Glass ‘half full’ or ‘half empty’ road trip?

I agree with the glass half full thinking.

And also, I want to bring forward a great point Stendec made in the previous post.

The whole ” Will he stay or will he go now” saga with Ilya did cost us points. And focus. We were a very good team to start the season playing team hockey. Then one day the Thrashers became a showcase for Ilya’s individual talents and the team fell apart.

We are becoming the team that we were to start the season.

And I think that the Thrashers will start consistantly taking points from teams they should beat again and play 500 hockey against the top teams.

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Definitely, “Glass Half Full.” Four of six (4/6) is two-thirds, or .667 heading into the break, against the opposition. Let’s not forget, Chicage is the #3 team in the NHL. Maybe #2, after the Sharks loss to Buffalo last night, at HSBC.

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Here’s your box score. Kane and Slater were a +3. That’s really nice. http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2009020913

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1/2 full, though Pavs dumb A$$ move to give them #4 cost the team that extra point. Considering the team just went through serious turmoil and is still finding out who they are. Whatever they do this year, we need a strong #1 goalie here next year…..I like the core and the way they are shaping up together out there on the ice now, but all the effort is being let down by these SOFT goals which take all the wind out of the guys sails. Would be nice to see us keep teams to only 2 goals wouldn’t it?
Rawhide,
I would like to see a more set group of SO persons. I thought the #1 line is playing well but not necesarily the best guys for the SO. I think you have to let Mad Max skate his way down to the net and figure out what he’s gonna do, and Pevs too. 3rd shooter???? That can be a choice at the moment. White/Kozlov HAVE to be dealt with now, as soon as Olympics are over. They may be the last piece (other than the ALL IMPORTANT goalie situation) that we need to really come together. I hope Kulda gets more time up here, I like the physical nature he is bringing, something we really need out there. Keep it up guys, and let’s make sure we support them in the home games coming up!!!!
LET’S GO THRASHERS!!!!!!

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Did y’all notice Andrew Ladd, former 4th overall pick from 2004, was a -3 for the Blackhawks, with a pittance of ice time? That guy’s gonna sit, and not just because the Olympic break is here.

Okay, let’s see how Atlanta’s blueline faired last night. Here’s your TOI:

1. Hainsey, 27:40, with one shot, no points, and was a -1.

2. Johnny Oduya, 25:26, with one shot, one assist, and was a +1.

3. Toby Enstrom, 24:04, with a TEAM LEADING 4 shots on goal, scored a goal, and was “even” on his +/- stat.

4. Pavel Kubina, 19:58, with three (3) shots on goal, had two helpers, and was a +1.

5. Zach Bogosian, 14:41, one shot, no points, and was a -2. Isn’t that a bit telling? I think he’s hurt, personally. I do. I believe Zach has an undisclosed injury he’s battling.

6. A. Kulda, the newbie on the scene, 12:04, one shot on goal, one helper, and was a +1.

Zach Bogosian sliding all the way to 5th for TOI … tells me something. Either he’s hurt, and is doing what he can. Or his “GLARING MISSED ASSIGNMENT in overtime vs. the Avalanche … is continuing to be punished.”

I’m very proud of Toby Enstrom, as he heads off to Vancouver, to represent Sweden. He’s doing a fine job. And how about Kulda? 12:04, with an assist, and +1, is a fine contribution from a “call up.” Way to go, John Anderson and Waddell, for giving him this chance, while Valabik is hurt, yet again.

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docsbro, Hossa’s Olympic journey may be derailed. That was a jarring blow delivered by Armstrong. The refs let the ‘Hawks take pot shots at Army all night, after that. It was sickening to witness the non-calls, in that regard. It’ll be interesting to see how Hossa does during the Olympics. And if he underperforms, we all just might cite Army’s hit on him as the reason.

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Rightshot, remember when the radio ads sounded like this, “Imagine a whole team of Ilya Kovalchuks? And the zamboni drive by Kovalchuk. And little parachutes falling from the rafters, each one having a tiny Ilya Kovalchuk hangin beneath it.”

If your name isn’t Kovalchuk, but you ARE a member of the Atlanta Thrashers, how must that radio spot have made you feel? It’s a fair question.

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4 out of 6, considering the home records of the opponents, means definitely half full.

Plus we still play the teams we are chasing/fighting for 6th-8th with. TB, Bos, NYR and Philly are all still on the schedule. Plus we have three games in hand against Montreal.

Now, just ignore that April schedule, for awhile.

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A few thoughts this morning. Funny thing, I was talking with Lilibeter this morning and when the conversation turned to the Thrashers, my first question to her was “Would you rather have them be 2-1 or 1-0-2 for this trip?” Obviously, the end result is the same, the former is just a little easier to swallow (depending on how you got there).

I’m in the “Half-full” column as well. One thing that I have really enjoyed these last few games is how hard the boys have played. The dynamic of the team is significantly different and they are no longer looking for one (or two) players to carry them. Scoring is far more balanced, there is defensive responsibilty (and apparently accountability) and they just seem to be a much tougher team to play. Fighting back from being down on the road (especially 3-1 in Chicago at the end of one period) is nothing to be scoffed at.

“Second Half Slater” may have played himself into a contract extension and I (would like) to think that the play of the Slats/Kane/Army line may actually be making Army think about re-upping. (Okay, I can dream, right?)

Did anyone else realize after the Army hit on Hossa that those two guys were traded for each other? Just sayin’…

Are there still problems? Sure. But, you have to admit, they are fun to watch and I am very much looking forward to March.

