Thrashers playoff hopes may have been buried under snowman built by Sabres

Just returned home from eating dinner with the wife at 57th Fighter Group, saw the score, and decided to skip the rerun.

Now don’t you guys blame Bogosian or Cornbread will come on and tell you that it was (insert name of forward)’s fault.

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Blog Master – congrats on your tax exemption’s awesome day, very cool. As for tonight, good lord was that bad Looks like I will be doing a lot more camping here shortly…

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What the hell happened? We carried SO MUCH energy over the past week and its like it never existed…that performance was god awful. As much as i love this team there is no excuse for that kind of play. Dont even get me started on the zebras…

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Anyone who expected the results in a crucial game to be much different hasn’t been paying close enough attention the last 11 years.

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Just got home from the state middle school inline tournament and very glad I missed this game. Didn’t even Tivo it.

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Tom – Don’t tell your wife there is a replay currently playing.

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I went to radio after the first, and just used the radio as background noise after the second.

None of my teams won tonight, but I knew we wouldn’t.

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Rawhide, congrats to your tax exemption! And I hope his date went well, too.

Hockeymom92, do you have an update from your son’s game?

R.Stroz, Dvorak will NOT be back next year, in my opinion. So, I wouldn’t fear Modin II, the Sequel, being back for 2011-12. By the way, I suppose we should update “Modin Watch – 2010-11.” Modin was dealt at the trade deadline for a 7th rounder, to Calgary. The terms and conditions of the Over/Under contest were such that Modin must play 56 games AS A THRASHER and score 14 goals, AS A THRASHER. So, everyone who picked “under” won that contest. These are those posters: Jeff97, Spud Webb, Hockey Biltong, Larry, Adam, R.Stroz, Brendan, Red Light, Curly, and Badger Bob. Congratulation to all of you.

In the AJC Point Totals contest, we have a few more eliminees, as the most points available, for Atlanta, are now 92. That means, anyone who had 93 or 94 points is now eliminated. Those posters include: Jack, Cornbread, J.B., the bigharybeast, ben, Smitty, BG33Brown and litz. I already listed those with 95-points, and higher, as eliminated in previous blog entries. At the bottom end of the guesses, there are no new updates, as LAC, at 71-points, still could win, if the Thrashers only get one more point between now and the end of the season. If the Thrashers get 74-points, then the winner of the contest would be Chippers Love Child, with a guess of 75-points.

At 77-points is Badger Bob. At 78-points are Nate and Jethro. At 79-points are Curly and Joe Friday.

Teetering on the verge of elimination are the folks with 91-92 points. One more regulation time loss would remove them from the contest. Those posters include: At 91-points, Mikey, Thrashy Thrashy, Paminski, Alan R., Kracker, lee, Tom Lysiak, Jameson, and goose. At 92-points, are HockeyMom92, Zombie Steve, Putting On The Foil, GaVaHokie, Hockey Biltong, Rhythmpenguin, Viking, Tony C., Simon, five_hole, and Glovesave29.

Good luck to those on the verge of elimination, and those with picks between 80-90 points, of which, there are many!! Thirty (30) posters, actually.

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I’m confused…when is Dvorak gonna Starr fitting in?!?!

Good thing ramsay is coach or wd might of lost 10-1

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Rawhide: We did not do very well in the tournament but we did win the regular season state title for our division. Coached a group of 5th and 6th graders against some much bigger teams.

Lesson – hustle and teamwork will beat size almost all the time.

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Ya know, when you’re part-Irish, St. Pattie’s Day is more like a whole extended weekend thing!! As someone who is part-Irish, I can get away with saying this. “Give an Irishman a month’s worth of lager, and he’s a dead man.”

R.Stroz, your post was very thought provoking. I got me to thinking … “Just What has been the Thrashers BEST salvage job?”

A) Kari Lehton for Andrew Ladd (via Vishnevskiy, defenseman prospect from Dallas). Did we also get a 5th rounder?? I can’t remember.

B) Hossa – 3 prospects, Angelo Esposito, Daultan Leiveille (#29 overall, 2008), and Eric O’Dell (via Erik Christensen, in a trade with Anaheim), and Colby Armstrong, who walked in free agency, for nothing, to Toronto.

C) Kovalchuk – Johnny Oduya, Radek Dvorak (via Nic Bergfors), Patrice Cormier, and a 1st round pick from NJ (flipped to Chicago for part of the Sopel, Eager, Byfuglien trade, along with Jeremy Morin and Marty Reasoner, as well as flipping 2nd round pick draft position with the Devils).

