Archive for July, 2010

The Atlanta Thrashers came to terms with RFA Andrew Ladd on a 1-year $2.35 million deal Thursday. This signing takes care of the one remaining player of the three that had filed for arbitration this summer. Just the evening prior it was announced that Ben Eager had accepted a 1-year $965K deal and last week the Thrashers balked at the $2.4 mil salary that was awarded to Clarke MacArthur.

Also last week they signed goalie Ondrej Pavelec to a two-year contract worth a total of $2.3 million. Earlier in the month we learned that Eric Boulton had accepted a one-year deal worth $650,000 while Jimmy Slater signed for two years at $1 mil per. The big UFA acquisition so far this summer came on July 1 when Chris Mason was inked to a contract that will dish out $3.7 million over two seasons to the netminder.

Are you sensing a pattern here?

Every Thrashers player that has come to terms on a new contract this summer has done so for either one or two years. New Thrashers general manager …

Continue reading Dudley takes it one year at a time…maybe two »

First of all, if you haven’t yet heard…the Thrashers avoided a salary arbitration hearing by signing forward Ben Eager to a one-year $965,000 deal. C-Viv has all the particulars here.

But I bring you even more good news. Yes…it seems as though the Thrashers have gained some accolades from a member of the press, one who is not a resident of Thrasherville.

Uh-huh…Allan Muir of SI.com has posted a list of the eight teams he feels have improved the most so far this summer. Counting down Muir’s most improved list… No. 8 Calgary Flames, No. 7 Dallas Stars, No. 6 Boston Bruins, No. 5 St. Louis Blues, No. 4 Toronto Maple Leafs, No. 3 Vancouver Canucks, No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning…and the number 1 most improved team this offseason according one Mr. Allan Muir…

Yourrrrrrrrrrrr Atlantaaaaaaaa THRA-shers!

In his recent entry, Muir explains his reasons for placing Atlanta on top of his “Most Improved” list by saying…

“Gone, finally, is dithering GM Don Waddell, replaced by Rick …

Continue reading Allan Muir likes us… he really, really does! »

Frolov And Ponikarovsky Off The UFA Market

Two more unrestricted free agent forwards are now off the UFA market. Alexander Frolov is leaving Los Angeles and will be winging his way east to sport a Rangers blue shirt. Shortly after learning of this, the Kings then announced that they had signed Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Frolov played in 81 games last season for the Kings and scored 19 goals, 31 assists and was a –1. In six playoffs game he scored a goal, three assists and was a –5.

The Rangers snagged the 28-year old Russian for one year at $3 million.

The 30-year old Ponikarovsky scored 21 goals and 29 assists in 78 games last season, splitting his time between the Maple Leafs and Penguins. In the 11 playoff games with the Pens he netted a goal and four assists. He was a +5 in 61 games with Toronto and a –5 during 16 games in Pittsburgh.

The Kings acquire his services for one year at $3.2 million.

Natalie Heads Off To Ohio

When Thrashers players are being interviewed between …

Continue reading Two more UFAs off the market, Natalie off to Ohio and Talbot goes off on Ovie »

OK gang, I have a trivia question for you. Without looking it up, tell me how many seasons have the Atlanta Thrashers finished with a 30.0 SA/G or less since the lockout?

I know, I know…most of you in the Thrasherville blogosphere can respond correctly in about 0.27 seconds…but for those of you that haven’t come up the answer yet, let me help you out. Hold up the total number of fingers that you normal display after you’ve been cut off in traffic. Now, take that finger down.

What you’re left with is the answer today’s quiz. Zero…none…zilch…nada…goose egg.

In fact, there has been exactly one time in the Thrashers’ history in which they have had a sub-30 SA/G for an entire NHL campaign. That came in 2003-04, the last season prior to the work stoppage, when they allowed an average of 29.4 SA/G.

Yes, historically the Thrashers give up a lot of shots.

For this reason, most fans in Thrasherville underline the need for a strong presence in goal. When news broke …

Continue reading Mason tends to save best when called upon most »

As we have moved through this summer’s offseason, we’ve periodically paused to take a look at where the Thrashers roster was at that time. In the past we have use the exercise to discuss where the team was in the terms of the salary cap, but today I’d like to focus our attention to what could be the on-ice production of the players who could currently make up the Thrashers’ lineup.

Specifically speaking…goals scored.

For this exercise, I’m going to use last year’s offensive output from the players and compare those stats to last year’s overall Thrashers goal production. The record shows that Atlanta netted 234 goals in last year’s campaign, but in reality they really scored 230 times…4 were gimmick goals awarded by way of shootout wins. So for the sake of today’s discussion, I’m going use 230 goals as the comparison.