On Opie: What am I missing on the crossing plays to the weak side? I was always taught that you don’t slide across the goal, you slide to the far post and use your pad to not only seal off that side but to stop you from sliding out of the goal. Is this just a fundamental flaw in his technique or is soemthing more than that? Now…that being said, Opie came up with some huge saves last night and when he actually gets to the top of the crease, he shows flashes of greatness.

So, now we chomp at the bit for a few weeks and get to watch some great International Hockey (did anyone else notice that Jagr seems to have his mullet back!).

Gonna be an interesting Spring to be a Thrashers’ fan.

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Gotta make a move for a #1 goalie if you wanna play in the playoffs. I got an interesting question. How did you get your blog nickname? I was at last years Calgary game and the Thrashers were trying to get the puck out of there own end and were having a terrible time getting ot out. I just got pizzed and stood up and yelled out as loud as i could GET THE PUCK OUT!!! and i bet 30 or 40 people turned around and looked at me like i said something else. I think my wife was embarressed enough for both of us so i tried not to say that any more. I can’t believe it’s raining at the Olympics and right here in north Ga. it is snowing like crazy right now. Go figure.

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Did you all gaze at those standing? Some shocking things appear, given where the league was last year. Let’s start with the draft. The Isles first 1st overall. They’re sitting in 26th spot. That’s not so stunning. At 2nd overall, is Tampa Bay. They are 21st in the league, sitting at 9th in the East, one-measely-point behind Montreal. But the Habs own 3 more wins. Picking 3rd was Colorado. Colorado currently sits 8th in the NHL. Eighth!! They are tied with Vancouver for the #1 spot in the NW division.

In the offseason, Colorado made a GM change on June 3, 2009, when they named Greg Sherman the new GM, replacing Francois Giguere. On June 4, 2009, Sherman named Joe Sacco the new Head Coach, replacing Tony Granato. Team President, and former two-time Stanley Cup winning GM of the franchise, Pierre Lacroix, announced to Denver-area fans that finishing 28th in the league was, in his words, “totally and completely unacceptable performance.” Thud. Do you like apples? Well, how do you like them apples! Moving right along….

Picking 4th was … your Atlanta Thrashers!!! And they are 23rd in the league, at present. That’s good enough for 10th in the East. Picking 5th overall … is the Los Angeles Kings. The L.A. Kings are presently the 5th ranked team in the NHL. Fifth!!! Unfortunately for them, that’s only good enough for 5th in the West, because the division leaders leap frog ahead of them.

Phoenix picked sixth (6th) in the draft, and selected Brayden Schenn, which infuriated Leafs GM Brian Burke. Phoenix, today, is the #4 seed in the NHL, as well as the Western Conference.

In the next post, we’ll look at who has fallen from grace from last season.

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Get the puck out,

Back in 1999, the sky was the limit for this team. Smart money said this was going to be a vibrant hockey city. But a decade of Donald “Special” Waddell killed that. I personally feel this team was mismanaged from the start. I also feel that this team is for sale, or something.

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Glass half full definately. The way this team battled this week on this road trip and earned points against teams that are tough on home ice is a big accomplishment. That Colorado loss stings the most though as we had a two goal lead and just completely backed off the gas. Compound that with the fact that the entire team, and especially Bogosian, looked like they didn’t even want to win that game in OT. I was impressed with the way the boys played against the Blackhawks. They are a very good team and serious Cup contender in my book. I was halfway expecting this game to be a bit of a blowout, but after that 1st period Thrashers gave Chicago all they could possibly handle. Now if Pavelec didn’t over committ on that 4th goal we might have had a win, but bygones be bygones. I do have to say thought Anderson didn’t play the shootout very well. Antropov is a good player and has a some skill but he’s not a break away player. Peverley should have been in there over Antropov. I know he’s not playing well this year but this is the second time where Kozlov would have possibly helped this team pick up that extra point in the shootout.

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I really enjoyed watching the last three games (except for the third period at Colorado), I think the team played with more piss and vinegar than at any time this year. The two weeks off will help get the team re-energized and I think they can make a legit push to get a higher seed than 8. This team, as configured now, will be a team no one will want to play. Hopefully we will get a little more help to push us to the finish line.

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Rescued already, I see. Thank you, Trixie. And Rawhide, you are correct. If Atlanta gets to position #8, it won’t matter where they are seeded in terms of the rest of the NHL.

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Glass half full as most of the fans here were excpecting two-three of the maximum 6 points…
Where I can get frustrated is that the 6 out-of 6 was VERY reachable.. We shouldnt blow a 3-1 lead, and if we come back from a 3-1 deficit, we should win. But what a great job by the team!

For the shootouts I say we go with the one’s that have been playing well throughout the game (Reasoner was the best player hands down) and as for a tie breaker we go with Waddell…

And im here representing Canad-i-a , and telling you Americans to let us have pride and ask your Mogul gold-medal-winner Hannah Kearney to let off a bit, because it was Jenny Heil’s hometown, and she wanted to win Canada’s first hometown gold… Anyway it will happen in hockey, women (easily) and men (with luck)

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BTW, the leafs are looking for forwards to rebuild their offense, who could we give, in a package with White, that might make them send us Poni?

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I see everyone is up and running this moning.

I would like to have Hossa back; he’s a great player to have on the ice with a one goal lead. Wonder if we would have been 6-6 in points on this trip, had we still had Hossa.

The refs are terrible this year – or turrible as Charles Barkey would say. They seem to favor the elite teams and dump on the #23rd ranked teams. Not that this is news, but it seems alot more evident this year.