D) Coburn for Zhitnik (bought out in 2008, now retired). Coburn looked “lost” for most of his time with Atlanta. Of course, then Coach Bob Hartley hardly developed him, at six-minutes per game, for ice time.

E) Patrik Stefan for Niko Kapanen (retired in 2008) and 7th round pick, who turned into Will O’Neill, still in the farm system.

F) Boris Valabik for Mark Stuart, re-signed on a 3-year deal, from Boston Bruins. (This just might be the real winner, if you really think about it. Valabik has never scored an NHL goal and couldn’t crack the Thrashers lineup after six years from his Draft Year.)

G) Rich Peverley (waiver claime off Nashville) for Blake Wheeler, from the Boston Bruins. (This is also a good candidate for a decent salvage job.)

H) Alex Bourret (16th overall pick, 2005 draft,) for Pascal Dupuis and the NYR’s 3rd round pick. That 3rd rounder was later traded to Pittsburgh for Chris Thorburn, recently re-signed on a 3-year deal with Atlanta. Pascal Dupuis was packaged with Hossa, to the Penguins, in 2008. You might consider Colby Armstrong to be what Atlanta got in the exchange with the Penguins. Armstrong was not dealt at last year’s trade deadline, and walked in FREE AGENCY to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Note: Atlanta owned the 8th overall pick in the 2005 draft. They traded it to San Jose for # 41, who became Chad Denny. I don’t rightly know what became of Chad Denny. Atlanta moved back to pick # 12 (via San Jose). At # 12, Atlanta traded with the New York Rangers to fall back to # 16, to land Alex Bourret. In exchange, Atlanta picked up pick # 49, who became Ondrej Pavelec, the Thrashers # 1 goalie. This does not qualify as a “salvage job.” I define “salvage job” as “getting what you can for a pending UFA that won’t re-sign or … simply moving a non-productive, or “fallen out of favor” player, who has, in some way, disappointed the franchise. Those 2005 draft moves were straight up trades. Those picks, by definition, could have not have disappointed anyone by their non-play. Of course, at 8th overall, SJ took Setoguchi. Anze Kopitar and Mark Staal were also selected before the Thrashers would finally make a selection at # 16.

Go ahead, R.Stroz. Cast your vote. Anyone can, really. For me, I think I’m going with “Choice A, Kari for Ladd.” The reason? To me, and perhaps only to me, Andrew Ladd, our Captain, is the biggest impact player we’ve ever gotten back in a “salvage” situation. I reserve the right to change that pick to Blake Wheeler, via Peverley, later on. Peverley was NOT a pending UFA, but after next season, he would have been. And, I think it’s fair to say that Peverley ‘disappointed’ this season, compared to last year. Hopefully, he’ll pick things back up in Boston.

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ZAvalanche, your Avs won the shootout over the Oilers. The bad news? This puts Edmonton solidly ahead of Colorado, for the top pick in the 2011 Draft.

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Ahem…Stewart is a wussy. He is an absolute waste of a position. He never uses his size and he rarely crashes the net. He’s half-assed the entire season. He should be potting about 20 Gs a season. He should have been delt for a draft pick. I’d sign Dvorak over him any day.

Bogo is a third pairing D man and should stay a third pairing until he’s about 24. He sooo slow in processing information. He’s mentally about a half-stride behind and he has fuzzy focus. However, at least I know he does care (from his run in with the gate).

Why the F did Pavs start only to have Mason plugged in? I’m beginning to think Mason should start from here on out.

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ZAvalanche, this ends Colorado’s 10-game skid.

Trixie, I do believe I’m in SPAM filters.

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UGH – what a night. T.E.’s game was almost as bad as Thrashers – we lost 6-2 and we are now a bit worried how we will compete at the Nationals in 2 weeks. Perhaps we could have a bit of sympathy as we played a college team on ice that was more like a lake. I know this is just an excuse – maybe we should get Ramsey to do our post game review…..

Rawhide – massive congrats on your son’s day – at least someone had a great day! Now, just from whom did he inherit these smarts?? Remember this is a mom asking!

At least as of now, winter is over (kinda like the Thrashers season) – Happy First Day of Spring everyone!!

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All that talk before the game meant squat!

