Who would you put on Thrasherville’s Mt. Flushmore
Throughout the month of August Sean Leahy of Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy has invited bloggers, fans and writers of each NHL team to select four people that best define the face of their franchise and helped shaped its history. Those players, coaches and/or team executives would then have their images sculpted into and enshrined upon that team’s “Mt. Puckmore”.
Earlier in the week, Aaron Brown and Laura Astorian of Bird Watchers Anonymous guided us on a tour of Thrasherville’s Mt. Puckmore State Park. There they unveiled the images that they carved upon our mountain monument. Three players…Ilya Kovalchuk, Dan Snyder and Dany Heatley…were included as well as former GM and now team president Don Waddell.
The Kovy and Snyder selections are two that I would also have made. However, I would have chosen two others instead of Heatley and Waddell…Slava Kozlov and radio voice of the Thrashers Dan Kamal.
Kozlov played in 537 games as a Thrasher scoring 145 goals and 271 assists. He’s nothing short of a class act and a professional through & through. So he’d be my third selection. The Grand Kamalian has delivered Thrashers action over the airwaves since day one and his love, passion and dedication to this team and his profession has come through as crystal clear as his play-by-play calls.
Other consideration would have to be given to Ray “Big Ball of Hate” Ferraro and “The Sheriff”, Jeff Odgers.
Regardless of whom you might have picked to place upon this Thrasherville summit of historic figures, it certainly makes for quality discussion and debate. So, hats off to Mr. Brown and Ms. Astorian for performing the role of tour guides at Thrasherville’s Mt. Puckmore State Park so well.
But now, let me lead you around to the backside of the park…past the finely manicured lawns and well-stocked gift shops…beyond the maintenance sheds and garbage dumpsters that are tucked neatly away from the view of tourists. There, in a remote corner of the park, we find another mountain… albeit one not quite as tall, majestic and picturesque as Mt. Puckmore. It is much less of a “mountain majesty” as it is a “bump on the backside” of Thrasherville State Park.
That’s right kids… this weekend we take a class trip to Mt. Flushmore.
So everyone put on your hiking boots, grab hold of the line rope, watch your step and be mindful of the other park patrons. Oh, and if you’ve brought a packed lunch, don’t put it down for a second. There are a couple crafty bears that will snatch it up in a flash.
Now the first thing you’ll all notice is, in stark contrast to the majestic mountain in front of the park, this slope is only meant for those who we remember in… shall we say… a less-fond manner. Whereas Mt. Puckmore is reserved for those we feel best represent the faces of the franchise, this particular peak is set aside for those who we might wish had never shown their face here at all. It is indeed a special place in Thrasherville infamy.
And so, as we arrive at the base of the mountain, allow me to display the four images that I have chosen to blast out of the stone facing of Mt. Flushmore.
Alex Bourret: The first round draft pick by Don Waddell in the now infamous “Trade-Down Draft of ‘05”, Bourret represents what I believe is the worst ever first round pick the Thrashers have made…yes, that includes Patrik Stefan. Waddell traded away the 8th overall, then 12th overall pick to take him at 16th, passing over such players as Anze Kopitar and Marc Staal. That Bourret never played a single game at the NHL level just adds to the frustration when recalling that 2005 draft.
He was ultimately dealt to the New York Rangers in exchange for Pascal Dupuis who, in turn, made his way to Pittsburgh with Marian Hossa in 2008. Dupuis has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup with the rest of the 2008-09 Penguins.
Bourret played three seasons in the AHL where he scored 25 goals and 60 assists in 156 games. Last year he played in the Czech Republic for HC Kometa Brno where he netted but one assist in 16 games and in June he signed a one-year contract with High1 of Asia League Ice Hockey.
Upon hearing news of the Bourret signing, High1 fans in Chuncheon, South Korea logged on to the team’s fan blog site to exclaim…“The cup is ours”.
Alexei Zhitnik: If Bourret represents draft pick lows, then Zhitnik’s face surely is the one that can best represent ill-advised trade acquisitions. When the Thrashers found themselves in danger of sliding out of the playoff picture in February 2007, Don Waddell hit the panic button. Sent to Philadelphia was promising defensive prospect Braydon Coburn in exchange for veteran defenseman Alexei Zhitnik.
While Zhitty did play well for Atlanta down the stretch, the next year he personified everything that was wrong with that season’s defensive play. In the summer of ’08, shortly after opining how Zhitnik would play a big part in Atlanta’s future, Waddell bought out his contract. Zhitnik then spent two seasons being paid $1.16 million a year to not play for the Thrashers.
Coburn, on the other hand, has been getting paid to play for Philadelphia, both in regular season games and the playoffs. During a 2008 playoff game between the Flyers and Capitals, I recall hearing the TV play-by-play saying something like, “…and Coburn wins the puck in the corner. Ya know, I still can’t believe Philly got him from Atlanta for, who was it, Alexei Zhitnik?”
There were audible snickers, a chuckle…then they continued with the game.
Todd White: I would place the likeness of Todd White on the face of Mt. Flushmore to represent offseason UFA signings gone bad. White came to Atlanta in the summer of 2007 and Don Waddell sold him to Thrasherville as the new top-line center…the man to center Ilya Kovalchuk’s line. Now, in fairness to Todd, he’s not the one that placed that albatross of a label around his neck. He’s a second or third liner at best…not that there’s anything wrong with that. But White’s soft play on both ends of the ice soon earned him the nickname “Charmin” and he also found his image on my milk carton due to his propensity to disappear for games at a time.
A few weeks ago, White was dealt to the New York Rangers…the same team that took Bourret off of our hands. The Thrashers got in return a player that has suited up for 2 NHL games in the past two seasons and another that they immediately put on waivers.
Well done, Mr. Dudley.
Don Waddell: OK, so what name has constantly popped-up when discussing the first three faces for Mt. Flushmore? Uh-huh, Don Waddell… the man who held the title of Thrashers general manager from day one to just last April. Waddell has been the one consistent with this team and, for better or worse, is the main reason they are where they are now. Nice guy…yes he is. Sincerely wants this team to succeed…yes he does. Better at running the business of the organization than on-ice talent evaluator…very possibly so.
Now, there are many who would say Mr. Waddell does truly belong here…that really the Great Octocluster that make up the AS, LLC are far more deserving of this honor. That may be so, but try getting all eight of those guys up there. It’d be a logistics nightmare.
Don not only has held the title of GM, executive VP and now team president, but he has also been the head coach of the Thrashers. Twice he has had to take over behind the bench after having to fire two coaches that he himself hired. His overall record there is 38-39-1-8. So not only has he GM-ed the team to a losing record, he has also coached them to one as well.
