is there really a legal obstacle precluding these players to opt out of their contracts? Yes, they are violating the terms of their contract, but without a transfer agreement, does either league have any real power to enforce these rules other than the “gentlemen’s agreement” they have vis a vis the IIHF? And what real power does the IIHF really hold? Probably as much as the UN these days.
I say _____ ‘em if they can’t take a joke!
Buzilla in CT
July 10th, 2009
10:08 am
Why is X listed on the hockeybuzz salary cap page?
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
10:22 am
http://twitter.com/TheFourthPeriod
Well, Kari will have 6 chances for some due payback / vindication!
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
10:27 am
Bill, we are still hovering right around $39.175 M without including new contracts for following: Army, Crabb-cakes, Lehts, Big Bo, Oystie or Kane’s potential hit, albeit small probably, on the Cap #.
However, I did include a 10% raise for Slater to $880 K and a partial hit for Pavy (as we showcase him for a 1/4 of the year) at around $350 K. I did not include, however, Bogey’s bonus potential as we should get relief under the Bonus Cushion provision in the CBA (according to nhlnumbers.com).
I would post my spreadsheet if there was a way to embed it into this blog format.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
10:29 am
One last thing: things may be looking much rosier for our dear friend Garnet “don’t call me Grant” Exelby. Rumour floating around on Spector’s that Burke might flip him to Chicago for some scoring depth as the Hawks are thin on the blueline. How funny would it be if XLB helped Hossa win a Cup in CHI? Not really that funny IMO.
Sara
July 10th, 2009
10:42 am
Bob your argument has always been completely illogical, even by Atlanta Spirit standards. If they were actually upset at the job Waddell did, they’d fire him, not cut back payroll. These boys are all about the bottom-line and the one thing they aren’t going to tolerate is someone completely wasting their money.
Every factual indication from the lawsuit is that they ran out of money once Belkin stopped funding his 30%. Seydel admitted he was tapped out on the stand under oath. The Thrashers have gotten a boost this year because, as Stroz pointed out weeks ago, the Hawks’ payroll is declining.
It’s never been about an unwillingness to spend…just an inability.
Spud Webb
July 10th, 2009
11:05 am
Smoothie, X will never help anyone or anybody win a cup. Great guy & I don’t want to sound harsh, all just my opinion!!
I hope with the RE-SIGNING of Kovy that our cap number goes up!!!! Question, would a new deal for Kovy mean ripping up the final year of the current contract or does it start after next season? Anyone know?
As far as Kiwi and the KHL, couldn’t care less, we don’t need the guy.
As far as Slater, couldn’t care less. I have the same request to DW and company, can we PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go get some sort of johnny bad &ss?? Yes, Kubina and Nik are big, but far from aggressive and won’t stop anyone from running the likes of Slava, Toby, Kovy or anyone else on our team. I don’t want to see it anymore, just one TOUGH, big bruising dude to put on the 4th line, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
exwhaler
July 10th, 2009
11:10 am
>>>”Why is it okay for Radim Vrbata to play over in the KHL while still under contract with the Panthers but we can’t have Kiwi??”
Because Vrbata (a) played in the Czech league and (b) he had permission to do so from the Lightning. Essentially, they loaned him out to a team in his home country.
After the Radulov situation (not to mention the Malkin situation), the NHL and KHL agreed not to poach players from each other’s leagues that have valid contracts. Plus, the IIHF passed rules after that agreement was made that would penaltize countries that did so, the biggest of which was to ban the transgressing country from international competition, including the upcoming Olympics. Kiwi had signed a valid contract with Petersburg, then turned around to sign a deal with the Thrashers. If the Thrashers let the contract stand it would be a direct violation of the agreement between the two leagues and probably result in either the United States or Canada being banned from the Olympic ice hockey event.
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 10th, 2009
11:25 am
If you continue to write off the one year Waddell’s club made it to the playoffs as an aberration I will continue to do so towards the one year the Atlanta Spirit was near the salary cap during the course of an entire season.
Ownership has never shown a consistent (key word) willingness or ability to fund a legitimate hockey club. Ownership has never held their upper management accountable (another key word) for their ineffectiveness. In that one year that you like to hold onto as the gold standard for why ownership deserves less blame, they didn’t do the one thing that logically any good owner would have done…they didn’t rid the organization of the person who ineffectively utilized the funds they provided.
You think Waddell’s the problem, I think the ownership’s inability to manage their own franchise is the problem (as evidenced by your problem still being employed despite the documented failures you and others continue to re-hash).
But go ahead, keep dwelling on that one year in the past and you look just as silly when anybody points to the one playoff series as a reason Waddell did his job successfully. Your response is always to the effect of “they have 0 wins for the REAL season”, and mine will always be “they didn’t fire the GM who inappropriately spent their ‘max cap’ money”.
