Thrashers’ uncertain future may contribute to Kovalchuk’s exit

Arthur Blank, we need you now!!!

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by JeffSchultzAJC: Ilya Kovalchuk’s impending exit from Atlanta not all about money. #Thrashers #NHL http://bit.ly/5866jD…

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The Boss, Payner17…You guys are correct. Besides that, Kovy isn’t playing with any passion now. I think he is already gone. Waddell, send him to a team like Toronto or Montreal and see how long those fans will put up with his career -88. If he wants to stay, get it done now. He’s only hurting the team by dragging this out. Is there anyone else out there that can see how he is holding this franchise hostage?

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[...] to a contract extension since the season got underway this year and the talks are believed to be pretty close to dead, according to the Atlanta [...]

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It is rather sad that a POS ownership group, and a way out of his league GM will likely cost this town a sports franchise.

At this point, the only thing left to consider is that the owners are intentionally keeping an incompetent boob in charge of the franchise to alienate more STH and give the owners a legitimate excuse to sell the franchise.

It took 9 years of idiocy for DW to shrink the Thrashers STH base below that of the Hawks. Funny how a GM change is what it took to turn the fortunes of the Hawks, but for some reason the great moron in charge of the Thrashers is safe in his job.

When will the owners start caring about the hockey franchise?

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It is time to trade #17, he will be the only player I will not “boo” when he comes to visit. I will cheer when he gets a hat trick when they whip up on the Thrashers, if the Thrashers are still around..Time to jump ship and be a Predators/ Hurricans fan. Wait we still have the Gladiators!

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It is truly a shame that the most talented athlete on any Atlanta sports franchise…compared to the rest of their league…is Ilya Kovalchuck. The man is a top-5 NHL scorer, and deserves a max contract. Don Waddell certainly had enough money to overpay Ron Hainsey and Nik Antropov the last 2 offseasons, and amazingly we’ve been a better team when we’ve invested in our talent.

Don Waddell is truly a moron. Yes, what he got for Hossa might have been great, but look back to the trades for Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik (where he literally gave up the farm) and all along it looks like all he ever did was get credit for a short span of “being in Detroit” while they were champions…means Waddell must have been good right??

It’s absolutely comical that no one at Spirit Group has ever asked the question…what has Don Waddell done to deserve our trust moving forward? What’s more of a shame is that they are not reinforced by 2 recent excellent drafts building around players like Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. To keep his own job safe and make it look like he’s “committed to winning now”, would it really surprise anyone if he dealt either one of those young studs for another overhyped superstar who’s lukewarm at best about playing in Atlanta?

Spirit Group: If you want Kovy to stay, get someone other than Don Waddell to lead your negotiations and make your hockey decisions. Otherwise move the team if you’re not committed to building around one of the best players in the NHL.

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The return on the Hossa trade seems to be pretty awful right now: Army has been much better than expected, Christensen was a dismal failure, Esposito seems to have hit a dead end in his career with back to back season ending knee injuries, and the 1st round pick seems safely on his way to bustville with the MSU Spartans(being outplayed by every single other player on the team that has been drafted)

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What is the point of having talented defenseman when you have a GM and coach who don’t believe in playing defense? We might as well have terrible defenseman when you look at how they are being used.

The problems the Thrashers have are organizational. They have a GM who wants to play run and gun hockey, who hired a coach to play run and gun hockey, and players to play run and gun hockey. The problem is that you cannot win playing run and gun hockey. You have to play defense, you have to hit people, you have to have players with intestinal fortitude, you need to have some players that play mean(something DW avoids like the plague).

When your architect knows nothing about how to build a house, your house is going to be a piece of crap no matter how talented the rest of the crew is.

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Jeff – What do you think about this?… Could Kovy be pulling a Tkachuk?
Could this contract “Snag” be a ruse? Meaning that Waddell and Ilya have already reached a tentative agreement on a 10 year deal. Let’s assume that Kovy is telling the truth that he wants to stay in Atlanta and stay with the same team his whole career. And let’s assume that he really want’s to win a cup at some point in his career. He knows that the Thrashers are not capable of winning a cup this year (or even playoff material). Why not get traded at the deadline for a top prospect(s) and first round pick? Would this not improve the Thrashers future for the next 10 years along with some of the young talent already in the system? On July 1st he then formally signs with the Thrashers. Maybe this is why he is somewhat “dogging” it of late (saving himself for the playoffs this year – on another team, as well as the Olympics). Don’t forget that Tkachuk was somewhat of a mentor to Ilya when he was here. Maybe Ilya learned something from him.