Hopefully, his tenure as team president will be more successful than his previous position. I feel his first decision in that role…announcing the promotion of Rick Dudley to GM…was a very good one. And if the team plays as well as many think they can given the roster moves he’s orchestrated so far, maybe we can get the sandblaster out and change some of the faces on the mountain.
The mountain in front of the park, I mean… Mt. Puckmore. Lord help us if others perform so poorly that they become worthy of replacing any one of these guys.
shudders
And now if you’ll follow me, let me guide you to the gift shop. Sorry…there are no vuvuzelas for sale, but I hear Kovalchuk #17 Thrashers jerseys are 95% off and anyone purchasing a Todd White #12 jersey will get a free carton of milk…
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143 comments Add your comment
Flagstaff
August 20th, 2010
3:50 pm
Pretty much, mine was the same as yours.
Wait, as much of a flop as Todd White was, he did have a good ‘09 season. Therefore, Stefan replaces his face on my mountain.
Alan R.
August 20th, 2010
3:52 pm
Four faces of hell:
Stefan, Nikulin, Waddell, Bourret.
Paminski
August 20th, 2010
3:56 pm
Soft play yes, but I’m not convinced Todd White was that bad as to be immortalized in this fashion.
World Be Free
August 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
Flushmore-you need a big mountain for all the faces that qualify.
Curt Fraser needs to be up there too.
Riceowls
August 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
Mike Dunham. All he has to do is play one good game in net,and the Thrashers make the playoffs. And the Thrashers scored, what, 5-6 goals that game?
fes
August 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
bourret, dwad, zhitnik, nikulin
Sara
August 20th, 2010
4:03 pm
How can you not have the Octo-cluster somewhere on that? I’m sure there’s room in the toilet bowl.
Brendan
August 20th, 2010
4:08 pm
Amanda Jahn, Erin Andrews, Katy Temple, and Natalie Taylor.
Brendan
August 20th, 2010
4:10 pm
Oh, you wanted Thrasher players. Well then … how about Damian Rhodes, Bobby Holik, Kari Lehtonen, and Dany Heatley. When I think of players who most let this franchise down, or crippled it, these are the four faces I see.
Midfield
August 20th, 2010
4:19 pm
ASG suits. How many of them are out there, by the way?
Brendan
August 20th, 2010
4:23 pm
Okay, it does all start from the top. So, I put Ted Turner, Bruce Levenson, Rutherford Seydell, and Waddell up on Mt. Flushmore. No Gearon, Jr. or Sr.? For some reason, I tend to do easier on those two. I blame Ted for not taking proper stewardship of this team. He was just a “blip” on the radar, when it appeared that he’d be the face of the franchise’s ownership for the coming years. Ooops. Why Rutherford Seydell? Well, during banner-raising ceremonies vs. the Washington Capitals in October 2007, he’s the one who grabbed the live microphone to exclaim, “We’re gonna do everything we can to bring the Stanley Cup to Atlanta!” I agree with the sentiment, but the facts don’t support that. So, Seydell’s face goes up there. Why Bruce Levenson? In Ronald Reagan-like delivery, “Let me tell you why it is that I distrust you.” When your Octocluster group gained control … you were presented as “the hockey guy,” since you had previous experience with the Washington Capitals. Initially, I thought, “And how many Cups do the Washington Capitals have in their history?” But then I thought, “that’s really misplaced. You can’t blame no cups in DC on Levenson. That’s crazy-talk.” But what, pray tell, has been the God-sent wisdom of hockey guidance from Bruce Levenson?? **Crickets chirping** Okay, that leaves Don Waddell. Well look, Don Waddell … very well may be a very nice man. A dedicated father. A loving husband. And a father figure to some of his draft picks. But he’s not very lucky, in terms of getting results that lead to playoff appearances. And if he’s reading this, (which he’s not,) even he’d be nodding at that statement. Don Waddell, despite popular sentiment, is not the WORST GM in history. He’s not even close to it. But neither is he a good one. His heart was always in the right place. But we live in a world that demands results and accountability. Somehow, he’s managed to live in this same world with us … without those things applying to him. That makes him very, very fortunate. And very, very well connected, and LIKED by people in the hockey world. Good for him. But his face is still going on Mt. Flushmore. It was Don Waddell’s responsibility to mold and shape this team. He was given a decade’s worth of seasons to get us into the 2nd round. He didn’t so much as get a playoff win. How does one properly ’sugarcoat’ that?
glovesave29
August 20th, 2010
4:26 pm
I’d have 4 Waddel’s – one for each of the positions he has held within this organization. When he put himself behind the bench after firing Hartley, he took what was backdoor mumurs to a screaming headline – that the Thrashers were not in it to win it, and that we were (to borrow the line from Gretzky’s comments about the NJ Devils) a Mickey Mouse operation.
Tom
August 20th, 2010
4:30 pm
You know, after reading your post Rawhide, there really is no need to pick 4 for Mt. Flushmore.
The 3 players on the list really are innocent. Two of the players had no plans on playing with The Thrashers organization. They were collateral damage. Todd White, well, how can you be on a monument to someone gracing milk cartons across the land.
No. This monument should be SOLELY dedicated to 1 man. Don Waddell.
Don Waddell leadership has been to make mediocrity a goal, not a destination. He has had talent in his lap that has walked away, some players chewing their arms off to get out the door before sunrise.
No the monument Mt. Flushmore should be a statue in honor of Don Waddell. Covered in pigeon droppings.
Thrashy Thrashy
August 20th, 2010
4:31 pm
http://www.iserlohn-roosters.de/spieler/105
I think Norm Maracle deserves recognition, too.
Brendan
August 20th, 2010
4:35 pm
You know Sage will be here any minute to point out that DW was a former port-a-potty salesman, so Flushmore is right up his alley and apt.
glovesave29
August 20th, 2010
4:40 pm
Looks like ol Norm has graduated from the KFC Double Down at 43 grams of fat to the Hardee’s only diet – two meals a day of the 2/3lb bacon cheesburger…only 96 grams of fat each.
Darren
August 20th, 2010
4:52 pm
Oh my stars and garters… what a litany of names from which to choose here..
How about anybody from David Harlock and Todd Reirden to Ivan Majesky to Daniel Tjarnqvist..
Hell, let’s just say 1 of my faces are “anybody who played defenseman not named Brian Pothier, Kurtis Foster, or Mike Weaver until we drafted Tobias Enstrom”. Because truly, the number of quality defensemen in this organization until he came along was extremely few and far between. At this point, though, I think it’s fair to say that Atlanta is now rostering (and drafting and developing) NHL-caliber defenseman. If you can honestly see Atlanta defensemen playing for, say, the Red Wings, then Atlanta’s finally made it.
