Archive for July, 2010

First off…I hope everyone had a great weekend. I suppose a lot of you spent at least some of it at prospect camp in Duluth. If so, I look forward to reading your thoughts and observations. As for me…well, after spending Thursday and Friday out there I dealt with a few issues at home. Older son’s car had a water pump go out on it Friday night, and while that was being replaced we were out with the younger son looking for a car for him.

Ah…the joys of having teenage sons.

Anyway, here are a couple of quick remarks/comments about a few of the players that I was looking at during prospect camp.

I was impressed with the raw skills and talent possessed by Alexander Burmistrov. Very fast, smooth skater who seems to have good vision on the ice…head up and quick reactions.

However, I have to admit that I still feel the same way as I did before in regards to him playing in a Thrashers uniform this fall. Simply put, I don’t think he’s as far along as Evander Kane was this time last …

Continue reading Prospect camp observations and comments »

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hot in Atlanta. How hot? Well…it’s so hot that Gov. Sonny Purdue traveled down to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution office yesterday to visit Cynthia Tucker…just for the chilly reception.

Uh-huh…it’s soooooooo hot that the one guy actually working at a DOT site was finally allowed to join the other five in the air-conditioned yellow truck.

Yes, it’s hot all right. But what better way to beat the heat than hang out with some fellow Thrashervillians inside the cool confines of the Thrashers practice rink at the Duluth Ice Forum…especially on a day where it’s something like 97 and miserable outside.

97 and miserable…that kinda describes my old Aunt Agnes.

Anywhoooo…as for the prospects I’m watching closely, I am focusing the bulk of my attention on a couple of players that could have at least an outside shot at making this fall’s roster in Atlanta… Patrice Cormier and Alexander Burmistrov.

Cormier, as you know, is the prospect obtained last …

Continue reading Thrasherville gets Torched…and I’m not just talking about the weather »

Back on the tenth of April the Atlanta Thrashers finished off their 2009-10 NHL campaign with a 1-0 win over the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Looking forward, on October 8 they will open the coming season with a home game against the Washington Capitals who have won the Southeast Division three years running.

This means that in just a few days, we in Thrasherville will be right at the midpoint of our offseason…the Thrasherville solstice, as it were…marking the time equidistant from the end of the season last spring and the beginning of the new one this fall.

So where do the Thrashers stand at this sort of milestone in the middle of summer?

First off, three Thrashers RFAs filed for arbitration prior to Monday’s deadline…Clarke MacArthur, Ben Eager and Andrew Ladd. Last season these three players earned $1.4 million, $1.0 million and $1.6 million respectively.

Clarke MacArthur scored 3 goals, 6 assists and was a -2 in 21 games since the Thrashers …

Continue reading Approaching the Thrasherville summer solstice »

Is there a For Sale sign posted up in Thrasherville’s front yard? Well, according to John Kincade, co-host of the Buck and Kincade Show air weekday afternoons on the Thrashers flagship station 680AM the Fan, the answer is “yes”.

Last Thursday he made it known on on-air that he is quite certain that the Atlanta Spirit, LLC will field offers from interested parties who are willing to purchase Atlanta’s NHL franchise. And he expects this to happen sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Obviously, this type of announcement is bound to raise an eyebrow or two around the Thrasherville community. Sure, it’s been known for some time that the group of eight owners of the Thrashers, Hawks and Philips Arena have bee actively seeking offers to join them…but selling off the Thrashers alone? Well, that’s an interesting bit-o-news.

Recently, I caught up with Kincade and asked him about his assertion that the Thrashers may soon be under new management.

“A am confident in saying that the …

Continue reading Is there a For Sale sign in Thrasherville’s front yard? »

Thursday afternoon Thrasherville saw a changing of the guard in goal. First, free agent netminder Chris Mason signed a two-year deal with Atlanta that will pay him $1.6 million this coming season and then $2.1 in 2011-12. The cap hit will be figured at $1.85 million. Mason’s coming off a contract that had paid $3-mil per year.

Chris Mason has a career 2.54 GAA and .914 SV% with 20 shoutouts. He signed a two year contract Thursday to play for the Thrashers (AP photo)

Shortly thereafter, Atlanta fan favorite Johan Hedberg then agreed to terms with New Jesery…the team that drafted Mason in 1995 with the 122nd overall pick. It’s a contract that will pay him $1.5 mil this season.

And with that… in just a matter of minutes, the Thrashers hired a Mason to help build a solid brink wall in front of the Thrashers goal, then we watched as Moose rode off into the Thrasherville sunset.

Yes, I know… New Jersey is not to our west, it’s NNE of here

The 34-year old Mason has spent the last two …

Continue reading Thrashers hire Mason to build brick wall in front of goal »

It’s been a busy week or so in Thrasherville. Big trade with Chicago…followed by Craig Ramsay being named new head coach…the NHL entry draft…RFA qualifying offers…then all the chatter throughout the week regarding UFAs and RFAs contracts.

Yup, very busy indeed. That, plus it’s been extremely hot and humid around these parts as well. So it’s the perfect time to have a pool party…the annual UFA “Talent Pool” party, that is.

That’s right, kids…today we make our yearly mid-summer trek to take a dip in the cool water of the NHL community talent pool. But for the first time in the Thrashers’ history, Don Waddell will not be the one looking to fish out UFAs from the pool…instead it’ll be new GM Rick Dudley.

The question is… just how big of a splash does he intends to make?

Here on the deck surrounding the pool, our good friend Five_Hole has once again agreed to DJ today’s extravaganza while the lovely Joyel from TJ’s Bar & Grill will be serving up drinks behind the bar. Also for …

Continue reading How big of a splash will Dudley make in UFA talent pool? »