Alan
July 10th, 2009
11:27 am
The Jiri Hudler signing by Dynamo Moscow is being contested by the NHL.
kracker
July 10th, 2009
11:28 am
What is happening w/ the lawsuit? My recollection is that the judge was to make a definitive ruling sometime this spring/summer. Has he done so? Will it drag on forever in appellate court?
I have idly spectulated that another reason for the bigger spending in the Antropov signing and the Kubina trade is that the Spirit Group knows to expect a favorable ruling that will soon allow for the assimilation of a willing replacement owner into the Group. Make that wild speculation.
R. Stroz
July 10th, 2009
11:31 am
Ok, everyone lets kick in a few bucks and get Bob & Sara a room. Chuckle Chuckle.
On the Waddell issue, I believe its safe to say that the Spirit boys kept Waddell around because he is a good little soldier. When Waddell was told his budget was going to be cut, he followed orders to keep his job.
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 10th, 2009
11:33 am
Every contract extension goes into effect after the original contract has expired…hence it’s a contract “extension” and not a contract “renegotiation”.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
11:36 am
Ex-whaler, did not realize the Panthers “loaned” the Czech league the services of one Radim Vrbata — thanks for the clarification. I guess the Radulov incident was the final straw and the impetous for this new verbal agreement not to poach players. Other than the Olympics though, would a team desperate for help or looking to bolster a Stanley Cup contender really give a damn about missing out on the Worlds? It will be interesting to see if some renegade GM like Lowe might try and challenge Bettman and the boys on the technicality of no formal agreement being in place with the KHL.
As for the Whalers, good to have some whale-blood here in the Blueland think tank. I grew up not far from Hartford so most of my childhood hockey memories consist of trips to the Mall for games against the Sabres. Saw some Sakic hi-lites from when he was a Nordique and seeing those vintage sweaters juxtaposed with the sweet blue and green sweaters of the Whale made me want to tear up!
The Real Fan
July 10th, 2009
11:42 am
Why is it that Sara and Ranallo10 always see it correctly, and through logical eyes.
It doesn’t mean we’re not fans just not patsys.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
11:49 am
Glad we didn’t overpay for Kotalik (3 years $ 9 mill) and it isn’t any surprise the Rags did indeed overpay again. I’m much happier with a slightly overpaid Antropov who has more upside and better puck handling skills. Check out the hi-lites of the Dec. 22, 2008 affair betwixt the Buds and Birds to see some nifty plays by big Nik. He dangles pretty well for a lumbering giant. I can defintely envision some give and go chemistry between he and Kapt Kovy. Put the threat of Peever’s speed up the middle and you could have one lethal force with which to be reckoned Southeastern Division!! Muuuaaaahahaaa
Buzilla in CT
July 10th, 2009
11:52 am
Smoothie – where did you live near Hartford? I was in Manchester for a year but now my wife and I moved to Colchester…basically near the Indian casinos.
I currently have a “Bring back the Whale” bumper sticker on my car. I am hoping the Islanders fold and move to Hartford
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
12:00 pm
Buzz, that would be sweet! Turn a turd into a gem! LOL
I grew up in Albany, NY and a big fan of the Sabres because of my Dad. However, I also followed the likes of Adam Oates, Joey Juneau and Darren Puppa very closely as I was there in the 80’s and the pinnacle of RPI hockey prowess. I haven’t lived up there for 13 years or so.
I’m quite familiar with Foxwoods and eastern NE however. I’m always busting my buddy’s chops for being a Whalers fan. He hates when I refer to the Canes as the Migrant Whalers! Carolina has a coastline so what gives?? Carolina Blue Whales anyone?
Rawhide
July 10th, 2009
12:03 pm
Toby – You’re right. Stuart and XLB are both still listed… I overlooked that.
So…those two knock about $4 mil off the overall numbers and put us more in the range I thought we’d be in…$46 – $47 mil or so.
World Be Free
July 10th, 2009
12:07 pm
Smoothie-could never get enthused about a hockey arena named “The Mall”. I know Buffalo’s was named “The Aud” but that was short for Memorial Auditorium.
Communted to Holyoke, MA for 2 years from Atlanta-makes Hamilton, Ontario look beautiful!
Now that Kiwi is gone, I guess I am the only Pollack left in Atlanta. Dennis Seidenberg? I know, you people will all tell me that Don has already tried and Seid-o will not come to ATL.
Buzilla in CT
July 10th, 2009
12:08 pm
I remember the Puppa Scuppa…
Hated when my Devils played against that guy
Randy
July 10th, 2009
12:17 pm
Uh, shouldn’t Waddell have known about Kiwi’s contract already? this is the problem with this franchise. The GM has no clue what he is doing.