Fairly or unfairly (after all, HE didn’t appoint himself GM), Don Waddell is most certainly on the list, although bringing in Rick Dudley to replace him was the right one. Right away, however, he is at fault for passing up on a few names that were reportedly available in the expansion draft that might have given Atlanta a better chance for a quicker catching up. And since then, well…
Patrik Stefan deserves to be on there because he did seem to be the real deal when he schooled Hasek early in his career for 2 goals. After that, the best it could be said is that he could be a decent defensive center, which is not what you wait 300 NHL games and a number 1 overall pick (albeit in a pathetically weak draft) to see come to fruition.
Finally, I will go with whomever was in charge of goaltender conditioning/training. Constantly, any meager momentum this franchise managed to develop throughout the years were absolutely killed when (insert goaltender name here) went down with a (say it with me) GROIN INJURY. It’s unacceptable when the most important position on your team constantly goes down to injury. So no, it wasn’t Rick Tabaracci’s or Adam Berkhoel’s fault this team was consistently so bad; it was the trainer’s.
Joe Friday
August 20th, 2010
5:28 pm
Don Waddell, Dany Heatley (after Waddell, he did more damage than anyone to this franchise), Petr Buzek (remember what that jackhole did?), and last but not least, The Atlanta Spirit Group (just put up the bust of a Lernaean Hydra with their mugs on it all wild eyed at snapping at each other)
DWTOO
August 20th, 2010
5:43 pm
1) Heatley
2) DeFoe
3) Holik
4) Rhodes
Virginia Flowers
August 20th, 2010
5:44 pm
Good list! I’d swap Todd White for Patrik Stefan though.
ben
August 20th, 2010
6:27 pm
Heatley
his departure crippled this team
Kari
He inflicted his “potential” on this team for years. I will always believe this “potential” somehow played a small role in Pasi’s accident. I can not wait until his name is taken from the record books of this team.
Don Waddell
The man is wholly beyond his depth. He might be the worst GM in the history of North American pro sports. It will be years before this team gets out of his shadow.
John Anderson
A truly bad coach.
Jack
August 20th, 2010
6:50 pm
What about Snyder. That unfortunate incident turned the franchise upside down. RIP Synder
MB
August 20th, 2010
7:21 pm
We when came out about the Mt. Puckmore, I thought a Mt. Flushmore was far more fitting for this team. Not that I don’t love the T-Birds, just that we’ve had far more monumental flops than players of heroic stature.
Waddell is a definite…whereas Washington and Jefferson were Founding Fathers, Waddell is the Floundering Father of this organization. So he’s a lock.
Stefan is tempting, but at least he contributed in some ways. A bust, no doubt, but I think we’ve had worse.
Dafoe, Maracle, Rhodes…take your pick. I’d have to go back to see which one contributed the least while stealing, er, “earning” the most, and frankly I don’t need that depression in my life. Maybe they can rotate the honor monthly.
Holik definitely stole big $$ from us, but I blame the Wad for that more than FrankenBobby. I mean, if somebody insisted paying you wads of cash for something you weren’t quite sure you could do, would you turn it down?
Steve Rucchin – I’m still haunted by that name…it brings images of money being flushed down the toilet, then the toilet clogging because of the amount of money being flushed.
Alexei Zhitnik – After the toilet was unclogged from the Rucchin incident, along came Alexei, and the Philips Arena plumbing/maintenance staff wept. They’re still clearing the pipes from that stinker.
Rawhide
August 20th, 2010
7:49 pm
Jack – As did Aaron and Laura, I would have Snyder on the face of Mt. Puckmore.
Sara – Like I said, trying to get the entire eight-member octocluster onto Mt. Flushmore would be a logistics nightmare. But they certainly have earned a spot there.
Dwayne
August 20th, 2010
8:25 pm
Waddel as an infant, Waddel as a toddler, Waddel as a child and Waddel as a teenager. The reason no bust of Waddel as an adult is because most adults figure out if they aint worth a sh!t at a job, they get a new one…..oooops, wait, he did get a new job, President. Maybe the Octotards should be on Mt. Flushmore.
Wayne stuck in AL
August 20th, 2010
9:07 pm
Definitely Damien Rhodes, Patrik Stefan, and Waddell.
Cornbread
August 20th, 2010
9:40 pm
Replace White with Heatley.
R. Stroz
August 20th, 2010
9:45 pm
Jay Grossman should receive dishonorable mention for his handling of the Kovalchuk situation.
R. Stroz
August 20th, 2010
9:46 pm
Looks like the Thrashers need more than one Mount Flushmore.
Sage of Bluesland
August 20th, 2010
9:54 pm
I agree on Rhodes being added to the list…what a great “foundation” to build upon!
I also agree on the glass-groined wunderkind (Lehtonen) being added–as he was nothing but a play for much-needed time….So much was bet on the teen eurogoalie at such risk–and so little return…
Of course, that lisping, bumbling fraud of a GM we have (Waddell) is a given for the mountain of incompetence he has built over the past decade.
I’m also thinking the number “5″ should be on the mountain–as we’re on our third “Five-year plan!” now…
(either that or maybe a sheep’s head, for all the wittle dweamers, fwag-wavers, and spreadsheet-makers out there…yep, that would do nicely…)
World Be Free
August 20th, 2010
10:41 pm
Sage, you should be on Flushmore cause you posts are like one continual flush, when the float won’t operate on the toilet and you have to go to Home Depot for new inner toilet works-sorry dude.
Anyhow, Asham is off the market-how about Scott Walker? Walker plays like Dudley used to play the game. He would be a great addition.
JK Sockey
August 20th, 2010
10:51 pm
Scott Farrall
Damian Rhodes
Dany Heatley
Andy Sutton
Mikey
August 20th, 2010
11:24 pm
“Upon hearing news of the Bourret signing, High1 fans in Chuncheon, South Korea logged on to the team’s fan blog site to exclaim…“The cup is ours”
BWAAA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
You are smarter than the av-er-age blogger, Rawhide.
My four faces on Mt. Flushmore would be:
Don – 5 Year Plan – Waddell
Bruce – Smart Ass – Levenson
Patrick – Open Net – Stefan
Todd – Milk Carton – White
Joe Friday
August 20th, 2010
11:49 pm
“Scott Farrall”
Ferrall.
Is that because he’s more coherent than you?
“trying to get the entire eight-member octocluster onto Mt. Flushmore would be a logistics nightmare.”
What, they didn’t learn ya no Greek mythology down south? A Lernaean Hydra would be the fitting piece right next to Donnie Wads, mug . . .hey Sara, you ready to admit you were dead wrong re. Kovy and Waddell yet?
Sage of Bluesland
August 21st, 2010
12:31 am
….LOL at Joe Friday…Let’s see, now where did I place that spreadsheet which PROVES that Waddell is actually an above-average GM….It’s around here somewhere…
What a joke. Would be funny if it weren’t so sad…
MB
August 21st, 2010
7:41 am
Oh, and let’s not forget Uwe Krupp.