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Rawhide,
I am not putting Slava on my list because I am hoping he is not here much longer. Get White and Slava out of here, bring up a winger from the wolves, and GET US A GOALIE! Maybe we go after 1 more winger, a lot seem to be high on this Poni guy so if the price is reasonable…. Keep all others and let’s see what happens. Unless of course there are others who don’t want to be here, in which case as soon as the season is over I say GET OUTTA HERE! It is good to see the guys playing UP to their potential instead of down to the bottom. But they are going to need FAN support at home, much like that Fla. game, so I challenge all on here to give them some effort like they are giving us right now and GO CHEER THEM ON IN PERSON!!! LAC, Standec. cmon guys you gotta like what you are seeing (albeit the goalies)and ADMIT IT, there is nothing better than a LIVE hockey game. The guys are looking like they want to put the FUN back in HOCKEY here. So SUPPORT THEM, and BOO the management (except for Mr. Dudley).
LET’S GO THRASHERS!!!!

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Anyway…the Thrashers return from their three game road trip with a record of 1-1-2, gaining four out of a possible six points.

That should read 1-0-2. (here too: …so 1-1-2 is really no different than 2-1-0. It’s still four points in the standings.

Glass half-full, though I am disappointed that they let two points get away. How long is Donny going to wait to start talks with Bergfors? He’s an RFA at the end of the year and is only making $500k. Lock him up before an offer sheet finds its way here.

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Rawhide,
For the trade Armstrong people. Not only did he tag Hossa, but he put a pretty good one on Kane I believe behind our net earlier. Both CLEAN hits. Just letting the other guys know this isn’t going to be a walk in the park, so you better keep your heads up. It even looked like he was turning to check on Hossa before he had to defend himself. No intent to hurt anyone, but good hard checks. If the refs had done their job afterwards, we should have had 2 PPs when the Hawks went after him. And to his credit he did not retaliate back at them either time. If/When this team makes the playoffs and If/When we get further along in them, a player like that is INVALUABLE! RESIGN him, and if he doesn’t like it here, might be worth trying to talk him into seeing some light at the end of this tunnel the TEAM is in!!!

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rob – what are your thoughts on Tim Thomas?
I hear there are 10 UFA goalies this summer, don’t have a complete list but there has to be a potential #1 out there. Thta’s why I think Thomas will be available,

Boston Brunes need to move some salary too.

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Poni-boy would look riiight niiice in Thrasher blue. He’s a UFA at the end of the season and I don’t see him re-upping with TOR. Why not give up our 2nd round pick, which will be worse than it shouldve been thanks to the trade with Lou, for Poni?

And then let Antro, Pevs, Marty and Litts get him drunk enough at the Pony to sign a 3 year deal in the VIP room while getting a lap dance? We might even get Max to re-up for 2 yrs if we bring in a speedy North-South guy like Poni who can pot 25 goals in a year. Tell me you wouldn’t mind seeing this Top 6:

Poni – Antro – Kane

Bergie – Pevs – Lits

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Oh yeah, throw in a “checking” line of Army – Slates – Max and you’ve got a mighty nice Top 9. I say “checking” in the sense of fore-checking their asses off. Say whay you will about the Mad Gambler, he has back-checked and supported the puck in the corners since the Wash game. Now that the initial shock is gone, I still think Max is playing like a guy out to prove a point. If we can just break him of the habit of passing cross-ice so often, I’d welcome him back with open arms.

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We are going to have to stop the bad defense in the 1st period. It has been this team’s problem all year. They can’t keep spotting the opponent 2 goals until they get cranked up. And now they are showing a propensity for blowing 3rd period leads… damn lucky to go 1-0-2 this trip. There are some flashes of really good hockey in there– and the kids are responding, so despite my pessimistic tone, I’m saying half full, and even fuller if we FIRE WADDELL NOW!!!

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Thanks Smoothie. I thought that there was some sort of RFA rule like that, but was too lazy to dig it up.

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Smoothie, the length of the Little and Bergie contracts will speak volumes about what players think of this organization. We need to be like Chicago, locking up the young core for multiple years. That shows all the UFAs what we’re building here and attracts more talent.

Kulda has impressed – I presume he was paired with Chelios in looking at Wolves +/- ratings, and it shows.

And definitely glass half full, based on how the team has responded with five straight strong, high energy team efforts. Rawhide is right – 12-15 points were lost with the Kovy contract hanging over them. This level of effort might just get us 75% of the March home points, and that plus 50% of March road points and 50% of April points gets us to 90 and possible post-season. None of those will be easy, but they are alot more likely with the current team than with the Dec-Jan team we endured.

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rob – agreed that we have a good core of about 8 or 9 young guys to build around. And we have a couple of in-their-prime vets in Antro, Hainsey, Oduya and Pevs to help guide the kids.

We now need a legit starting goalie, Pavs should be the back-up, another bona-fide 25 goal scorer, perhaps 2 if Finny leaves and another gritty, do-all-the-little-things grinder like Colby to round out the forwards.

As for the D, Kubina is the consummate vet who can legitimize this group as a viable up and coming team of the future. His savvy calm, if we can re-sign him, along with Marty Party’s never-ending hustle gives us plenty of leadership even if we must part ways with Moose.

The worst part of this current situation is that Kozlov has a NTC and White is worthless on the open market. Everyone, myself included, who said we should’ve traded White last summer — especially after Max made the team — was right. Now its too late.

The ASG will have to buy him out but they probably won’t. No way they pay Kubina and Army what they’re worth AND a UFA forward AND a goalie AND buy out Todd White. That’s why I’m hot on Poni’s trail as he might be willing to take a bit less $ for guaranteed Top 6 mins and the chance to play with his old roomie.