Alan this is a Thrasher blog, quit posting Red Wings spam
Randy
July 10th, 2009
12:18 pm
Sara the Spirit won’t fire waddell. Billy Knight had to resign to get out. Waddell knows he’s got it made here in Retard-land
Alan
July 10th, 2009
12:28 pm
I’ll give you points for being able to correctly identify which team this blog primarily covers.
However, the purpose of posting stuff from around the NHL, such as the development with Jiri Hudler, is to report in a public forum various going-ons in the NHL. It is meant as a conversation starter.
Sorry you don’t like that, but I guess you’ll just have to deal with it, Randy.
Buzilla in CT
July 10th, 2009
12:36 pm
Sucks that Nittymaki signed in Tampa. Now we have to face him even more. Is the NHL still doing the imbalanced schedule?
Brendan
July 10th, 2009
12:41 pm
I still and continue to blame the NHL’s accounting practices for why markets like Atlanta struggle. If a team cannot reach the floor of the cap, without revenue-sharing dollars, there ISSSS a problem with where the cap has been set. That’s my OPINION. The owners wouldn’t necessarily struggle with an “inability” to reach the cap limit if the cap limit were $50 million. Back in the days when the cap limit was $39 million, even Atlanta’s ownership could field a team at that price. That was, in my opinion only, perhaps, the fairest season ever played. Why? Every team, or something close to every team, could actually reach the ceiling of the cap. The results? Two of the three SMALLEST NHL MARKETS, Edmonton and Carolina, met in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. And let’s not forget that Buffalo (small WNY market) was also a Conference Finalist. See? Make the economic conditions fair, and every market can succeed, via “good decision-making.” If CNN were here, they’d poke fun at a former President by adding, “By being good deciders.” Because they think that’s funny. Pure hilarity, right? I wouldn’t go on tour with that material. But I digress.
Ownership is as much, or more, to blame than Waddell, in my opinion. If ownership doesn’t trust Waddell’s judgement, they should find a GM in whom they do confer trust. They don’t. The proof of which is … Don Waddell’s still here, collecting a paycheck, and making draft selections and signing contracts. If that’s not what a GM does, then I don’t know what a GM’s duties rightly are. We’ve speculated as to the reasons why Waddell is still here. From “compromising photographs” to “not caring,” to “being cheap,” to … “Well heck, they’re just plain stupid.” Or, quite possibly, and this is one I believe, the Spirit thinks, “If we’ve got to run a team on the cheap, while rebuilding, we’ve got to have a GM who doesn’t mind losing while the project is underway. This GM must be an AHL-minded one who can spot ‘tweeners’ at the league minimum. Or something close to the league minimum.” And then the light bulb illuminated: Don Waddell!! We ALREADY HAVE OUR MAN!! Or Patsy. Or buffoonish blustering … whatever Sage’s catch phrase is.
If Dudley’s the next GM, he wouldn’t have been ‘my choice.’ Butttt, I’d argue that he’s still an improvement over Waddell. And, in fairness, I’d continue to offer that Don Waddell has shown improvement as a suppsed “lameduck” GM.
Randy
July 10th, 2009
12:45 pm
Good job beating Alan on that one Buzila
Randy
July 10th, 2009
12:46 pm
Let’s stick to “our” team Alan
Buzilla in CT
July 10th, 2009
12:48 pm
It still relates to our team…
Christy
July 10th, 2009
1:03 pm
Randy, maybe I’m tired on a Friday and not able to interpret statements correctly, and please don’t take offense, – but is your comment SERIOUS? You MEANT to say only talk about the Thrashers? As long as it is hockey related how can it not be welcome on a hockey blog? good grief.
There are more than a handful of bloggers who have multiple teams they follow courtesy of parents, migration, whatever. And something that affects another team, could potentially affect the Thrashers because of rule changes or, as in the case of Nittymaki, actual competition – i.e. we will now be able to see if the curse was tied Nittymaki or the Flyers or neither…
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
1:05 pm
What is wrong with some of you random folks (Randy, The Real Fan etc) who post whiny little complaints all the time? At least we HAVE a forum on the ajc.com site which allows us to talk HOCKEY. Why complain about Alan posting general goings-on from the NHL? Anything that happens in the NHL has some tangential relation to the Thrashers. And let’s not criticize a regular poster who contributes so much to this blog for no apparent reason…even if he is a Red Wings fan!
Alan
July 10th, 2009
1:07 pm
Just ignore him, Buzilla. I am. If there was anything wrong with posting about and discussing happenings from the rest of the NHL on this blog, I believe Bill would have asked for me to stop.
World Be Free
July 10th, 2009
1:11 pm
I agree Brendan, but remember it will be a long time before Buffalo sees the conference final again. Mark that down.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
1:21 pm
http://nhlfreeagents.fortunecity.com/free2009.html
A little Panther tit for tat as we have apparently signed depth C Anthony Stewart, 24 y/o African-Canadian who has played grinder mins in the NHL but mostly AHL since 2005. 6′2″ 240 lbs so he has some “beef” to use in the corners and a right-handed shot of which we have few of in our lineup. There you go World Be Free….happy now!?