We’re gonna need a bigger hill.
Putting On The Foil
August 21st, 2010
7:52 am
Rhodes, Stefan, Heatley, and Waddell.
Sara
August 21st, 2010
7:54 am
MB – I’d say Holik might actually be deserving of that spot given his role in driving a wedge straight through that lockerroom his last season here (I suppose in all fairness I should add an “allegedly” to that).
JF – wrong in respect to what exactly (I presume there’s something specific to which you are refering)?
Sage – when you can contribute something to this blog other than your own bumbling lisps of epithets and general negativity, then you can try to come at me. Until then, I will continue to consider you irrelevant and you can continue to enjoy mama’s basement.
Fan from Carolina
August 21st, 2010
8:11 am
Can we count the old Flames? Jim Craig comes to mind. Yes, the ‘Miracle on Ice’ goalie. Hype hype hype and he won 1 game for the Flames before being shipped off to the Bruins.
Sage's Mama
August 21st, 2010
8:50 am
He aint living in my basement, I kicked him out after his 2nd 5 year plan failed.
Get The Puck Out
August 21st, 2010
9:38 am
To heck with MT. Flushmore…. I think the octocluster and Donnie should be flushed. Just make sure you got a really good plunger….don’t want it to get stopped up with that mess in it.
Rawhide
August 21st, 2010
11:19 am
Per CapGeek, Zubarev has been signed to a 2-year entry level contract by the Thrashers…$687,500 per year.
kracker
August 21st, 2010
11:27 am
One or two-way contract on Zub, Rawhide?
R. Stroz
August 21st, 2010
11:46 am
Another dishonorable mention should go to Harvey Schiller for telling Brian Burke he’d get back with him on the GM position.
kracker
August 21st, 2010
11:53 am
1. Heatley (who gets double mention)
2. Holik
3. (tie) Rhodes/Maracle/DaFoe/and the 05 Flopping Five represented by Shields
4. and representing all the I-just-need-a-hockey-job-cause-nobody-else-will-pay-me-bums: Steve Ruuchin
There are so many more. Most of them are here because of a bad driver, a weak ownership group and an even weaker and wishy-washy GM. So behind the face of whoever you chose for Mt. Flushmore hover the ghostly images of Heatley, Waddell and owner Belkin (just to pick one, perhaps he is the worst)
kracker
August 21st, 2010
11:56 am
EDIT: Make that the “05 Flopping Four,” as Machael Garnett played quite well.
kracker
August 21st, 2010
11:56 am
grrrr Michael
Sparky (Smoothie)
August 21st, 2010
2:06 pm
Y’all are forgetting Niko Kapanen…his Finnish fecal matter stunk up the joint real bad!
At least Todd White had ONE good year.
“Todd “Whitey” White don’t need no Garmin, gets to the crease and deposits the Charmin!”
Sage of Bluesland
August 21st, 2010
2:45 pm
I’d also like to nominate the ultimate “sell-out”, one Daren Eliot. From his days of calling Per Svartvadet (Mr. Offensive Electricity himself!) “Per SMARTvadet” to the constant excuse-making for the fraud of a GM we’ve had for a decade, he certainly deserves a place of dishonor, as it’s his voice the fans hear more of than any other…
Certainly more than bumbling Donny–well, since he wised up, stopped talking to the non-organization-controlled media, and thus stopped sticking his massive foot in his even larger mouth….
Yep, Daren deserves to be on that mountain too….His disinformation has been nothing but a disservice…
Sharon
August 21st, 2010
3:09 pm
Waddell
Levenson
Heatley
Lehtonen
I despise every single one of them. There are so many other players that deserve dishonorable mentions, so how about a pile of rubble at the base of Mt. Flushmore for them? It’s very fitting for this franchise and I’d stone them if given the chance.
Sharon
August 21st, 2010
3:27 pm
Sage, don’t get me started on Daren Eliot. I simply can’t stand that story spinnin’ s.o.b.
I’d rather get a gyno exam with a rusty hatchet than listen to his nonsense.
Sharon
August 21st, 2010
3:27 pm
Note to self… calm down… it’s just a game, it’s just a game, it’s just a game…
Rhythmpenguin
August 21st, 2010
3:28 pm
Darren Eliot has been great! I love listening to him broadcast the Thrashers games! I have never heard anyone speak badly of him before. Does he really deserve criticism? I don’t think so. What does everyone else think?
DWTOO
August 21st, 2010
4:15 pm
Eliot is good on Versus. On SportsSouth he’s too much of a “homer” for most tastes. His BS quotient is quite high.
Rhythmpenguin
August 21st, 2010
4:19 pm
Are there any (in)famous examples?
World Be Free
August 21st, 2010
4:42 pm
No like for Scott Walker on the Thrashers?
Thrashers27
August 21st, 2010
4:57 pm
I’m bored, so…at this point I see things shaking out like this for the ‘10-’11 season. I feel optimistic about such a lineup.
LW C RW
Bergfors Antro Buff
Kane Burmistrov Little
Ladd Cormier Pever
Eager Slater Machacek
Boults and Thorbs ride the pine
D
Bogosian Enstrom
Hainsey Oduya
Sopel Boris
Kulda
Brendan
August 21st, 2010
5:03 pm
I like Darren Eliot’s work on Versus. We get “honesty” there. And genuine insight from Darren. And not comments like, “Ondrej’s got ‘it.’” His “it” factor commentary upset a few people. And Pavelec didn’t exactly have a breakout season. Loved the Ottawa game, and the other game where he had over 40 saves. We don’t hear things like, “You’ve got to think you’re ‘real close’ now to being a playoff team,” circa November 2008. Darren Eliot said, “Nathan Oystrick has been a revelation.” Then Waddell agreed. A year later, the guy was sent packing.
Rawhide
August 21st, 2010
5:24 pm
Thrashers27 – Like the lines….I’ll take the D as is, but up front I would move Peverley between Kane and Little, slide Machacek to 3rd RW, switch Cormier and Slates…Rissmiller joins Boltz in PB.
Thrashers27
August 21st, 2010
5:42 pm
I’d be happy with that scenario as well, Rawhide.
So, you think Burmistrov spends another year in Barrie?
jen
August 21st, 2010
5:53 pm
Mike Dunham would be the one I would hang up there to symbolize the goalie woes.What a lack of heart.
Rawhide
August 21st, 2010
5:59 pm
Thrashers27 – Until training camp opens up and he proves otherwise, yes I do.
But that’s the beauty of it, ya know. The kid will have every chance to work his way onto the roster. If he does…great. If not, then another year with the Colts will be OK.
What I think will clearly be the case, however, is if he does make the Thrashers lineup it will be to play. Sitting in the PB does him no good. Same w/ Spencer. Someone like Rissmiller or Boulton or even Stewart, well they don’t really need anymore “seasoning” down on the farm. They could be 13th and 14th forwards getting spot starts.