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That game was an all time low for Bogo. One step forward, three steps back with him. No excuses. Captain Ladd was -3 as well. If we lose by competing it is much easier to take. That was just sad.

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Before the game, me and the home boys got a little wasted. Could anyone tell?

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Nice post Bill. I didn’t get to watch the game other than by hitting the “refresh” button on my phone’s browser. I’m glad I didn’t get to see it live. Our team is still developing/rebuilding and hopefully new ownership will take care of some of our fundamental flaws. I still hope for a miracle, but wonder what we would actually do with a playoff berth.

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An earlier poster called it an “EPIC FAILURE”. Wrong, it’s an EXPECTED FAILURE. Clueless Craig has absolutely no motivational skills. Bye, Bye Hockey Whisperer. Heard Boucher, Tampa Bay coach talk about creating excitement for team rather than running through drills. That is exactly what we need- SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS MOTIVATION AND GETS RESULTS. We do not need a COMATOSE COACH.

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The Phoenix Coyotes aren’t exactly on firm financial footing either, but there they are again making their way into the Western Conference playoffs with a record of 39-23-11 (currently 4th) and somehow manage to spend $8 million more than the Thrashers, and their average ticket distribution is 1,500 less per night than Atlanta’s. That’s probably the biggest reason for condemnation.

Since finishing 30 points ahead of Phoenix in the standings during the 2006-07 season, the Thrashers are -51 to the Coyotes point total during the past four seasons.

So, while the money is a problem, it’s not the lone problem.

Thanks for playing along Sage!

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Rawhide. I’ll take that challenge. A. Stewart. Absolutely friggin’ invisible the second half of the season. Never gets anything in terms of “bad” attention from the Rammer despite some pretty horrible play. Nik? Still recovering from surgery and should’ve seen the press box buffet line several times this season for doggin’ it worse than Hossa his last year.
I like Burmy but he’s got some very rough edges due to his youth. We’ve brought him along very quickly in our desperation. He’s played with a constantly revolving group of linemates, which hasn’t helped.
Oh, and AHL talent? THE COACH. I think it was Wheeler who said it best….Rammer was the ASSISTANT Coach everyone in Boston liked. That’s what he should be again. Fails to adapt, fails to work with individual players on their repeated gaffes. A NHL calibre coach would hold ALL players accountable and adapt as circumstances require. Even Rammer admitted that for the first half of the season he was playing Bogo wrong and not letting him skate. 41 friggin’ games to figure that out? Not my type of coach, not by a longshot.

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This team is 2 good forwards away from being legit-a centerman that can take and draws and a 2nd line right winger to replace Anthony Stewart. Coaching-all talked about enough, it is not first rate.

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Red Light, Have to agree, Phoenix has not superstar players, bet I could name only 8-10 plqayers. But the do something Atlanta has NEVER done, they play DEFENSE. We have never done that.
They play a tight system and do the little things to WIN. We DO NOT !

Look at Atlanta, at THE BOTTOM in GA again this season, most likely. Scoring is sporatic and the team cannot play a solid defensive game. Despite all the distractions, Phoenix WINS. Something we cannot do.

Say what you want, this team is exactly like john anderson’s team, not one bit difference.
Ok, we have played this defensemen join the play thing the past THREE years, where has it led us ? Nowhere. So, We need a coach who PREACHES Defense FIRST ! I don’t care if we win boring 2-1 or 3-2 games everynight, the object of the game is WIN. These past three years have proven the join the offense rush does not work. Sure some nights it does, but it costs us more than helps win.

Players, zach B, Has Got to GO, he is simply Terrible and has shown in the past two seasons he is a complete BUST. Bryan Little, nice kid, but NOT NHL worthy,Stewart, like someone said, invisable, and our most recent #1 pick has 4, yes 4 goals this season, First-round picks need to produce a few more goals, don’t you think ? Then the defense, needs to have a TOTAL revamp
and I mean TOTAL. Goaltending, buy out or trade Mason, simply not too good. Pavs, a backup at best. Get a solid number 1 goalie. Get some defensive defensemen, get some people who can SCORE. Get a new owner, a new President and most of all a REAL GM who knows how to build a winner and a coach who will set the players pants on FIRE. It is time to do it all, because what we have is a collection of players that do not work, plain and simple and last night was an example of a filure by both the players and coach to get the job done and secure another lost season in Atlanta.

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Rawhide, I forgot to mention that I always admire how polite you are with your responses to accusations from people like the Buffalo fan. It speaks so well of you.