We will need to invest in either another UFA goalie or a better goalie coach who can make Pavs into a #1. But for me Kubie is the key to legitamcy for anything else we hope to do in the off-season. Get him signed Don! This is your chance to change your legacy.

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R. Stroz-Atlanta Flames Way. You took the words right out of my mouth.

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If I recall correctly, the bloggers on this here site voted Marty “King” in Rawhide’s blog poll after Ilya jetted for Jersey. I would just give Marty an “A” since one of our “A”’s never plays anymore.

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Mrs. Zoomo,
you missed it?!?!?! well you must see it, and if you find it, make sure you see the part where Hossa looks up while he is laying on the ice, trying to figure out what just happened to him before he goes night night. WHAT A HIT!

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Kulda is a bruiser, but….again, very sloppy.

Half full…I say, but….you never know what will happen in the coming months. They really need to pick it up in March, those are the games that really are gonna count. Most of the games are @ home, so that’s good, but, the home ice advantage isn’t unless lots of fans come! LETS GO THRASHERS!!!!!!!!!! I hope to see lots of trades right before the deadline!!!!!

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Oh, I definitely agree that those of us advocating the Armstrong trade are doing so with the “belief” that Army wants out. If we hang on to him until the end, we’ll get nothing for him. But, let’s be honest, a very FRANK discussion is in order with Colby. And, I further feel that if Armstrong WANTS to leave, we should try to get him where he wants to go, provided that a deal that benefits Atlanta can be simultaneously accomplished. I’m not saying, “let’s ditch Armstrong, ‘cuz he’s a disaster.” He’s capable of 20 goals. We’ve seen that.

Stop for a moment, okay? Remember when I talked about the “depth strategy?” And how Atlanta just might be a perfect market in which to try it? Well, in a depth strategy, you sign guys like Colby Armstrong. In years past, guys like a Metropolit, Sim, and Brunette. Even a Recchi-type. These are players who will score 16-22 goals a year and be paid between $1.9 and $3.1 million cap hit. But, what I failed to mention is … that you don’t really want a player like that to be ’streaky.’ In other words, you DON’T want him to get 3 “hat tricks” while scoring 17 goals for the season. For HALF of his total goal production occurred in three (3) games, out of 82. That’s not good. Not really. Even if those three games were wins. In a depth strategy, you want every player to score about every 4th game. You need that kind of “balance.” Otherwise, it won’t work. The true goal, in a depth strategy, is to cause the other team’s coach to fail to properly meet your line combinations. The other team cannot play their checking line all night. So, if your 4th line is just as apt to score as your 1st line, the other coach must devise a strategy to defense you. What might happen is … the other coach throws his hands up in the air and says, “the best defense is a GOOD offense, I’ll play my top two lines for 40 minutes.” Good luck with all that. That’s a rope-a-dope. In third period, your top line guys will all be gassed. Why? You overplayed them through the first two periods. Now you’ve got to play your 3rd and 4th line guys more. And we’ll just continue to roll four lines, equally, with fresh legs. Our 3rd and 4th lines are BETTER than theirs. And when their 1st and 2nd line comes out again, they’re tired. They have to take a 25-30 second shifts, unable to play longer than that, from overuse/fatigue.

That’s the “fun part” of the depth strategy. Watching it work. Laughing, as the other team trips over its own tongue. It’s the tell-tale sign that the strategy WORKED. It causes the other team’s coach to turn and bow, while tipping his hat in your direction. You, simply put, outsmarted him. And give the GM some credit, too. He found “the right kind” of depth players. Well, “assuming” of course that a capable GM is at the helm.

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Smoothie-you gotta start that Joey Crabb Fan Club.

Brendan-do you think Don is having discussions with Colby cheese and his agent about
1) Extension 2) Do you want to be traded? Hope he’s having the same conversation with Kubina.

rob-my thoughts exactly on Dudley, which is why I was so excited when they hired him in 2009. I believe his reputation will help retain current talent and attract new players. Looks to me that Don is handling contract negoitiations and Dudley is handling player evaluations. Duds doing the 1st period interview in Washington after the Koval-slug trade was a significant to me.

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Rawhide, my post to Zoomo is in the SPAM filters. I know. Don’t write a book, and that won’t happen.

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Zoomo, I’ll give it another whirl. It’s definitely a ’slippery slope’ in terms of the relationship between an NHL team and its local media. Look at Toronto and New York, for example. Toronto’s media actually CRIPPLES that team’s chance of becoming better. Toronto’s media has the power to hire and fire Coaches and GM’s alike. In New York, it’s a comparable power. Media shapes public perception, and in a city with 18 million people, that’s worthy of taking note.

Here in Atlanta, I think the sports media is a bit soft. Ours is a city of transplants. And well, we seem to be a bit “patient and tolerant” with our teams, precisely because they aren’t our childhood teams. In places like Philly, a coach or GM’s head is placed on a pike when it misses the playoffs in a year where playoffs are expected. Philly’s a tough city–don’t let the moniker fool ya. If by “brotherly love” they mean, you get a head full of noogies and a wedgie from your older siblings, that’s about right. Brotherly love, indeed.

In the AJC’s defense, who ELSE says anything negative about a franchise with zero playoff wins after nine completed seasons? Does ESPN do it? No. They don’t care. And if the team left, they still wouldn’t care. Or, said another way, they’d CARE insofaras it’s another opportunity to knock sports in the South. Which is something “New York-centric” ESPN, located in Connecticut, loves to do.