Mikey
August 21st, 2010
6:56 pm
With Zubarev signing, that crowds things up at the blueline doesn’t it? I’m sure he’ll be in Chicago but there are now a lot of promising young Dmen what with him, Kulda, Postma ect.
Rawhide
August 21st, 2010
6:57 pm
Jen – Mike Dunham…sigh…
April 17, 2006. It was a Monday night, second to last game of the season. The Thrashers had overcome a slow start to the season that was caused primarily to Kari-Down ’05 coming upon us in the first game of the season…that and then other goalie injuries. We had, what, eight different goalies that year?
Anywhooo…they came into that game 9th in the Eastern Conference…three points behind 8th place Tampa Bay and 4 behind 7th place Montreal.
The Thrashers were playing the next-to-last-place in the east Capitals in D.C. and had their first playoff birth within their grasp. Atlanta was staked to an early 1-0 lead thanks to Bobby Holik’s goal just 11 second into the game. Then, Dunham allowed a pair of goals just 23 seconds apart…Bob Hartley pulled him after that. Dunham had saved but 3 of the 5 shots he faced. The dejected goalie sat at the end of the bench, sulking with a ball cap pulled low over his eyes.
Michael Garnett took over…allowing one goal on 5 shots. But during the first intermission he let Hartley know he could not return due to pulled groin. The score was 3-2 Washington, Steve McCarthy’s slapper proving Atlanta’s second goal.
Dunham return to play in the second period and didn’t allow a goal. Maybe the fact that Washington only took 5 shots on goal helped in that success.
But Garnet Exelby and Peter Bondra both introduced puck to twine and the Thrashers led 4-3 after two periods of play. All we needed was 20 minutes of solid play from the man between the pipes.
We would not get it.
The Caps scored 3 times on 13 shots and the Thrashers fell 6-4. Dunham’s line…5 goals on 23 shots, 4 were even strength and 1 came on the power play. Atlanta outshot Washington 42-28 that night.
The Thrashers went on to lose 2-1 in overtime down in Florida the next night, but it was academic. The loss in Washington eliminated them. Had they picked up those two points in D.C. and the next night, when it meant something, the Thrashers would have finished with 93 points. They would have pushed the Lightning out of the playoffs and actually been the 7th seed over Montreal. Even though the Habs had 93 points as well, Atlanta would have had 43 wins to the Canadiens 42.
Washington finished with just 70 points that year.
Atlanta would have then taken on Carolina…who wound up winning the Stanley Cup that spring. Atlanta went 3-4-1 against the Canes that year.
However, even if they fell to Carolina in the opening round of the 2006 playoffs, maybe…just maybe…Don Waddell would not have felt the heat the next year and pushed the panic button trading Coburn for Zhitnik.
Maybe.
But yeah, Jen…Mike Dunham…sigh
Thrashers27
August 21st, 2010
7:14 pm
Oh, I remember the pain and disgust of that game, Bill. What’s worse is that most of the goals Dunham allowed were ridiculously soft. I felt sick afterward and couldn’t even bring myself to watch the Florida game the next night.
Hokie P. Clisters
August 21st, 2010
9:30 pm
I recommend Bourret, Zhitnik, and 2 faces (left and right) of DW on Mount Flushmore. Stendek and Sage could be super imposed as two erupting volcanoes in the background.
Curly
August 21st, 2010
10:17 pm
1) The Goalie “Who shall not be named” (DR)
2) Byron Dafoe
3) Dany Heatley
4) Steve Rucchin
Brendan
August 21st, 2010
11:29 pm
Re: goaltending from the 2005-06 campaign, people quickly forget that Kari Lehtonen and Michael Garnett had the EXACT SAME winning percentage, at .571. It’s the kind of thing that makes people say, “Huh?” But, assuredly, they were identical in their points percentages. Dunham’s save percentage, .893 was BETTER than Garnett’s .885. Garnett had 3.45 GAA. Dunham had a team best 2.77 GAA. Kari’s GAA was 2.94, but Lehtonen’s save percentage was a team best .906.
Rawhide, had the Thrashers made the playoffs in 2006, in 7th position, maybe the organization places more importance on paying Marc Savard what the market would bear ($5 million), realizing that the playoffs WITHOUT him the following season would be more difficult to obtain. Bygones. Perhaps, Savard wasn’t going to stay, no matter what.
That 2005-06 season was one of the more frustrating ones in team history, as expectation levels were raised so very high from Opening Night forward. And so many things went haywire. Groin injury after groin injury. Shields proved to be no solution. By the time Garnett started playing really well, too much of the season had passed. Kari played well in his return. What a different time it was in the franchise history. The owners greenlighted a maxed cap for Opening Night. The “intentions” were all good. Aside from the age of the team, the roster should have been good enough for a playoff berth. From my perspective, a healthy Kari Lehtonen all year or even a healthy Pasi Nurminen would have put us in the playoffs in 2006.
Hockey Biltong
August 21st, 2010
11:31 pm
oh the humanity…
World Be Free
August 22nd, 2010
8:37 am
Not sure Zhitnik deserves to be in the hill-the Thrashers chose him, he didn’t choose us. Most people in hockey (especially Sabres’ fans) knew he was a bum when he signed with the Islanders, long before he came to the Thrashers. He wasn’t a UFA like Todd Blight.
Eliot’s approach on Thrashers’ games is no different than the vast majority of color commentators in the NHL. He’s a homer like most of them-watch Hockey Night in Canada or NESN if you want to hear homers that are so bad they make you sick. Do you really think the team and the sponsors wanna hear their hired help say “this team stinks, turn off your sets”?
I think Joe Micholetti is more critical that other colors guys, but he’s good he gets away with it. When Red Barber worked for the Yankees, he actually critized the team on air-they fired him.
World Be Free
August 22nd, 2010
8:52 am
How much could Scott Walker or Bill Guerin help this team?
Rhythmpenguin
August 22nd, 2010
9:23 am
Would Be Free, that makes a lot of sense.
Sage of Bluesland
August 22nd, 2010
9:54 am
“…Do you really think the team and the sponsors wanna hear their hired help say “this team stinks, turn off your sets”?”
No–but at the sake of the continuous insult to my intelligence, STOP blowing Sara- and Gava-shine up my rearside.
So offensive–just like the spreadsheets and the arguments on what a “real” fan is…Insultingly offensive…
Rawhide
August 22nd, 2010
10:11 am
Not sure Zhitnik deserves to be in the hill-the Thrashers chose him, he didn’t choose us. Most people in hockey (especially Sabres’ fans) knew he was a bum when he signed with the Islanders, long before he came to the Thrashers. He wasn’t a UFA like Todd Blight.