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This team has inept ownership, a god awful general manager, a no account president, a doable coach, absolutely no leadership (who the hell thought Ladd should be C), just a couple players that care, talent that for the most part would be 3rd or 4th line on most teams. Year after year when a game counts the team goes south. This STH is voting with his money, no renewal this year. I’d rather travel up to Nashville to a game where a professional organization, great coach, and hard working players make it worth the $$$.

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“This team has inept ownership, a god awful general manager, a no account president, a doable coach, absolutely no leadership (who the hell thought Ladd should be C), just a couple players that care, talent that for the most part would be 3rd or 4th line on most teams. Year after year when a game counts the team goes south. This STH is voting with his money, no renewal this year. I’d rather travel up to Nashville to a game where a professional organization, great coach, and hard working players make it worth the $$$.”

^^^^ This ^^^^

Finally, someone who gets the entire picture, spweadsheets, incremental progress, and countless Waddell-blusterings aside…

Those who pay for this have no excuse anymore….well, haven’t had for some time….

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you had to be impressed on how buffalo transitioned out of their zone last night. their passing through the neutral zone was superior to Atlanta’s, one of the factors in last night’s rout.
pittsburgh is doing the same to the rangers this afternoon.

kracker // nothing happens here until there is an ownership change. can’t move forward until we get people on top that want to win.

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Cliff – Yep. From what people say, that may take well into next season at the earliest or maybe until a year from now.

An internet journo (sorry, I don’t remember who or have a link) said that for a sale to happen there has to be some sort of important statement of intent filed with the league by the end of a calendar year for a sale to happen in the following year. If this is true – the journo said no such filing happened last year – we would be looking at an ownership change no sooner 2012. However, we could get news this summer of great progress, the name of the serious person intending to be the new owner, etc.

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let’s hope the “intent” is filed soon! this is not working

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Gosh, is there an echo????

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Russ certainly has a point. Back in 2006, Dunham lays an egg versus the Caps and the Thrashers get eliminated, while Marc Savard walks for nothing, in free agency, to the Bruins. In 2007, when the Thrashers lost a pair of close playoff games at Philips Arena, Game Three turned into “the most important moment” in franchise history. The result? A 7-0 pasting of the Thrashers, by the Rangers, giving Kari Lehtonen a sun tan on the back of his neck. In 2010, with the season on the line, the Thrashers suffer an embarrassing shutout loss, at the Bulb, versus the Devils, with Kovalchuk putting a bow on the package the Devils wrapped up, in terms of the Thrashers season.

Okay, that’s all history. So, what should have been done differently, to prevent a repeat performance? Isn’t THAAAAAT the question we should be asking right now? Rather than pointing out the obvious, that the Thrashers underachieve and have poor ownership.

At least Rawhide pointed out one possible move not taken: Firing Coach Ramsay. I’ll accept, for the moment, that a budget set BELOW THE FLOOR of the cap should translate into a lottery draft finish. But as Red Light points out, above, this team … generally speaking, competes and keeps itself in the hunt in the first half of the season, then they fold like Superman on laundry day, when the critical portion of the season kicks in.

I think we all know, by now, that games are easier to win in October and November than they are in March and April. Or February, for that matter. When the games that TRULY count happen, this team isn’t ready to compete. Or can’t compete. So, what should be done about it? That’s the question. Would firing the coach solve that latter season problems that plague this team, historically? I think, at a minimum, we should discuss that. We might ultimately conclude … that firing Coaches every February doesn’t fix ownership.

So, what’s different in Phoenix? I suppose, there’s accountability there. There’s belief that, eventually, good ownership will take over that franchise, and let the Coyotes continue what they’ve been building. However, if Ilya Bryzgalov walks in Free Agency, that’s the domino that sends that franchise tumbling down again. It does come down to ownership, EVERYWHERE.

Would shuffling lines have the “fixed the problem” in Atlanta this year? Some people might think so. But really, would it?? A healthy Nik Antropov contributing regularly, and being physical, would have helped. Rich being “Peverywhere” would have helped. Maybe, Pavelec not fainting on Opening Night and playing more would have helped???