Also, I’m including in the proposed lineup the remaining Thrashers RFAs that are still likely to return. In the case of a players like …

Continue reading Addressing the Thrashers GPD (Goal Production Deficit) »

So, what do Ilya Kovalchuk and a vuvuzela have in common? What’s that you say…they both have made themselves out to be an annoying nuisance this summer?

No, no, no…that’s not the answer I was looking for. What I was getting at was both of them got B-slapped in the NHL community Tuesday night.

League Says No-No To Kovy’s Contract

In the case of Kovy, the league office nixed his newly inked 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. As TSN reports, the league rejected the deal saying that it circumvented the salary cap rules.

Under the contract, Kovalchuk was to earn $10 million per season over the next eight years, $7.5 million for the following two seasons then one mil per year throughout the course of the final seven years.

I guess The Great Kovy Signing Saga of 2010 continues.

No Vuvuzela For You, Sir!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…the Atlanta Thrashers banned the use of vuvuselas in Philips Arena. In case you don’t already know, vuvuzelas are …

Continue reading Bad night for Kovalchuk and vuvuzelas »

First of all…I’ll apologize upfront for the title of today’s blog. But given C-Viv’s recent report, I figured there was only a limited amount of time left to dispose of all of the Gen. MacArthur quips…as well as other referrences to his name… that I could.

Clarke MacArthur, seen here against Antero Niittymaki, scored 3 goals and 6 assists and was a -2 with the Thrashers last spring (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

According to Vivlamore’s post, C-Mac’s arbitration hearing is set for tomorrow. And if a decision is rendered to award the 25-year old forward $2 million-plus for the upcoming season, the Thrashers will likely allow him to walk. This would then turn the RFA into a UFA, freeing him to seek another NHL team to fork over that type of money for his services.

Now, that sum might sound like a pretty heft amount to keep a third or fourth-line winger around, but put yourself in Clarke’s skates for a moment. I mean, shouldn’t your 16 goals, 19 assists and -16 …

Continue reading MacArthur may not return »

Monday July 19. U-Day +18 of this summer’s UFA signing season. Many big name free agents have inked contracts with new teams, some have made their way to Russia and a few more are still waiting for the right team to offer up the right terms.

The biggest name on that “still yet to be signed list” is of course one Mr. Ilya Kovalchuk.

Once the face of the Thrashers franchise, Ilya Kovalchuk now faces the prospect of listening to offers that would pay less than what he could have made in Atlanta (AP photo)

Over the course of the past two and a half weeks, many rumors and rumor of rumors have had Kovy going such places as Long Island, back to New Jersey or even returning home to mother Russia. But Los Angeles still seems to be the chic pick by most as to where he’ll eventually land. As such, ever since July 1 we’ve been treated to tweet after tweet from [insert name of ‘tweeter’ here] telling us that they are 92.8% sure Kovalchuk is almost definitely going to sign …

Continue reading Kovalchuk drama taking place outside of Thrasherville…thankfully »

Recently Maxim Afinogenov was quoted by Dmitry Chesnoklov via twitter as saying, “I wouldn’t mind staying in Atlanta but the current offers from the team are unsatisfactory”.

To date Afinogenov has been unsuccessful in getting the Atlanta Thrashers or any other NHL team to offer a deal he’s willing to accept. And even though the soon-to-be 31-year old Russian forward isn’t quite to the point of being Too Proud to Beg, he has made known he’s willing to consider re-signing with the Thrashers. But the two sides are still yet to make a Connection.

Maxim Afinogenov reacts after scoring a late-game goal against the Boston Bruins last November. A former Thrasher looks to join in the celebration (AP Photo/John Amis)

Because of that, two weeks after the beginning of UFA signing season began, Max still Can’t Find No Satisfaction.

Last season Afinogenov netted a career-high 24 goals while in Thrasher blue and his 61 overall points matched his second highest total. But if …

Continue reading Afinogenov can’t get no satisfaction »

Dream a little dream with me Thrasherville.

Let’s say all of the wheeling, dealing and signings that Rick Dudley has done so far…and will do before October…nets the ultimate result that can be imaginable. He puts together a squad that makes all of our wildest dreams come true in the Thrashers community.

Imagine if you will, even if just for grins and giggles, Dudley and Co. put together a roster that works it’s way not only to just a playoff birth…not only to just a playoff win…not only to just one playoff series victory, but three playoff series triumphs… and they find themselves in the Stanley Cup Finals next spring.

Can you even get that kind of visual tuned into your noggins?

Uh-huh…Trixie will be handing out paper bags for those of you so overwhelmed with this thought that you’re now hyperventilating.

Now, just which team might the Thrashers be facing off against in this hypothetical scenario? Oh I don’t know…let’s just say for the sake of this …

Continue reading All -Star Game determining SCF home ice advantage? I wouldn’t dream of it »