WBF – Point taken. However, my intent was to pick one person that personified bad trades, (Zhitnik)…one that personified bad UFA signings, (White)…one that personified bad draft picks, (Bourret)… and another that personified the bad decisions making that led to them all, (Waddell).
World Be Free
August 22nd, 2010
10:33 am
Rawhide-OK, makes perfect sense. Also, Best of Blues Brothers is on sale at Barnes and Noble for $6.99, you can have the “Blues” on the road.
Eliot insulting? It is what it is Sage, if you don’t like the commentary turn off the sound on your set. It’s the nature of the industry these days, just watch just about anybody at ESPN, NBC, ABC or Fox. Paul Maguire is about the only guy left in the industry that will call any player out for playing poorly and he’s almost never on anymore.
kracker
August 22nd, 2010
10:36 am
I certainly agree on Eliot. He works for Sportsouth, his job is to talk up the Thrashers and present them as an appealing team that hockey and sports fans will enjoy watching. He generally does a credible job with that task, giving insight and background color as the game progresses.
Rawhide
August 22nd, 2010
10:43 am
Also, Best of Blues Brothers is on sale at Barnes and Noble for $6.99, you can have the “Blues” on the road.
WBF – Thanks. The soundtrack to the movie has been a fixture in every car I’ve owned since 1985…either in cassett tape or CD form.
R. Stroz
August 22nd, 2010
11:30 am
Due to the need for more mountains to place dishonorable faces upon, I’d like to suggest Stone Mountain candidates be added to the list. For the purposes of this blog, we could call them candidates for STONED Mountain.
Heatley would be my first pick.
Mikey
August 22nd, 2010
11:57 am
WBF, speaking of The Blues Brothers, with the Chicago connection The Thrashers have maybe the team should drop “The Hockey Way” as their theme and go with “We’re on a mission from God’.
World Be Free
August 22nd, 2010
11:59 am
Rawhide-footnote on BB, one of my college roomates was convinced 8 tracks would last forever, so he bought the “Blues Brothers” original in the 8 track version. I haven’t talked to him in 25 years, hope he is still satisfied with the quality of his 300+ 8 tracks.
The worst homers of all time? Fred Cusick with the Broones and Bill Chadwick (The Big Whistle) on the old Rangers’ broadcasts were two of the biggest homers. Both guys died last year, having lived to their 90’s. Bruin and Ranger fans never seemed to mind their homer styles.
kracker
August 22nd, 2010
2:06 pm
WBW – Eight-track tapes didn’t last forever in my home but they lived on for a couple of extra decades at least. In my younger days shelving was constructed of random boards, cinder blocks, bricks, rtc. Eight-track tapes made excellent leveling spacers for the aquarium base, the home made bookshelves, rickety furniture and lots more stuff. Sort of like duct tape is good for everything.
Hokie P. Clisters
August 22nd, 2010
2:28 pm
Mr. Rawhides, I thoroughly enjoyed your picture of Boo-Boo and Huckleberry Hound but where is Snaggle-Puss? You need Snaggle-Puss saying “Exit – Stage Left” to really get the full effect.
Brendan
August 22nd, 2010
3:17 pm
Time for a new blog???
MB
August 22nd, 2010
3:20 pm
Reportedly the league is considering excluding points from shootout wins as an element of the regular season’s first tiebreaker, giving more weight to points won in “team play” through regulation and overtime victories.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34825-Report-National-Hockey-League-to-change-regularseason-tiebreaker-rule.html
Rawhide
August 22nd, 2010
3:30 pm
Brendan – No…not today. Busy working on a new feature (interview) piece.
MB – That’s interesting…thanks.
Oh, and I’m hearing buzz that Little has ben signed, (though I’ve not heard it from a source inside or near the organization). But given the fact that C-Viv did post Friday that a deal was near for he and Zubarev…and that Zubarev’s has indeed been announced…I’m sure we are not too far away from getting official confirm of Little’s new deal.
That is all…
World Be Free
August 22nd, 2010
6:00 pm
Rawhide-hope it is a multi year deal for Little and Bergfors One soon.
kracker-duct tape has multiple uses in my house.
Rhythmpenguin
August 22nd, 2010
7:59 pm
According to a study, duct tape “failed reliably and often quite catastrophically” when used to seal ducts.
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/duct-tape-HVAC.html
Brendan
August 22nd, 2010
9:00 pm
Has anyone else watched Montreal vs. Pittsburgh Games Six and Seven, where the Canadiens close out the Penguins, on the NHL Network today? Amazing work by the Habs. Truly. Segue, so I still can’t believe … they let Halak go. Granted, they got something back for him, but still. When you’re in the playoffs … you need goaltending. You cannot win without it. And Halak stood on his head in the Capitals and Penguins series. He didn’t exactly lay an egg in the CF, either, versus Philadelphia. So, Montreal lets him get away … because he had arbitration rights??? Pay him! Trade Carey Price. Get “something” for him. I do wonder if Montreal has sights on Niemi. Jose Theodore was once a Canadien … wonder if they’d ever take him back?
Brendan
August 22nd, 2010
9:14 pm
MB, I’m not in favor of that idea. Now we’re supposed to differentiate between “types” of wins? As in, Team A wins 45 games, 3 in the shootout, and Team B wins 45 games, with 10 in the shootout, so Team A wins the tie-breaker because it won FEWER games via that method? If the win counts for two-points, then it’s got “equal weight” with the regulation-time win. To then suddenly decide, “Well, ya know .. some of those wins were LESSER-type wins” … just seems weak to me. I honestly can’t understand why the league cannot go with W-L, .pct, games up, games back. The purpose of every game is to win. If you don’t win, there’s always another game. And economically disadvantaged teams “seem” to fare just as well as “rich” teams when it comes to the shootout. So, I can’t say that “retaining the shootout favors the big market, wealthy teams while hurting the small fish in the pond.” I don’t care if the # 8 seed gets into the playoffs with a 35-47 record. I just see that as 35-35-12, which would be 82-points, .500, by today’s standards. Honestly now, what could be simpler than, “We need to win our next two games while our next closest rivals must lose them both, to make the playoffs” as a hypothetical stretch-run scenario? Instead, “Well, ya see … if those same rivals lose in overtime or the shootout, then they clinch, or potentially clinch, even if we win, no matter how we win.”
What’s better?? What’s clearer?? When games are won and lost, the only “math” skills necessary are determining games up and games back, and the standings do that for you.
Hockey Biltong
August 22nd, 2010
10:57 pm
Darren Eliot is a quality human being. One of the nicest you could ever hope to meet. He is for the home team, which there aren’t many, and his playoff game calling was of a high calibre. Just be happy we don’t have Jon Sterling around or Billy Jaffe…..