Or, do we need to look even further back, at Pavel Kubina, and ask ourselves how and why we couldn’t convince him to sign for 3-years in Atlanta for the same, or more money, than Tampa Bay offered. There’s an argument to be made that Kubina is the best Thrasher defensemen to ever play for the franchise. Can are argument be made for retaining Max Afinogenov?? We had cap room. And the ability to buy out a 5-year contract, if necessary. Jus’ sayin’. Though, that’s a terrible waste of money, for the future. What about losing Colby Armstrong? Was that a blow or a blessing? What about losing Moose Hedberg? I certainly thought we’d gone to the well once too often, on that count. Johan Hedberg was 37, when he walked to the Devils, for nothing.

What about the FRENZY, last July? Should we have been more aggressive, than Chris Mason? And Anthony Stewart, signed July 13th. And Frederik Modin? And Nigel Dawes? Let’s be honest, aren’t those the moves made by a cash strapped organization? And that falls on ownership.

Okay, let’s go back to December, (Okay, I just paid Taylor Swift a royalty on that one,) what should this organization have done differently? Let’s list the players that we KNOW got moved this season by other teams, and what the cost was to obtain them. Then, we ask ourselves, “Could Atlanta have made the same move(s)?” If the answer is yes, then we have BAD MANAGEMENT. That is to say, we had the ASSETS that it would have taken to obtain “Player X,” we simply dropped the ball. Would you have wanted Langenbrunner, for example? What about Craig Anderson? Avs dealt him! Lots of players got moved. Pick anyone you want. Let’s get the discussion going … about what steps this franchise DIDN’T TAKE. And why.

On your mark … get set … GO!!

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Instead of blustering, writing novels (Daniel Defoe would be proud), or dealing with moronic trolls… today, I did something constructive.

That’s right. I cleaned out my email account. Over ten thousand messages deleted. I am proud of myself.

Now, if only I could find the same energy to clean the house.

Maybe tomorrow.

Meanwhile, our next game is Thursday. I sure as hell hope that doesn’t mean we’re going to have to put up with this same nonsense until then.

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EA, I agree. BlogMaster is far too kind to some of these miserable turd balls like Chris Buffalblow. People like that are just mindless morons who lack the maturity to simply enjoy their team’s win amongst themselves. It shows a certain amount of immaturity and insecurity to make your way to another team’s blog simply to toss around insults and rub noses in the results. Sad and pathetic really.

But it does seems as though Buffalo has more than their fair share of moronic cretins like that. He’s probably chuckling in his mommy’s basement right and feeling quite impressed with himself.

And to say that their AHL affiliate has in Portland has more NHL talent than the Thrashers, or any NHL team for that matter? Well, I guess we can all see who the “uninformed”, “ignorant” person is here.

What a tool.

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EA-yeah I never though I would be on the giving end of a Buffalo dude giving us a hard time. Well they got it back today, blowing a 2 goal lead with just over 2 minutes to go then losing in OT. So for as muchg grief as we have given the Thrashers, the Sabres are goats less than 24 hours later! Just shows you how mediocre all the teams in the 8-11 spots are.

Tom Lysiak-Mario is the biggest hypocrite in the game, his team is filled with cheap shots. He whined alot as a player so I am not surprised by his actions. You have to remember the Pens tanked the 1983 season to get Mario’s rights, so PIT has a nice history of this stuff.

Also, Gerbe should have been knocked on his ass last night when he was whacking away. 5′5″ or 6′5″, the player needs to be put down hard!

Brendan, all Buffalonians have ever heard is how bad their weather is, which explains their short fuses on the subject. I have been in enough cities in know others are comparible on the bad weather. My father-in-law is visiting from Rochester, they have had an awful winter constant snow since October, 140 inches total-plenty of pot holes too. You can have it.

sisu-gotta agree on Bogo, though I am starting to lose my patience with him. No matter how old he is, this is season 3, he should be avoiding the meltdowns he had last night. I think Bogo or Oduya will be traded during the draft, one or the other. All depends on if Dudley believes both Postma and Kulda are ready for the big club.

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Brendan-Letchworth State Park is a great place, Grand Island is pretty cool too. Nice having Niagara Falls in your backyard. I remember going there as a kid when they “turned off the Falls”, diverting the American Falls to the Horeshoe (Canadian) Falls to study erosion. Scientists believe Niani Falls will erode back to Buffalo in 10,000 years.

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Get bogo to a good summer training not focusing getting jacked and slow would be a start.

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Z you are absolutely correct. Most times we have too many rushing and are very exposed on the back end. Best the goalie make a save to stop play, because a rim out and it’s 3on 1 or2 or 2 on 1.