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 10th, 2009
1:21 pm
“Uh, shouldn’t Waddell have known about Kiwi’s contract already? this is the problem with this franchise. The GM has no clue what he is doing.”
Unfortunately I can’t remember where I read it but I believe Kwiatkowski misrepresented his contractual obligations to the KHL team during his negotiations with the Thrashers. According to what I briefly read, he represented himself (i.e., no agent present) during said negotiations.
Waddell did the right thing by rescinding the contract he offered.
Alan
July 10th, 2009
1:27 pm
Thanks Smoothie — Even if I am a Wings fan… classy!
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 10th, 2009
1:38 pm
Anthony Stewart, really? He’s a pesky SOB, and I could definitely see him giving Thorburn and Boulton a run for the fourth line duties. But I have no illusions that he’ll play any higher on this club…from what I remember of his play he didn’t seem to have much to offer beyond peskiness and size (I think he was a quick guy, that’s a bonus). I have no idea how useful he is on the PK though, so I’m guessing WBF isn’t exactly happy with this NHL/AHL depth signing.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
1:47 pm
Yes he is ranallo, and if memory serves, he has pretty good wheels for a guy weighing 240 lbs. Thorburn, and Boulton to an extent, better be wary of this kid cuz he will come into camp hungry I bet after getting spurned by the Kitty Kats. If nothing else, he gives us an alternative to Boultsy if Eric bangs up his hands something fierce after pulverizing Jerko Ruuttu and Colton “Can’t Score” Orr.
p
Randy
July 10th, 2009
1:58 pm
This is around the time when the Ken Klees and Matthew Schneiders start showing up. This is Waddell at his best. I compare it to shopping. A classy GM shops at Nordstrom’s while DW combs the blue light special aisle at K-Mart.
Randy
July 10th, 2009
1:59 pm
Bolton and Thorburn are not adequate enforcers. Why didn’t DW drop both of them and go after Brashear?
Randy
July 10th, 2009
2:00 pm
At least Brashear knows how to score a damn goal. And he doesn’t lose every fight like our 2 featherweights do.
Boulton OR Thor, not both
July 10th, 2009
2:00 pm
Whatever happened to Mike Hoffman? If he is on another team forgive me for not talking about the Thrashers
Spud Webb
July 10th, 2009
2:06 pm
World you’re correct. The Sabres window CLOSED…SUCKS. They have no leadership, Miller has failed us in that department. There is some good talent, young, so we/they will be middle of the road.
Trying to research Anthony Stewart now…
kracker
July 10th, 2009
2:07 pm
Check the batteries in your calculator, Rawhide. Stuart and Exelby total $1.875 million for this year’s salary on NHLSCAP (which is HB.)
Spud Webb
July 10th, 2009
2:13 pm
I think we just let Hoffman walk. I thought he was supposed to be in the big team last year, broke his hand and never came back, played in chicago for the season.
Russian
July 10th, 2009
2:13 pm
Anthony Stewart played in Florida Panthers. He is Center. He has RFA status. I think he will be 3-4 liner or in Chicago
Brendan
July 10th, 2009
2:15 pm
I think Waddell has specific orders to shop at K-Mart. That’s why the owners kept him. He finds that discarded item at the bottom of the bargain barrel, that the other GM’s passed over, and gets that guy to 10 goals and 25-points. Somebody like a Jon Sim, a Glen Metropolit, a Todd White, etc. I, personally, think there’s a multi-year building project underway. I can’t get anyone (in the organization) to admit it. Precisely, I think, because THEY THINK such a declaration kills ticket sales. They run the Thrashers like a politician in an election year. “I promise ya victory! I promise ya GOOD TIMES!” That sells a whole lot better than, “Watch our prospects develop! See who we get in the lottery draft!” Those headlines aren’t nearly as good. If ya follow.
Boulton OR Thor, not both
July 10th, 2009
2:16 pm
Spud the Sabres have a huge defensman coming up who just beat Evander Kane in the junior championships and was the MVP over Kane. Drafted a year or two ago so he will probably come up now. Read about him while trying to find out things about Kane. He is everything that Valabik is supposed to be but better, may even be a Chara.
h
July 10th, 2009
2:23 pm
Brashear? A worthless piece of garbage. And now an overpaid worthless piece of garbage. Randy, go write on the Hawks Blog…..
Hockey Biltong
July 10th, 2009
2:25 pm
I think Hoffman walked as well. Now about that Nittymaki Roll. Let’s see how many goals Arthropod will get by him. And does anyone think Philly has gone down a notch thru trades and the draft, or are they keeping level???
Spud Webb
July 10th, 2009
2:34 pm
Boults, yea, I believe that was the kid they took in the 1st last year. I’m hopefull!!!!!!