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
5:55 am
Biltong, I hear Darren is a great dude and he does his job in a manner that is consistent with others in his craft. Expecting these guys to be highly critical of the Thrashers is very difficult. Guys like Eliot are sometimes accused of “insulting our intelligence” when they don’t critisize the team when they are playing bad. If you know the game and the team is playing bad, you should not need an announcer to tell you that.
Brendan,-the only reason I can think of as to why the Habs kept Price over Halak is that Price is a Canadian. Halak clearly outplayed Price when it counted, in the playoffs. If Price really wanted to be number one in Montreal he would have signed by now. The Habs/Price negotiation is clearly a difficult courtship dance. They would have to find a suitor for Price before they could bring on Niemi, they just do not have the cap room. Sounds like Price wants a short term deal to get to free agency. Let’s hope the Canadians keep shooting themselves in their feet.
Pens/Habs series was probably the best series of the entire playoffs, still say we should have picked up Dom Moore since he has been avaialabile several times for past 17 mos. I have been advocating for getting Dom since the start of last season’s UFA period.
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
8:16 am
Seriously Rawhide, the White hatred is a bit much… at least he gave us a 73 pt season… much more than my 4 candidates ever supplied.
Rhodes, Stefan, Bourret, Zhitnik.
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
8:31 am
If memory serves me correctly, if Waddell had gotten what he wanted, Todd White would have actually been Michael Nylander who ended up costing Washington twice as much with worse numbers, plus injuries.
Todd White was part of a long chain of thinking (post Savard)that “you could put anyone in between Kovy and Hossa and they could put up 40 assists a season”… White actually outperformed all the others in this chain including Rucchin, Kapanen and Holik.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
8:40 am
GaVA, all good points on White as usual. I think in th end, Todd White became the postchild, the whipping boy for all things wrong with the Thrashers. We kind of took out our frustrations on guys like White. He did little to defend himself with his play, going “o-for” a good portion of last season. Every team has overpaid, wasted roster users on their respective teams. If Todd White was making Jim Slater money, we might have been a little more tolerent.
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
8:41 am
That just goes to show that if Todd White is surrounded by great scorers, he will produce!! Making him something of a reverse center: he receives rather than dishing out points.
I do hear that he is one of the nicest fellows you will ever meet, probably the nicest to ever grace Rawhide’s milk carton.
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
9:09 am
If Todd White was making Jim Slater money, we might have been a little more tolerent.
Yeah, but who cares what he makes really… it’s not our money, and the team never spends to the cap anyway.
Imagine what Nylander wanted from Atlanta if he took $4 million from Washington. Atlanta has to pay a little extra to get talent… ala Bobby Holik.
Remember, we’re the team that Ken Klee turned down twice.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
9:21 am
kracker-I heard the same about White, real nice guy.
GaVa-let’s “hope” that we can develop a better rep, one that will allow us to attract good UFAs without having to overpay them. Only time will tell; I’d liek to discuss the past UFAs more but I am hoping (hope again) that those circumstances will be our history and not our future.
Smoothie
August 23rd, 2010
9:23 am
Nick Kypreos is tweeting that Bryan’s contract has been completed and filed with the NHL, probably awaiting approval. $7.15 M over 3 years.
Good deal for both parties! Congrats and good luck Bryan!
Let’s hope Lits can rebound with a strong 25 goal season. We’re gonna need it!
Russian
August 23rd, 2010
9:42 am
It is not bad deal for Little. I hope he will score some good goals for us.
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
9:45 am
Excellent news about Bryan. Two down (counting Zubarev), one to go!
Then adding another scorer would be most welcomed.
Smoothie
August 23rd, 2010
9:52 am
kracker – my sentiments exactly. I think Bryan’s deal sets the avg price tag of Bergie’s deal at right around $2.25 M as he doesn’t have a 30 goal season under his belt. Question is will we get Bergie signed for 2 or 3 years. These agents seem really skiddish about doing more than 2 with the prospect of labor strife on the horizon in 2012.
So what big scorer is still out there other than Stempniak, who is rumoured to be returning to PHX for one year, if not Buffalo? I’m thinking a trade for someone like Ryder from Boston, if Ramsay is down with it, or another cap-strapped team is most likely.
Rawhide
August 23rd, 2010
9:55 am
Per Dan Kamal tweet: “Bryan Little agrees to 7.15 over 3 years. 1.65M/ 2.5M / 3M. Cap hit is 2.38M”
Cliff Fletcher
August 23rd, 2010
9:57 am
Nice deal-I think it has been written somehwere here that Don Waddell negotiates contracts. If this is the case, should we give it up for Don today?
Buzilla in CT
August 23rd, 2010
10:07 am
No space for Mandy Sutton. Maybe he could clean to toilets in the park of something? I also would like to see Petr Buzek be on the front of the mountain as our first All-star.
So where are we building this thing? Blasting of the rednecks on Stone Mountain and replacing them with these stiffs? Money well spent.
Go Union. The south is rising anywhere
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
10:12 am
I don’t quite get why Stempniak isn’t signed somewhere by now. Yes, his scoring pace last season can be viewed as erratic but it was with two different teams. And he hasn’t produce all that consistently during his NHL career – like a lot of other players. For all that, he has average .56 points per game and has at least some upside potential, IMO.
That is good enough to play for the Thrashers. He either wants too much money and/or years or he does not want to play for the Thrashers or these coaches, etc.
The other possibility is that Dudley simply does not want Stempniak.
Tom
August 23rd, 2010
10:17 am
Great news on the Little contract. One of the things I like about Little is that he can score in front of the net. We have speed guys who work the wings, with Little and Buff we have guys who can also score from in front. I have a feeling that will be the focus of the new offense.
Who would have thunk it, lots of action in front of the net is a good thing for Thrasher’s hockey.
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
10:26 am
Great numbers on Little and cheaper than Todd White.
Smoothie, why the hell are you following Kypreos?! Can’t say I’m a fan of that Rogers Sportsnet panel.
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
10:28 am
Buzz… Sutton can scrape the bird crap off of Zhitnik’s nose.
Smoothie
August 23rd, 2010
10:32 am
GVH – what the hell kind of a question is that? He has reliable sources and has broken news in the past. Better than half of the clowns who purport to have reliable sources like your buddy Eklund…sheesh.
R. Stroz
August 23rd, 2010
10:34 am
Go Union
Is damn yankees one word or two?
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
10:41 am
Smoothie… just teasing… eh, all I need is McKenzie, Dreger and Kevin Allen.
Eklund is purely entertainment value.
Wish I could remember what it was, but Kypreos said something a few years ago that set me off… haven’t liked him since.
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
10:44 am
ajcthrashers Thrashers re-sign Little http://bit.ly/acmMhm
Smoothie
August 23rd, 2010
10:48 am
GVH – hey man, no worries. I’m definitely not following him for the idle chatter! He has beaten Allen and Dreger to the punch on a few occasions. Apparently, he knows some agents. And right now with Dregs and the boys taking vacay, you gotta load up on potential news breakers!