If Jeff Schultz were the beat writer in a Stanley Cup winning season, I don’t really think his post-celebration article would read: “Thrashers have no shot next season, lucky to be Champions, will lose half its roster and miss the playoffs next year.” But, I assure you, there are those who think he would write PRECISELY such an article. Jeff Schultz loves the zinger. Jeff Schultz lives for the one-liners, that truly jab. But he does so, in my opinion, to point out “folly of their ways” much moreso than he does because of some sort of misplaced spite. Give Jeff Schultz something positive to write about, and he’ll run with it.

Imagine if the Thrashers fired Waddell and named a reputable GM. Still with me? Whether that’s Dudley, or otherwise. Here’s how I’d see Jeff Schultz writing the article. “Well, well, well … A CLUE finally surfaces among the offices of the Atlanta Spirit.” Hilarious? Well, beee honest. Yes, it is. But Schultz means more to “prod” than to “nag.” In such a hypothetical article, he’d point out that this move, alone, is not enough to overcome years of bungling decisions and mismanagement. Is he wrong to print that? No, no he isn’t. But, at the same time, if the season starts out 20-8-5 by Christmas, I fully expect Schultz to write an article that reads more like this, “Spirit Group’s accountability finally paying dividends for Thrashers.” And, in that article, I’d expect Schultz to write, “Those hockey fans who stayed loyal, or who are simply returning now, are being rewarded. And if you haven’t ever been to a Thrashers game, it’s not a pointless endeavor anymore. The time of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic is over. The SS Thrashers is steaming into a port called the playoffs. Hallelujah!” And in such an article, stilllll people would say Jeff is being negative. What’s he supposed to do? Pretend? Fabricate season totals? Fabricate playoff results? State the team is harmoneously and intelligently assembled? This where the statement, “It is what it is” takes root.

In many ways, Zoomo, it’s easier to start from scratch than it is to win BACK the fans. Stop and really think about that. The longer ignored issues remain, un-treated or un-corrected, the worse it gets. Any problem let unattended or ignored, FESTERS. And, like a cancer, grows and eats away at you.

This is the situation of the Atlana Thrasher fans. They’ve been very, very patient. Almost any other organization would have made serious changes throughout its hisory. For our team to be without an IDENTITY in its 10th season, with ONE (1) GM, is inconceivable. It really, truly is. For other GM’s, like them or not, they have a strategy. They have a mold. They have an idea or concept of what they want to do. They do their utmost to achieve it, before getting fired. That’s the reality that most GM’s face. It’s not the reality that this GM faces. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tries to point that out. For that, they are accused of being “negative” or “hateful” or “spiteful” or “mean-spirited.” Wow. For pointing out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes is demogoguery? I think it’s just an assessment of things as they truly are.

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There’s no actual proof that Colby wants out, is there? I can take him or leave him — but it’s pretty notable that whatever his numbers in general are (respectable, could be better) that he’s one of the best players on the team in terms of putting pressure on the opposition. Honestly, Anderson probably needs him on the squad, simply because he executes the strategy so well from the defensive and neutral zones into the o-zone.

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Brendan, what are you talking about? Thrashers do have identity. It’s 4 years later, but I always remember Waddell – GM of the USA Olympic Hockey team heading out for Torino – standing in the middle of the ice at Philips beside Hossa, Kovy and I don’t remember if there were any other Olympians on that roster. Although all but Waddell are gone anyway, and Waddell is no longer the USA team GM, he is the face, he is the team. Go Thrashers!!! I smell deep post-season run this time around. After all, we finally have all the right pieces in place. Right?

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Id liken the thing to you and your budies going out to a bar/club/pary to celebrate-everybody was having a good time then mr bigshot (Grossman/#17) who said he was going to buy the the first two rounds dipped with some silcone-injected floozy leaving the rest of us at the bar like “well @#$%!”… so then everybody decides “well F him let’s keep having a good time” so we order another round, unfortunately, some other drunk@ss bumps into the server as the next round is being delivered.

Ok now the glasses are empty-BUT these two other guys who’ve just started hanging out decide to hang out with us and we’ve rdered another round-now the topic of discussion is “lets get out of here and goto that cool spot ‘Playoffs’!”

It’s now up to everybody to decide if they really want to keep going or accept defeat and go home feeling crappy.

Maybe not the best analogy, but it works for me.

As far as shooters go-I’m asuming Slavamatic’s time is nearing a close here. That being the case, why not let Tobias be a shooter? Anybody who’s seen the guy in practice knows he’s definitely got the moves…. I personally think Enstrom’s a better option than Little in a SO situation.

One other thing:

Can somebody PLEASE get #4 to watch and begin to do what #44 does when there is “confusion” by the net! Mark your man and take him down-this is hockey YOU CAN PLAY THE MAN! Too many times lately we’ve seen our defenders (notably Bogosian) try and play the puck when taking the man may not be the pretty or flashy play but you know what? Unless the guy’s name is Jaromir or Aleksandr he ain’t gonna score while he’s on his duff.

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My exercise in futility. Here are the standings at the break under the old system with teams getting a single point for a tie. Simply, there are way too many games that wind up in OT/SO. I think people forget just how important a regulation win is, particularly in conference games, but particularly division games. The Caps are 13-2 against the division, and just two were decided after regulation and they won both. Those are some ugly looking records.

WSH 34-13-15 83 points
TB 20-24-17 57 points
ATL 20-24-16 56 points
FLA 18-27-16 52 points
CAR 19-30-12 50 points

It’s nearly March, so if you intend to sign a impending UFA, you can’t afford to wait until July 1. forget about doing it after the season. If you want a player to re-sign, extend him a great offer now, particularly during the Olympic break. At least you can deal him if he’s looking for too much money or a way out. Shouldn’t he have learned that painful lesson by now? So, if he’s doing his job, we’ll have a good indication as to whether or not the player wants to test the market seeing what happens at the deadline. There’s no excuse for Army. He’s not an Olympian and you’ve got two solid weeks to negotiate.