Bilton, I say the Flyers are about the same. Inconsistant goal tending is going to be the downfall again, my opinion. They have a major gap back there and seem determined to NEVER fix it!!!!
ranallo10 (in AT)
July 10th, 2009
2:35 pm
Funny…why shop at Nordstrom’s when you only have a bank account that can support K-Mart specials?
Billtong — Adding Pronger made them better by far. Subtracting Lupul gives them a chance to play Giroux more often. They attempted to replace Knuble with Lapierre, which I consider a downgrade. The goalie rotation seems to be a wash, though Emery has the skill to get them to a Stanley Cup final. Overall though, I’d say they got better.
Joshgekko
July 10th, 2009
2:52 pm
Randy – According to hockeyfights Boulton won 5 fights while fighting to a draw in 4. Brashear won 6 and had 4 draws. I agree that Boulton is undersized in a lot of his fights, but the guy has held his own for the most part. Thorburn on the other hand is pretty bad when it comes to fighting.
Randy
July 10th, 2009
2:59 pm
Joshgekko how many goals did Bolton contribute? What about Thornburn?
Randy
July 10th, 2009
3:01 pm
Brendan you are one of the best bloggers on here. thank you for not letting them fool you. you have been on their back from the get-go, and i appreciate it. dont ever stop probing for answers.
Randy
July 10th, 2009
3:02 pm
Ranallo10 you are correct our owners are cheap pieces of s*** but would you not agree our GM is in over his head ?
Rawhide
July 10th, 2009
3:05 pm
Kracker – Actually, it has less to do with the batteries in my calculator and more with the lack of my glasses being on my face. That’s normally where I get myself into trouble.
%$#@!…what a drag it is getting old!
So…let me take another stab at this. The Hockeybuzz numbers I referenced shows the Thrashers with a payroll of $41,231,667 and a cap hit of $42,300,094. Take away XLB’s $1,391,667 ans Stuart’s $483,333 and that leaves the team with a cap hit at $40,425,094.
So…if Kari signs at $3.5 mil and Army at $2 mil, then the cap hit is at $45,925,094. Then when Valabik and Thorburn get their contracts signed…the cap hit could be at about $47 – $48 mil.
Thrashers27
July 10th, 2009
3:13 pm
According to the list that Smoothie posted a link to earlier about Anthony Stewart, it seems that Clay Wilson has moved on. Says he signed with Florida.
Smoothie
July 10th, 2009
3:30 pm
Yeah, that’s why I wrote that we did a “tit for tat” with Fla. Perhaps they will get to play against each other again quite soon.
Randy, you are quite an annoyance aren’t you? I don’t think a lot of the regulars on here are as pollyannish as you seem to think. You really need to inject some realism into your perspective and arguments.
Brendan’s right, we are in a rebuilding phase because it would be assinine not to re-tool and re-stock in the event Ilya (shudders) were to defect next year. Having said that, we now have a shot at the playoffs with the moves we made and having competitive depth in the system in the form of AHL’ers with potential is a good thing when they are competing with hungry prospects who are chomping at the bit to crack the line-up.
We are on a budget folks, get over it! Let’s hope we continue to improve and the team that came into its own over the last 35 games is the team that will develop into a playoff contender. If they do and we flirt with the playoffs, I have a feeling the ASG will loosen the purs-strings even more.
R. Stroz
July 10th, 2009
3:55 pm
Anthony Stewart was a first round, 25th overall, pick in the 2003 draft by the Florida Panthers. He only had 34 penalty minutes last season, so he’s not a pure goon.
Brendan
July 10th, 2009
4:18 pm
Oh, if the Thrashers get close, and not say the way Don Waddell and Darren Eliot assess “close,” codeword for let’s try to sell more tickets, then I do think the Spirit will try to be buyers at the trade deadline. Let’s face it, if #17 is still un-signed at that time (Feb/Mar 2010), and they’re CLOSE, they’ve pretty much got no choice but to spend and to make the playoffs.
Now, I want to be clear about something. I wish Kovalchuk to be re-signed tomorrow. Just like you all do. Even if it’s a 2-year deal. I’d take it! Put the “bandaid” on the wound. By then, if the organization continues on this slowww build, it ought to be fairly decent. For real. Next year’s lottery draft, even Top Ten, stands to be worth owning the pick. As in, “Don’t give up the 1st rounder in a trade.” Here’s when I advocate surrendering a 1st round pick. If I think I’m going to the CF, can’t miss, then my 1st round pick is #27, #28, #29, or #30. Is that such a horrible pick to sacrifice??? I wouldn’t think so. But is pick #7 or #8 or #9 worth “throwing away?” I’d say, “No, let’s keep the pick.” With some rather obvious exceptions. Which won’t happen. Colorado’s keep Stastny. Pittsburgh’s keeping Crosby and Malkin. Chicago will elect to keep Toewz and Kane. So, forget it. Couple that with, “Well gee, is the player we’re getting WANTING to play here?” If not, then … FOR SURE … keep the pick. That guy won’t re-sign with us. Avoid the “rentals.” I’d rent … if I thought, like I said, I was headed straight for the CF, Finals, or winning the Stanley Cup. I wouldn’t throw away a top 10 overall pick b/c I’m some “bubble team” trying to sneak-in. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place.