That kills us, if the play is there for the Dman to rush, fine, but to have that as a play that is available to all dmen etc… Simply has not worked out all that well for Atlanta.

My Aunt and late Grandmother live in Auburn, about 120 miles west of Buffalo in the Finger Lakes Region, been going there all my life and it is GREAT in the summer, great area and have worked with a number of railroad guys in Buffalo and they are first-class, plus Buffalo has GREAT Italian food !!!! Nice area to visit, albeit not in January for sure !

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WBF, the 2nd Nashville goal was just like Buffalo’s “whack-a-mole” goal versus Atlanta. I watch that Sabres-Preds game, and I was stunned to see that kind of collapse, at home, by Buffalo, in a game where, clearly, NJ was going to win their game. That was a complete joke job. I think Scott Norwood should hold a press conference to announce, “Did ya see today’s Sabres game. My kick was 47-yards, off grass, and missed by six feet. The Sabres couldn’t close a 1:37 of regulation time. Pathetic.

Glovesave29, we have to establish some rules here. Born in the South, raised up north, counts as a “southerner” or a “northerner?” Born in the north, relocated to the South for high school and/or college, counts as what? North or South? And what about those who hail from southern California? Is that “south” or “West Coast?”

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WBF, Letchworth State Park is where I discovered Perry’s Ice Cream, the greatest ice cream in the universe. I enjoyed those railroad tracks and hiking trails at Letchworth. I haven’t been there in 20 years!

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Guys, c’mon. Russ is a very smart poster, but this isn’t the Discovery of the Lost City of Atlantis. Or the Dead Sea scrolls. Or the cure for cancer that space aliens, who visited our world before Dinosaurs ruled the planet, left behind scribbled on underworld caverns … until the medical community hushed-it-up. For obvious reasons. (That’s joke. Move it along.)

We know our own team’s history, very well. This is our tenth year, out of eleven, outside of the playoffs. The year began with a budget below the floor, and will end that way, amazingly, without punishment by the NHL of a loss of a draft pick.

Honestly, now. Just WHAT we you expecting?? A 12-0-0 finish? I could’ve run a contest last month, “Guess the date the Thrashers get mathematically eliminated.” And there would have been 80 guesses to log, all throughout the month of March. With, perhaps, a smattering in April. Obviously, we’re going to lose games down the stretch. Obviously, we’re going to be eliminated.

As fans, we just try to enjoy each and every game. Sometimes we win. Other times, not. But to expect “must win” games to end in victory, for your Atlanta Thrashers, down the stretch … means someone needs to lovingly put their arm around your shoulder … and explain things, with clarity. We all love the idea of Santa Claus. But how can he get from Pittsburgh to Milwaukeee, in a hour, and keep all the gift tags right, without missing a house or two? Riiiiight.

The Buffalo game won’t be the last one, this year, that the Thrashers lose badly. I repeat, as fans, we just try to enjoy, as best we can, each and every game on the schedule. That’s all we can do.

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The Matt Cooke hit has really set the hockey world on fire. Even Coach Dan did not defend him.

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Looks like the Coyotes are staying put in Phoenix as Matt Hulsizer is guaranteeing the bonds as part of the purchase agreement for the team.

Please Atlanta hockey fans,don’t give up on the Thrashers…they still have a shot at the playoffs and need good crowds at home to spur them on.As Brendan said in his comments above, take it game by game and enjoy the experience.With a new owner hopefully the team can build on its foundation and whatever happens this year the Thrashers can be stronger in 2011-2012.

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LAC, yeah Auburn, NY is pretty nice. Like I said before, Buffalo is a great place to be from. I do miss real Italian and Polish food. Totally agree on the new scouting staff, too many blanks fired by this group. Dudley needs time to develop his support staff. The problem is time, is not on our side.

An influx of new players and scouts requires cash, that’s the key to any improvement. This team has been in the hunt for a playoff spot despite the 2nd LOWEST payroll in the league. Commitment requires dollars to get the right people, both on an off the ice.

Doug Martin-there is a recurring them in your post, the need to allow players to develop. Sabres were hesitant to bring up Tyler Myers last year, the year he won rookie of the year. They still believed he needed another year in the minors. They left Zach Kassian in the minors this season allowing him to develop and mature 1 more season. If you are going to rush the kids to the big leagues you might as well trade the pick for value now. Burmie-the kid works hard and hustles, but I remember seeing him in the preseason games, believing there was no way he should be here this year. His season has been wasted, though his hustle has made Burmie my favorite Thrasher. Anthony Stewart should be made to sit in a room and watch nothing but Burmie tapes.