Here are my poll questions:

Would you re-sign Kubina for $6.25 million per year?
At 32 or 33 yrs old, this could be the last contract he signs. He’s going to want a solid raise because of the stupid money paid to Hainsey, Redden and Campbell, for example, and he’s had 3 very solid years in a row.

Would you re-sign Army for $3.2 million per year?
Is an $800,000 raise out of the question for a guy who scored 20 goals last year and has half that many this year? I say no, so let him go. If he’ll re-sign for $2.4 million, I’m not sure I like that amount either. There are other guys who can fill his role for cheaper in my opinion.

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Bluenote has some real good points about Shults’s writing. While I lke his sarcastic style his research is lacking. He glommed onto Bill’s points about not retaining lottery draft picks – which annoys all of us. But, as Red light pointed out for the period of 2000-2003 hardly any lottery picks remained with their original team. Think a writer would at least do some basic research before spouting off.

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Bluenote, I can appreciate what you’re saying about the AJC’s coverage of hockey. And really, the “timeliness” of a “Hockey is a tough sell in the South” right on the heels of an All-Star Game. So, yes. I think that the AJC misses some opportunities to prop up the sport and promote it.

In their shoes, however, hockey is low on their pecking order. I don’t like it, but I understand it. They’re in the business of selling newspapers, in a medium that is dying. They know they’d sell more papers if they filled the space with Yellow Jacket player profiles than coverage of the Thrashers’ berth into the Conference Finals. That’s just the landscape of where we are. But it amplifies your point, Bluenote, that the paper must take some responsibility for propping up this sport.

The difference is, the AJC isn’t responsible for ALLLLL of the responsibility for selling hockey, here in the south. I’d say the lion’s share of which falls on Donald Douglas Waddell’s head, as GM. He’s the architect of the roster. He’s got to ice a winning team. And hire someone competent to coach it. It speaks volumes about the level of hockey interest and commitment here in Atlanta, that the team survives through all this mess. Imagine if its playoff history more closely resembled that of Nashville, or even Minnesota, two other clubs added about the same time as Atlanta. I think there’d be a very different climate surrounding this team.

And folks, neither Nashville or Minnesota are powerhouses in the league. Minnesota made an improbable, but VERY MEMORABLE run in 2003, when they TWICE (2x) overcame 3-1 series deficits, to advance into the Conference Finals. Their playoff berths since then have been inglorious and forgettable. In 2008, Minnesota won its division, but were upset in the 1st round by Colorado. It was a very deflating moment in the franchise history. The previous season, the Wild notched 104-points (!!!), but ran into the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, Anaheim, in the 1st round. So, there they were, Division Champions the next season, expected to advance at least into the second round. Bygones.

For Nashville, they’ve made the playoff four times (4x), but they’ve never won a round. They’ve never been SWEPT, either. They lost to Detroit in six, back in 2004. In 2006 & 2007, Nashville was eliminated by San Jose in five games. In 2008, it was another rematch with Detroit, but as you all know, the Red Wings would win the Cup that year. The Predators pushed the mighty Red Wings to six games. The point??? They had a RESPECTABLE outcome for their efforts. Their GM, David Poile, is GOOD. And his faces many of the same obstacles that Atlanta faces there in Tennessee.

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WBF, perhaps I should clarify. It’s not that Ottawa did some gradious FLEECING of the Sharks. In fact, if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup this year, everyone will say that this very trade as the reason, or a primary reason, that San Jose achieved its objectives. My point was this. From a position of extreme weakness, namely a Superstar stating that he wants to be traded, Ottawa’s GM, Bryan Murray, did the best he could. Hanging on to Heatley, FORCING HIM TO STAYY AND PLAYYY, might not have the Sens in 1st place in the Northeast Division, today.

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Brendan-I totally agree and wish we would have traded Kovy around the same time Ottawa traded Dany. It was clear to me from the start that Kovy was just dancing around the thought of staying here, when he really wanted to go to a “first class organization”.

You can’t let the player take over and drive the team, like what happened here with Kovy. NO player is bigger than the team.

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Nikita, we’ll never find “proof” of Armstrong’s intent any more than we’ll likely find Jimmy Hoffa’s body. (And we all hope he turns up, alive and well.) But when Colby was an RFA last year, he had the options of signing a multi-year deal, or one that just fulfills his obligations of restricted free agency, where the name of the team holding his rights is the Atlanta Thrashers. If Armstrong thought he had a big future in Atlanta, he could have pressed for a 3-5 year deal, foregoing several of his UFA years. That would show his INTENT to stay.

Now, I hear ya. “But how do you know Colby and his agent DIDN’T make this request to the Thrashers, and that it was the Thrashers that turned him down?” I don’t know that. No one outside of the immediate parties involved could know that. So, we have to decipher the clues that present themselves. The fact is … Colby signed a one-year deal. Maybe that’s just what the Thrashers wanted, too? Shrugs. I don’t know. Maybe. I couldn’t tell ya. But what the Thrashers WANT and what the Thrashers GET are often very different things.

How are Brian Campbell, Manny Malhotra, Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk doing with the Thrashers this year? I have to ask, since Bruce Levenson went on record as saying, “I think we know how to sign free agents.”

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WBF, I once again agree with you. The Kovalchuk situation should have been decided, definitively, in mid-July. But this organization genuinely believed that they could sway Kovalchuk. Or, maybe they didn’t. Maybe, just maybe, Kovalchuk’s retention until the day he was traded … was all about selling tickets. As in, “We think we’ll sell MORE with Kovalchuk than without him.”