Not to harp on things, but had Atlanta stood pat, in 2007, and didn’t make it in, probably Hartley and Waddell get fired. Which is fine. But they rolled the dice, Vegas-style. Tkachuk ultimately cost a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick, plus Metropolit. Zhitnik cost Coburn. Vitaly Vishnevski, whom Atlanta sacrificed a 2nd round pick to obtain, got us Eric Belanger, who was lost to free agency. And Pascal Dupuis cost us “the player Don wanted all along,” Alex Bourret. Atlanta also picked up a 3rd round pick from the Rangers in the Dupuis deal, that brought us Chris Thorburn, via 3rd round pick trade with Pittsburgh. I suppose it’s a “silver lining” that Chris Thorburn agreed to re-sign his RFA contract and play in Atlanta. Dupuis was packaged with Hossa, for … let’s just say Erik Christensen, who is now prospect Eric O’Dell, via trade with Anaheim.
The point? Don’t take wild gambles with the future of this team. Atlanta’s draft picks are its BEST OPTION out of this mess. That, and the waiver wire. See Rich Peverley. And this year’s waiver wire may also bring forth blessings. Plural. We’ve got the cap room to claim some guys. And we do have the ability to TRADE OUT some players, if cap is the concern. It’s possible to package Boulton or Thorburn or Slater or whomever, to make room for the waiver claim player. Remember how nicely Mark Recchi fit in, when we got him off waivers? That could happen again this year, if Don can convince ownership to spring for a guy either at pro-rated FULL PRICE or HALF-PRICE, off re-entry waivers. The problem with waiting for Re-Entry waivers is that the Islanders, Bolts, and Aves get 1st crack at that player at HALF-PRICE. We might not have the luxury of waiting for Re-Entry waivers.
Thrashers27
July 10th, 2009
4:28 pm
The thought makes me a bit uneasy, but should the Thrashers be out of the playoff race come next Feb., what does everyone think about the possibility of using Kovy as a rental to get some more pieces and then re-signing him in the off-season. I think that’s something that would have to be considered if that scenario were to play out.
Brendan
July 10th, 2009
4:31 pm
I totally support that idea, Thrashers27. But I’d at least ask for a “handshake agreement” that Kovalchuk would return as a UFA. Though, Waddell’s been clear. Just like Captain Smith, of the SS Titanic, he intends to go down with the shipment, with Kovalchuk onboard, in April 2010. That’d be a missed opportunity. If Kovalchuk won’t re-sign, he must be traded. But, that’s the S.O.S. beacon, “We’re going down by the HEAD, need assistance,” to the SS Carpathia.
Sage of Blueland
July 10th, 2009
6:36 pm
If Kovalchuk re-signs, will all you sheep be happy? Really? Welcome to ice puckey.
Tony C.
July 10th, 2009
7:01 pm
Stewart’s got good wheels… nice shot but needs a lot of room and time to get it off…although something tells me that he’s gonna blossom if he makes it to the A
Rawhide
July 10th, 2009
7:51 pm
Erin Andrews was struck by a foul ball in Shea Stadium last night!!!
This MUST get coverage from the Atlanta media…so I will fly up there right NOW and see to it that she gets covered!
Poor lady…I hope she’s gonna be OK.
R. Stroz
July 10th, 2009
8:11 pm
That’s nice of Rawhide to provide foul ball coverage of Erin Andrews.
Alan
July 10th, 2009
8:56 pm
From Bill’s link:
Super hot sportscaster Erin Andrews shouldn’t participate in any activities where balls fly at her face
I’m going to have to withhold comment on that. Ahem.
Bob
July 10th, 2009
9:49 pm
“What are you going to say if the team that Waddell assembled through his own draft picks, trades and free agent signings does well this year?”
yee ha!
“Bob your argument has always been completely illogical, even by Atlanta Spirit standards. If they were actually upset at the job Waddell did, they’d fire him, not cut back payroll.”
No, it’s not. Your myopic view says they’re cheap, they’re the problem. Ok, let’s run with that. Word is that they extended his contract right after that 10 game run after he fired Hartley and he took the bench. You see how cheap they were to replace Hartley’s contract, which finally fell off at the end of last year, right? Now, do these cheapskates want to pay Waddell to watch the GM they had to pay double what Waddell takes fix his problems? In your world, no, they don’t, they pull in the reins, ride out their lawsuit, let him “play out” his contract, and then replace him when his contract is up (please let it be this year).