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Know what the problem is – need to go back on vacation. Was on tour for two weeks and the team goes 3-1-1. Come back and it’s more of the same.

The league needs to have different options for players of Bogie’s and Burmi’s talents. Although not ready for prime time neither needed to go abck to juniors – they wouldn’t have gained anything by being the big fish in the little pond. They should be eligible for the ECHL or AHL.

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Brenden – Blake played here in Atlanta and in Tennessee. Played HS in Indiana. Gotta consider that born and raised in the south.

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We just need more talent via spending some money which is not going to happen with the ASG. Our young talent is doing what young talent does which is they are inconsistent. Bogosian has made big strides in the last dozen games or so but has those lapses, Burmi and Cormier are trying to feel their way around the NHL and trying to stay healthy but they are getting much needed experience. Kane and Pavs as well have been inconsistent, all to be expected. But, what we are missing is the experienced players like Buff, Ladd, Enstrom, Antro, Oduya, Mason, Hansey, etc to step up and lead, outside of Ladd and Entrom that has not happened. It seems to me that Buff has disappeared the second half of the season or since signing his new contract. Our six defensemen are definitely NHL caliber defensemen which is a drastic change for this organIzation. We are just missing quality veteran forwards to pull this team over the top. If we can bring a couple of these guys in and with the young guys starting to mature we will be good for years to come. It is just hell watching the process right now with the lack of money to supplement the youth movement with veteran leadership and scoring.

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This season is just another wasted opportunity. I expected a .500 team at best, but like everyone else here, began to see hope during the 12-2-2 run, which seems like light years ago from today.

There are no excuses, as this team is a reflection of the poor development of its younger players in the minor leagues. Look at the contributions of the players they have called up this season, and that is all you need to know.

The 11 players that the Thrashers called up or acquired off waivers have played in a collective total of 107 games and have a combined seven goals, four assists and a plus/minus rating of -30.

Contrast that to the nine players called up or acquired off waivers by the Predators. That collection has played 110 games and has 13 goals and 16 assists with a plus/minus rating of +4.

In Milwaukee, the Preds assistant GM Paul Fenton also is the GM of the Admirals, and head coach Lane Lambert is now in his fourth season with the team. It is called >>>Direction!

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And another thing while I am getting it off my chest, this team cannot deal with prosperity! Have you ever noticed when we do something good like score a goal, we immediately do something stupid to relinquish the momentum like take a stupid penalty or lay down on defense and let the other team score. Same deal with when something negative happens they double down on it by giving up one goal after another! The mental toughness of this team is non-existent! This has to come from the coaches and or veteran leadership on the team…it is not there! It is too much to ask from a young player to take the role of willing your team to victory down the stretch..ok I am out.

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ben////

i guess the league could go to court, but i believe they would prefer to put all their efforts into moving forward with a new ownership group. asg wants out, it is in the league’s best interest to drive them to the airport.

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ben///

-let’s just hope this keeps moving forward so we do not have the long drawn-out soup opera that’s happening in phoenix.

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ownership, i look them to come in 1 1/2 years. this is complicated. but, buff’s signing was a huge step towards respectability.

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Red Light, I guess it comes down to this, in terms of Atlanta’s chances of making the playoffs, year-in and year-out: We must win at .650 clip in October, November, and December. That way, our .350 clip down the stretch … will even out to a .500, while we hope that .500 will be ‘good enough’ to get in, at # 8.

Gee, that sounds inspiring, eh? No, the correct answer is … we need good ‘hockey people’ to step in and run the Thrashers. Ownership, actually, is VERY EASY. Don’t look at me like that. It’s true. If you’ve got money … and you have the ‘good sense’ that God gave a jacka$$ … you come to the conclusion that you need to install COMPETENT oversight of the team you own.

As a GOOD OWNER, you have two (2) missions. (1) Fork over the money, all that is required, and (2) Finding someone COMPETENT to run your team for you. That’s it. It’s not complicated. Do that, and you’ll probably win games, make the playoffs, and maybe go DEEP into the playoffs. You never know … you might be presented with the Stanley Cup in the lockerroom, in June.