But forgotten in all this … is that THE TEAM had the option of what to do with Kovalchuk’s $6.5 million cap hit, even back in mid-July. Even if the deal were IDENTICAL, with New Jersey, Atlanta has options to sign more free agents or make more trades.

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Smoothie, you heard Bruce Levenson’s words at the Town Hall Meeting. “We’re 100% behind Don Waddell. He isn’t going anywhere.” Nothing will get him fired. Not action. Not INACTION. Nothing gets him fired. No regular season results. No playoff results. No losses of key roster personnel. I repeat, “Nothing gets Don Waddell fired.”

Here’s what it would take to get Waddell fired. He’d have to commit a FELONY so egregious … that his retention would make Michael Vick look like the Humanitarian of the Year.

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Red Light, no on both accounts. I’d say “no” to Kubina at $6.25 million and “no” to Armstrong, at $3.2 million. At $2.4 million, that vote changes to “yes” on Armstrong.

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Smoothie-can’t figure out why a newspaper in top 10 can’t get sportswriters that know their stuff. We are forgetting about Terrance here too!

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I’m going to play devil’s advocate, I wouldn’t re-sign Kubina unless he’s willing to take a pay cut..

Yes, this is a somewhat of a change from my stance early in the season.

The reasons, Kubina is smart, but not fleet of foot, and as we have seen previously, the 30 something guys sure can lose alot of mojo between seasons (think Zhitnik & White).

So unless, Kubina is willing to take 3.5/year over three seasons, I’m all for bringing up prospects.

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Here’s the problem with that Stroz (and I would tend to agree with your point if not for the following): when you look at the list of upcoming UFA D-men this summer in the $3.5 – $4.5 M range, there isn’t a lot of quality or youth (i.e. 27 or 28 y/o). To wit:

Paul Martin – $3.833 M…no chance in hell
Rob Blake – $3.5 M…38 y/o
Brett Clark – $3.5 M…34 y/o
Willie Mitchell – $3.5 M…34 y/o
Mike Rathje – $3.5 M, oft-injured 37 y/o
Marek Zidlicky – $3.35 M…34 y/o (good alternative for our system)
Derek Morris – $3.3 M…*only* 32 y/o (see why I wanted him in a trade?)
Adam Foote – $3.0 M…39 y/o
Andy Sutton – $3.0 M…36 y/o (wow, can’t believe he’s that old)
Toni Lydman – $2.875 M…33 y/o (might be a good alternate target)
Joe Corvo – $2.625 M…34 y/o
Anton Volchenkov – $2.5 M…29 y/o (I freakin’ wish!)

Luckily, the dearth of late twenty-somethings in the upper echelon of “top” free agents may in fact help our cause with Pavel. However, how many of the top FA have had as good a year as Kubina? Gonchar, Clark and Zidlicky?? Not sure and I’d have to check the stats.

But my point is that Kubina may still be highly coveted despite his age. Up above in my “max pay” scenario, I was actually thinking Kubina was still 32 for some reason. The fact that he’s 34 should help discount him down from the $5.0 M he makes now, but considering the 3 highest paid FA D-men this year are Lidstrom (41), Niedermayer (37) and Gonchar (37), we may be hard-pressed to get him for less than $4.75 M.

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Sutton is retired, but he doesn’t know it yet.

Smoothie – Good analysis, but aging players scare the heck out of me.

We can always hope Kubina likes nice weather, good golfing, and living in peace.

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Did Rathje finally quit? He’s still “on the books” as a LTIR for Philly. Might as well be retired. LOL on Sutton and Foote. I reckon Niedermayer may contemplate retirmement but he’s still 8th in scoring by a D-man. Guess who’s ahead of him in 6th? That’s right, diminutive, but reliable Swede, Toby Enstrom! His 42 points rank him behind only the following: Green, Keith, Kaberle, Doughty & Boyle. Pronger has 42 points as well. That pro-active contract worth $3.75 M / year is looking quite brilliant now isn’t it? Donnie has his moments.

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WBF, I think Kubina has his eyes cast elsewhere, though. When acquired, I think all parties concerned knew it was a 1-year trail balloon. Now, if Kubina wants to stay, let’s negotiate. But, I don’t want him beyond two more seasons, due to age.

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REASONABLE RETENTION IS THE KEY!

Otherwise we’re back to:

IT’S THE ORGANIZATION STUPID (a political slogan derivative)

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Defense and goalie are the keys right now and if we make the right moves we can make the playoffs and set up for a solid future. Ondrej’s style reminds me of Dominik Hasek AND HE’S NO HASEK. Sitting too low and flopping won’t work in the playoffs. Ride Moose as long as we can. He’s up to it and the team plays harder every time he’s in there.

Kulda needs to come back and worked into a more prominent role – and I think they’ll do just that. He got beat in the open ice a bit trying to play up to the speed but it’s very clear that he knows how to move his feet and take the body in tight in his own zone which has often been severely lacking (but not as much as year’s past thank God). Kubina is solid and has the toughness and experience he needs to stay, please!

Hainsey plays hard every night and plays like he cares. i like the guy a lot but sometimes I think he’s trying too hard to be the number one defender. Hopefully the others pick up their game – especially Bogo who still needs to sit out a couple – and Hainsey settles down a bit.

All in all, the glass is definitely half full and they’re fun to watch, way more fun than screaming at the TV for Kovy to skate the hell back on D!!!