Bob
July 10th, 2009
9:57 pm
“but would you not agree our GM is in over his head ?”
No, that would mean he’d have to admit that the novel he’s written over the years defending the indefensible, was, well, just plain wrong.
Hockey Biltong
July 11th, 2009
12:53 am
ahhh ,I’m thinking it’s burger time!!!
MB
July 11th, 2009
12:52 pm
Erin Andrews…meh. Yeah, she’s attractive, but “super hot?” Not quite. Plus, I’ve never been able to get over how absolutely clueless she was when here providing in-game updates on the Thrashers. To me she’s just another nice looking poster child of everything that’s wrong with broadcasting.
Tony C.
July 11th, 2009
2:31 pm
MB-if you thought Erin was clueless, NEVER watch an in-game segment with her replacement from last year.
ever
It’s painful
Thrashers27
July 11th, 2009
2:41 pm
Tony C….AGREED!!!!! The woman they had doing intermission interviews last year was A-W-F-U-L!!! That big, fake smile…the deer in the headlights look on her face. She was clueless. I really hope they don’t bring her back for the upcoming season. If they’re looking for a good lookin’ man who knows hockey I’d be happy to take that gig.
Brendan
July 11th, 2009
3:13 pm
If it isn’t league policy yet, it soon will be, that all 30 teams have an “Intermission Babe” for the telecast. Eh. It doesn’t really bother me. It probably SHOULD. But I’ve grown so very tolerant of everything.
Thrashers27
July 11th, 2009
3:16 pm
Doesn’t bother me either, Brendan, but they could at least find one who is knowledgable and sincere.
Hockey Biltong
July 11th, 2009
3:35 pm
Holy Cr&p Batman, was that reporting ever poor. Of course Fox S.S. probably paid her $50.00 a game. The pa system in the arena needs a voice with some timbre to it. Too high pitched and the words become unintelligible. Now if some one had a voice like Kathleen Turner, you would be able to hear everything quite well imho…..
Sharon
July 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
Natalie, the “Intermission Babe”, makes female reporters look idiotic. I work in tv (behind the scenes), and this type of hiring just irks me. There are qualified female sportscasters out there, but she’s not one of them. She’s plastic.
Tom
July 11th, 2009
6:28 pm
Sharon. Amen on Natalie. The first game of the season I was flabbergasted that she got the job. She is not comfortable with hockey and it shows. I would prefer a much less attractive female sportscaster who is passionate about the sport. See the NY channels on how they do it.
Brendan
July 11th, 2009
6:51 pm
Boston has two “Intermission Babes.” Hazel Mae and Kathryn Tappan. Google ‘em yet? I’ll wait.
See. Told ya. Did ya read Kathryn Tappan’s “bio” yet? Ever see the movie “Weird Science,” where a couple of adolescents try to create a perfect female? It was kind of an 80’s hommage to the “Stepford Wives,” from a teenager’s perspective. Not quite literally. You have to read between the lines. Anywho … her bio reads like that. It stops just short of, “And after watching hockey, drinking beer, and modeling my new bikini, my boyfriend and I enjoy watching Skinamax together.
MB
July 11th, 2009
7:26 pm
Agreed on Natalie…just more of the same. Apparently the clowns who can’t get out of going to focus groups tell the marketing and programming wizards that they’d rather see an attractive dingbat instead a less attractive person with incredible subject matter knowledge.
All across the country, there are thousands of Natalies in sports and weather with network dreams clogging up the hiring pipeline for those who, I would argue, are far more qualified for the positions. To me, EA represents them all as she is currently the most visible and most successful…good for her. In less than a decade, her looks will start to fade, she’ll put on a few pounds, and then she’ll wonder why the networks don’t respect her “reporting” skills and experience when they hire they next young cutie in her stead. Eh, as Brendan might say, it is what it is.
Back to hockey, interesting experiment going on in Montreal. A little reminiscent of Tampa Bay last year…just throw in a bunch of parts and see what happens. Also, Muir on CNN/SI has a fairly interesting piece about the salary cap, making a somewhat strained correlation to what’s happening with the NBA’s cap this season.
kracker
July 11th, 2009
10:09 pm
Hmmm…is Erin Andrews connected with EA Sports?
Darkhorse
July 12th, 2009
12:54 am
Natalie is quite horrible as the intermission reporter. I always hold out hope a pissed off player having to come out and talk with her at intermission will just take a puck and shove it in her big plastic mouth as the camera rolls.
The Joker
July 12th, 2009
2:25 am
“…will just take a puck and shove it in her big plastic mouth”
And I was hoping for something else.
Alan
July 12th, 2009
2:37 am
Didn’t you read my last post, Joker??
Alan
July 12th, 2009
2:45 am
Ohhh, we’re talking about Natalie now.