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What is it about Sabres fans that even after they win a big game, they still can find a way to cry like a little 9 year old girl? “WHA! Stop making fun of my town by using the term ’snowman. WHA!”

Simply amazing.

That game Saturday night was totally inexcusable. Dudley should have greeted them all at the airport with pink slips in hand, both for certain players and the coach. What an embarrassment.

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nooooobody knows……the troubl’ I seen….

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It’s so true … that the draft is an inexact science. There isn’t a Crosby, Ovechkin, Lecavalier, or Stamkos in every year. Sometimes, there’s an Alexandre Daigle, a Patrik Stefan, etc. You just never know. Some lottery picks never play an NHL game. That’s just the way it goes, unfortunately.

But, what do I always say?? Class! Class!! Classssss!! That’s right. You hold those scouts and that GM accountable for misdirecting the franchise, if that’s what ACTUALLY happens to the franchise. Now, I’ll freely admit … that the Draft isn’t everything. But, it’s still pretty big. Teams that suck at drafting … don’t usually enjoy long periods of success, simply by trading, making UFA signings, and making waiver claims.

A GM’s best bet … for landing a franchise player … is definitely the 1st round selection. Do I, or would I, fire a GM … because none of his 5th, or 6th, or 7th round picks ever cracked the starting lineups? Pfft, no!! That’s outrageous. But if he misses on enough 1st and 2nd rounders, over 3-4 years. Well, that’s another story. Gotta find players. Gotta develop players. Gotta have good assistant coaches to work on special teams and a goalie coach for the netminders, etc. A GM’s job is a tough one. There are always tough decisions to be made. Who to cut. Who to re-sign. Who to target in free agency. What’s a good return on a trade? Did you make a ‘good’ contract, or did you just pay Chris Drury 7+ million dollars to play on the 3rd line. Or Brian Campbell $7 million, to be a 3,4,5 defender role.

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So, Cooke gets the remainder of the season and the 1st round of the playoffs, huh? Mario, what say you????

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GS29 – Mario threw himself right out of the frying pan and into the fire running his mouth before. Let’s see how committed the Pens organization is to stopping crap like this. Anything over and above what the league decreed?????

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gs29 – Here is the question. If they were to get really serious and actually waive him, who would pick him up next year? Anyone?

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The guy is what he is and will remain that way for the rest of his career. He obviously doesn’t care about being suspended.

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http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8465951. There’s the link again.

Trixie, I’m in SPAM Filters.

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Pens GM Ray (almost called him Fred) Shero on Cooke suspension…

“The suspension is warranted because that’s exactly the kind of hit we’re trying to get out of the game. Head shots have no place in hockey. We’ve told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message.”

League needs to change rule and not allow him to practice during suspension. One can only hope he spends entire time running suicides.

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Brendan…Cooke on the Thrashers…with our penalty kill = many, many, many ppg’s by the other guys. Matt’s age doesn’t bother me…his stupidity does.

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What’s Matt Cooke’s contract look like? Is he under contract for the coming years? I haven’t looked, and probably won’t, so if anyone knows off the top of their heads, feel free to chime in. If we’re in the 3rd or 4th round … and the Penguins indicate that Matt Cooke is available, I’d sacrifice a pick like that for him. There’s less than a 10-percent chance that 3rd rounder will develop into anything. I’d just want to make sure Cooke can’t walk after next season ends. If that’s the case, I’d rather stick with the pick, or trade it for an RFA or an NHL-player with 2-3 years left on his deal.

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Brendan – I understand that you might want him for an “energy” guy. But, I gotta disagree with you on the “enforcer” tag. That guy is a punk. He chooses his battles carefully. He was forced to fight Shawn Thornton after almost killing Savard and he gets props for that one. But, his normal MO is cheap shots and chasing people not known for their fists. That was what made Kane getting a one-punch KO so awesome.

Boults is nothing like Cooke. He fights according to the code. He doesn’t look for easy bouts and he does not play dirty. Boults is respected around the league, Cooke is hated (except by his own team). I’ll take Boults over that hack any day of the week.

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I don’t know, Tom Lysiak. I’m warming up to the idea of our team being a band of ruffians and miscreants. If our team were a bunch of thugs, I do believe attendance would pick up, even if it is only the ‘professional wrestling’ crowd.

I know. The NBA is a league full of thugs, and look at their attendance. It’s somehow different, in hockey. No one “expects” a fight in an NBA game.

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LAST

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