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As for Colby Armstrong, he may end up getting what he wants in FA simply because there is such a dearth of quality RW (plus he can play LW as well) as well as young (27 or 28 y/o) guys available this summer. Trying to make a “top 10″ list is quite the exercise in futility.

Here’s the market for Colby Armstrongs (keep in mind this is my subjective ranking based on their relative worth):

1) Afinogenov – yeah, Mad Max at the top of the list w/ 46 pts ($800K!)
2) Stempniak(28) – *seems* like great value at $3.5 M, but only 29 pts
3) Nolan, O. – 14 G & 28 pts puts this 39 y/o close to the top ($2.75)
4) Armstrong – suddenly, his “down” year doesn’t look so bad ($2.4)
5) Demitra – if healthy, may still be able to pot 20 G, but at $4 M??
6) Svatos – needs a change of scenery from COL, but not at $2.35 M
7) Pisani – could be good grinding checking line guy at a fair $ ($2.5)
8.) Sykora – can he get healthy and score 15-20 G next year? ($1.6M)
9) Satan – what does 3 G in 18 games get you at 36 y/o ($700K)
10) Donovan – who would’ve thunk he’d be 10th on this list?? ($650K)

Need I say more? We’re not gonna get Colby at a discount I’m afraid. Let him walk unless he says he will take the same money for 2 years. Looking at this, we’d be foolish not to re-up Max for $3.0 M / year.

Contingency for letting Colby & Max walk: Ponikarovsky to play LW and Raffi Torres to replace Colby on the checking line. Kane moves to RW and you have the following roster:

Poni – Little – Antro

Bergie – Pevs – Kaner

Torres – Slates – Machacek

White / Boults – Reasy – Crabb

This makes not re-signing Afinogenov seem a bit risky. Who woulda thought that at the beginning of the year. Even with a -10 or -15, his 50-60 point potential may be too good to pass up. Especially if Frolov is unobtainable and we can’t get our hands on Ponikarovsky. The LW FA situation ain’t much better so might be best to get Max back and leave Kane developing at LW — Kane – Pevs – Max as a 2nd line?

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My guess is White will be “bought out” this summer.

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Zhitnik finally comes off the books Stroz so a Charmin Buy-Out might be a good possibility. Cap hit gets spread over 3 years? Pay him half and say “get the hell outta here!” Over 3 years, the cap hit (if I’m remembering correctly) would be $791,667.

Did anyone notice that David Stearn says the NBA has losses approaching $400 M this season?? They’re next round of CBA negotiations stand to turn ugly I’m afraid and a lockout looks like a very good possibility.

Alas! That might be good for the Thrashers. At least for a year or two.

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Colby isn’t re-signing here, the one year deal last summer was all you needed to know. I’m quite sure the Penguins have plans to bring him back into the fold this summer and I’m sure he’d love to go back. but there’s no way he’s re-signing here. I loved his hit on Hossa, btw.

Kubina would definitely be worth keeping, but we’re hamstrung with Hainsey’s deal and we have to keep Bogosian’s raise that’s coming in mind. Any long term deal with Kubina at more than $4m or so just isn’t feasible for this club.

I loved the 4 pts the guys got out of that trip, yes it felt like a letdown after the Avs game, but two big games in Minny and Chi-town kept them in the mix.

This club is better without Kovy. There I said it. And it’ll be much better next summer after they spend that $ elsewhere, that would’ve been wasted on him. Let’s just pray it’s not still Waddell making the decisions, or we’re screwed. Come on, Vote Of Confidence, work your magic once again.

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WBF – I’m sure Charmin will make an Angel Soft landing on aWhite Cloud.

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Bob-let’s hope you are wrong. I have to admit that I viewed the 1 year deal as a 1 yr and gone scenario. But I also know the Pens are up against the cap right now with very little wiggle room for a $2.5M player. I know Tronna likes Colby and they will have plenty of cap room come this summer. So it’s up to D-W to determine which way we are going with Colby.

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it is Mickey Mouse at the very best

I was thinking a Goofy organization.

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Brendan – If Charmin could be moved in a trade, I’d break down and have a drink.

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Kovalchuk looks so happy on the Devils. He actually smiles and even laughs….*gasp*!!!! Ahhh…..well I miss the guy……nah…not really.

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Brendan,
If we are looking at going as a depth team, then one thing that goes with the depth team is the guys will all be looking around thinking there 30 goal year means they are ready for the jump, and then they do and get crushed back to reality. Just look every time one of them leaves Buffalo. How many Sabres NOT on the Sabres work out well after they leave. So sit Armstrong down now and tell him he can have a lot of fun playing the game he loves with guys on the same page as him, or go somewhere else and not have as much fun for a few more bucks. When does it become greed, and not about the fun of the game? Put it to his pride that way and see if he wants to be a true LEADER here or just another part somewhere else. Gotta stop the leaking sometime, so start somewhere it shouldn’t cost us out the nose. And who was it that said Pavs should average $3mil year?!?!? When he starts stopping that 4th Chicago goal on a regular basis then he can talk about big boy money. Til then he is a backup.

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As with the many ‘adjustment periods’ of the past, I’ll patiently wait and see over a course of 20+ games if the recent uptick is a real trend–or more like BadgerBob’s-Gold…

I think we all know where the real truth lies…You can bluster like Donny all you want–but, in the end, once the others adjust to your tweaks and you have no answer, you will lose.

No different than when magical-Donny went behind the bench after Hartley was fired. My, some of the sheep have such short memories! (Then again, no surprise there–they want to bewieve so badly! They’ll take anything Donny and Bruce spoon-feed them–but it is humorous to observe their hopeless dreaming!)

Glass half-empty until proven over a course of more than a couple of months.

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