Well then, I’m sure that’s an activity she could engage in, seeing as how there’s dramatically fewer fouls flying towards her.
Sara
July 12th, 2009
12:49 pm
I don’t like Natalie’s performance..and I absolutely detest the “Become One with a Blue Crew Member” schtick. Could these jerks be any more degrading toward women? That said, the behind the scenes explanation that I was given (twice) re Erin (whom I loathed) was that she was intentionally dumbed-down by the powers that be. That fits, given that I think she has displayed her competence since moving on to ESPN. However, I still have to question any female willing to dumb herself down for a job – especially since it sets a bad precedent in an industry already un-female friendly.
Stroz are you also going to pony up for any and all damages incurred? :p Perhaps an extended round of paintball would be more appropriate.
Sara
July 12th, 2009
1:04 pm
Bob I don’t see this as myopic at all. The two unforgivable sins for Atlanta Spirit seem to be unwillingness to toe the company line and mismanagement of funds. The bottomline is way too important to them to stand for any GM or employee who throws it away.
I personally believe that the big push by ownership to get into the playoffs at all costs in 2007 was ultimately all about $$. As in, they were running out of it. Making up for Belkin’s 30% depleted the available assets of the remaining members. Playoffs are the biggest pure revenue generators in this sport. I think they thought that if they could get into the playoffs and make a run of it (run meaning more than two home games), they could generate enough revenue to cover the Belkin shortfall. Unfortunately they didn’t get that run nor the subsequent revenue and everything had to be scaled back.
I’ve been willing to adjust my opinion of things as new information presents itself. I once firmly believed these owners were a bunch of tightwads on purpose who didn’t care a whit about this franchise. As more information became public from the trial, I’ve changed my view in that regard. I no longer believe they are unwilling to spend, just simply unable. It’s completely understandable from a business perspective.
It would be nice, however, to see more people willing to temper their judgements of Waddell as new evidence presents itself as well. Nothing ridiculous has happened for the past two off-seasons. Granted not every signing worked out as hoped (ie Jason Williams) but that is part of the business in general. Not every player fits into every system. And at least he didn’t get signed to a 4 year contract that still hangs on this club.
I’ve always believed Waddell was moving this club in the right direction, a few bumps notwithstanding, until essentially forced to make some bad trades by an ownership group desperate for both immediate on-ice success and more revenue. It wasn’t happening as fast as some of you prefer, but I think there were some unreasonable expectations set forth given the market, the financial constraints under previous ownership, and how an expansion franchise is developed from the ground up. Waddell has now been allowed to get back on track and things appear to be progressing nicely.
Brendan
July 12th, 2009
2:32 pm
Too true, MB. But the whole thing seems to boil down to … <strong it’s a VISUAL medium. As such, what stops a remote flipping around the channels faster: “intellectual discussion/good journalism
” or “Hot Babe! Hot Babe! Hot Babe!! Gimme dat remote, and put it BACK on the HOT BAAAABE!!” See, that’s what networks realized. Ever watch news & weather on Univision (TM) or Telemundo (TM)? (They’re Spanish language channels.) I’ll just stop right there. Other than to add, “If you’re ever in France, or can get Canal +, her name is Melissa Theuriau.” And she just might be the best-looking newsbabe in the entire world.
Who have been the Intermission Gals in Thrashers History? I remember Amanda Jahn in the beginning. Then Erin Andrews. Then there was some brunette who did the 2007 season preview. We didn’t see a lot of her. Then Natalie Taylor. I don’t know if she’ll be back, or what? The L.A. Kings have Heidi Androl. NHL Network has Carrie Milbank doing various promos. Let’s see what they do.
As we enter the 10th season, I am hopeful that further progress will be made. But it’s tempered with the usual, “It is what it is” sentiment. I mean, I could show up to this blog hoppin’ mad about how things have been run for the past decade. Inject me with Sodium Pentathol (truth serum), and I’ll tell you how I thought, back in 1999, that the Thrashers would make the playoffs in Year Four, make the CSF in Year Five, Advance to a 1st ever CF in Year Six, and be in a Stanley Cup Finals by Year Seven, while trying for a repeat trip to the Finals in Year Eight. I should have realized, back then, that Ted Turner’s role and interest in the Thrashers would be “un-Braves-like.” At this point, I consider a season successful if prospects are developed and proactively re-signed.
R. Stroz
July 12th, 2009
2:46 pm
100
Glovesave29
July 12th, 2009
6:27 pm
Hey, Biltong – been up at the lake so I am a bit late on this one. If you are a Kathleen Turner fan, whatever you do, don’t see “Marley and Me”, just stick to the memory of her in “War of the Roses”.
Ooooh, I not only didn’t talk about the Thrash, I didn’t even mention hockey. Oh shame on me!
Don Waddell
July 14th, 2009
6:57 pm
Glad you are satisfied with losing, fools.