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
11:04 am
Can’t stand listening to Watters and Kypreos banter back in forth like two WWE commentators…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isKcDw_3icM
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
11:05 am
… but it would be nice to just get breaking news from McKenzie without the constant tweets about his “summer reading”.
glovesave29
August 23rd, 2010
11:22 am
Kypreos reported last summer that the negotiations with PHX were done, and that the documents were already signed for the Yotes to return to Winnipeg.
He’s as acurate as Eklund. The only difference is that Nick puts his name out front instead of being anonymous.
Stempniak is still my #1 choice. Nice to add a player of that caliber without having to give something in return. That beings said, if Ilya signs in the coming days, I am not opposed to raiding the Devils as they will undoubtedly have serious cap issues.
Jack
August 23rd, 2010
11:27 am
Can’t stand listening to Watters and Kypreos banter back in forth like two WWE commentators…
If I didn’tknow better I thought I was listening to the Jerry Springer show
GaVaHokie
August 23rd, 2010
11:40 am
If I didn’tknow better I thought I was listening to the Jerry Springer show
Or Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. on American Choppers.
Jack
August 23rd, 2010
11:41 am
yeah instead of pointing finger there would be broken doors.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
12:21 pm
Stepniak started off hot in St. Louis, cooled off and was traded to Tronna for 2 former number one picks. Step played OK for the Buds for awhile, and then disappeared on some bad teams. He was unable to elevate his game to help the Maple Leafs get better. Then he goes to the Yotes in the right situation, right framework (Tippett’s style) and becomes a scorer. So who is to say be can come here and maintaining his scoring pace?
Stepniak will cost $4M/year. That kind of money should get you close to a sure thing and Lee Stepniak is far from a sure thing. I think if you look at his overall performance over the last 2 seasons total, he’s maybe worth $2M/season over a 3 year deal, unless some club wants to roll the dice on giving him $3-4M for 1 season.
28 goals, decent speed and defensive abilities, no physical presence. Lee Stepniak just doesn’t do that much for me. The fact that he is still out indicates that he doesn’t do much for others as well. Hard for me to rag on a Buffalo boy.
ChippersLoveChild
August 23rd, 2010
12:29 pm
The ASG gets one spot, Steve Rucchin, Bobby Holik, and Don Waddell.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
12:36 pm
If we get Bergie under contract soon, will Dudley go out and pick some low hanging fruit?
glovesave29
August 23rd, 2010
1:17 pm
WBF – he wants $4m, but I think this UFA season has shown that he will not come close to that. You think he may bite at 2ys / $6M? Short enough not to be a burden if he is a bust, and not so large as to be able to ship him off to a number of suitors should we end up being a seller at the trading deadline.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
1:20 pm
Glovesave-I think Stepniak will get a one year – $3M deal. He needs to prove himself a scorer over a full season before someone opens the bank on a long term deal, which is what he wants.
Jack
August 23rd, 2010
1:56 pm
any idea where Willie Mitchell is going. I heard he is close to signing.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
2:00 pm
jack-no idea but Willie would make a good addition to any team.
R. Stroz
August 23rd, 2010
2:08 pm
Has anyone signed Clarke MacArthur yet for 2.4 million/year?
Didn’t think so…
Jack
August 23rd, 2010
2:17 pm
yes he would, just worry about his injuries,
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
2:50 pm
Tough to play defense and have to worry about head injuries.
Stroz-MacArthur is low hanging fruit, so low he’s on the ground.
Darkhorse
August 23rd, 2010
3:11 pm
He may be starting to rot by now.
Oh, and no thanks to Stepniak. Rather wait around for an expendible veteran scorer on a cap strapped team. Elias if Kovy returns to NJ? Plus, we are going to need a captian for this years squad, preferably someone’s who is going to be around here for a few years AND has earned the respect to be captain. Let kids like Kane and Bogo concentrate on their game for now. In a few season’s they can add that role.
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
3:43 pm
About C Mac: It is probably not a good idea to PO a GM who traded a couple of mid round picks for you. He has gone from player to filler.
Rhythmpenguin
August 23rd, 2010
3:56 pm
So who will be our captain if nobody else joins the squad? Byfuglien? Antropov?…?
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
4:02 pm
Hainsey remains my choice. I’d really like to have a NA captain. No offense to our Euros but a well-liked, personable, native English speaker would be a plus for a team in the SE Division.
World Be Free
August 23rd, 2010
4:16 pm
You know, my favorite for captain would be Rich Peverly. Not sure he is vocal enough, but Pevs just has such a good all around game. Hainsey would be second.
Darkhorse
August 23rd, 2010
4:16 pm
I want someone who is willing to do the dirty work in the trenches if necessary to be our captain. Hainsey has always seemed just a tad prima donna to wear the C in my book. I have no problem with him wearing the A. I think it’s crucial for this team to put the right captain in place as one of the final touches before the season starts. I’m sick of this forced captain by default sh#$(Holik and Kovy most recently). Just because Hainsey may make the most sense on the current roster(wanted to sign here, speaks well w/media, decent dman, few years still left on deal), he should not get it because something is missing with the guy IMO. None of these one year guys should wear it either. Much rather a multi-year pedigree SC winner come in to be our captain for the next few seasons. We can debate who on the next blog maybe.
Thrashers27
August 23rd, 2010
4:21 pm
Slater should get the “C”…at least an “A”.
Jack
August 23rd, 2010
4:22 pm
slater is a good pick. has seniority and grit
Rhythmpenguin
August 23rd, 2010
4:32 pm
Hainseey, Rich, and Jimmy are all good candidates. I wonder who actually wants to be captain?
Tom
August 23rd, 2010
4:44 pm
Captain’s for the Thrashers have a very short shelf life.
Zombie Steve
August 23rd, 2010
4:59 pm
The Octotards need their own mountain…. hollow and made out of plastic
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
5:43 pm
I understand your reasoning, Darkhorse. It is good reasoning, in general. For this roster, built by the allowable budget Duds is working with, I don’t see a really solid former SC player that is captain material coming here, this season. Maybe in some sort of trade….maybe in a late camp/pre-season deal or signing if the kids don’t work out, then a Mellanby (probably not that talented) might be brought in.
The captain is probably on the current roster. Just please don’t make it another December announcement chosen from a group of home and road As.
kracker
August 23rd, 2010
5:50 pm
By “if the kids don’t work out” I mean there would then be roster spots needing to be filled and Duds can look for his Andreychuk to fill a spot.
Rawhide
August 23rd, 2010
6:10 pm
OK kids, new blog time…
There is more to the Blue Crew than meets the eye.