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I smell leftover meatloaf…

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I will have to say I disagree with parts of this article and comments. First off, Jeff Schultz, good article and made me do some thinking. I think hockey can and will survive in Atlanta. I am from South Georgia have no hockey roots. I am the only real fan in my family. I love it though and have turned it on to several friends and family. I do not feel the ASG or Don Waddell is to blame. The team may move but if it does it is 100% the players fault. For those of us who have started following the Thrashers here, have done so with no other hockey experience (original Georgians that is) and feel that the Phillips Arena experience is wonderful. My disgust with this team is their lack of energy and heart. This year they simply have the talent to contend. They gave us a great product at the beginning of the year and have turned it off. The Captain hasn’t been resigned. So what he is payed to play until the end of the year, or he is traded. So I blame him for his coasting. It is not the contract or lack there of, it is not the coach, the GM, it is his fault. The coach can coach but he can’t make you give a darn. I have read the memorable moments about Kovy that’s been posted lately. The top ones are pointing at Sid the kid on the PP goal, the fight with McCabe, and the charge on Ian White. Yall remember that Kovy. Passionate, tough to play against, and would fire the crowd and his team up like no other captain. Now he ain’t doing it. Whose fault is it……his. It is not all him the whole team needs a fire lit under their behinds, but what if his first shift he just lit that fire with a bone crushing hit or a fight from the team captain for no other reason than because he is pissed off to be loosing. I hope he gets with the program or they bring someone else in to do the trick. I wish, and I know it probably will not happen but I again wish the blogs would turn to an accountability for the players and coaches and would stray away from the GM and the ASG. If I was Don Waddell I would be pissed off. I pay this kind of money and all yall do is go out there and skate in circles around the blue line while the other team blast pucks in our net. He needs to start selling the tickets to the players because of late all they amount to is spectators. Just my thoughts I am know expert just a fan that wants hockey to survive in Georgia.

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Jeff, apologies for being late to your hockey blog. I want to float this idea: You say that hockey in Atlanta needs a face. I agree. But why can’t that face be, “A team concept?” In other words, that in the post-Kovalchuk era, the best player on the Thrashers … is THEIR WHOLE TEAM.

I realize, I should clarify that. Suppose, for the sake of argument, Atlanta actually got a real GM who knew how to build a playoff team, capable of advancing DEEP into the playoffs? Still with me. And let’s just say, that the IDENTITY and STRATEGY of the team were “Team Speed and Team Toughness, with an emphasis on playing defense.” And that the 12 forwards were essentially puck battlers/grinders, who were all capable of potting 16-22 goals a year, each being paid at an average of $2.75 million apiece?

Would that be a “problem?” I mean, in terms of the FACE of the franchise not being ONE PLAYER named KOVALCHUK? It would be a DEPTH strategy. And from that point forward, the point of the draft would be to find more of the players who “fit the system” of “Team Speed/Team Toughness/Team Defense.” And that, also, would be the focus of waiver wire claims, trades, and free agent signings.

I’m really interested in your reply. And I’m sorry I missed this blog when it first posted. I’ve been traveling.

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Very late to the party (some party serving crapball sandwiches), but Jeff, aren’t you being a wee bit irresponsible by buying into this myth that the Thrashers may be sold?? Unless there is an “out clause” allowing them to sell to someone who is willing to pay back the $90 M in lost naming rights revenue from Philips when the team is moved. Perhaps you should polish up on the subject by consulting your old pal Craig Custance, who has been one of the few adamant voices that the Thrashers are not and will not go anywhere anytime soon! And besides, Kovy could sign a 3 or 4 yr deal for $10 M + per year and still have time to get a new deal with a contender before his career ends. Too bad his agent probably won’t let him pull a “Tkachuk” like an above poster stated.

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Those demanding that Ilya be signed for all the money he wants will most certainly be the same ones heard screaming when the salary cap decreases and the team is financially “tied-up”, with 20% of the team’s salry going to one player.

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I said it before and I’ll say it again – trade ‘em. If he wanted to sign he would have. Waddell and the owners will really prove their worth when we see the roster of players we get on the other side of the trade.
I don’t buy the notion pushed by this columnist and others that the team needs to win now. What they do need to do is show ‘relevance’ like Smith and Dimitroff are trying to do with the Falcons.
We have a very skilled young nucleus. Package Kozlov with Kovalchuk and get 4 players, 2 young NHLers, 1 minor leaguer and a draft pick or 2 draft picks and say thank you very much.
I know you think I sound like Don Cherry but again, mark my words – hockey is the ultimate team sport. If you have the perception that a ‘me guy’ is your leader – you’re cooked. You’re kidding yourself if you think you can put 20% of your compensation on 1 player and have a healthy team environment.

Mike

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I’ve told you people for years that this franchise would not succeed in Atlanta, and no one believed me. Well, believe this……..Ilya Kovalchuk will be traded within a matter of days, and that, combined with the worst GM and ownership in the history of the league, FINALLY spells the end of the NHL in Atlanta. NO WAY in heaven OR hell does that franchise survive another year down there once Kovalchuk is gone. My GOD, they don’t draw any fans as it is, what will that place look like when the only player worth paying to see is no longer there??? Look at the talent that has bolted from this team…….Heatley, Savard, Hossa….now Kovalchuk. True hockey superstars DO NOT want to make their living in Atlanta, Georgia! And for those of you saying the Phoenix situation means Atlanta keeps their team, too? WRONG! Bettman won that war, but was severely wounded in the process. He has powerful enemies that are building in number with each passing day. If he wants to remain commish, he will inevitably have to cave and admit that certain markets – such as Atlanta – are completely unstable and therefore unsustainable in correlation with the NHL. He’ll never admit it, of course…..and will spin the Thrashers move to KC, Seattle, or Canada as something for “the good of the league”, but he WILL step aside and let the moving trucks back up when Kovalchuk leaves and the ASG has ZERO marketing power remaining for this franchise………a franchise that was doomed to failure from the first faceoff forward. The NHL in Atlanta will once again be a nostalgic trivia question by the 2011-12 season.

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Bradley, your South Georgia non-hockey roots show like a blonde’s at Phipps. I’m not a Trashers fan, but it’s clear that the problem with this team is organizational. It does not matter how talented or skilled your roster is (in the Trashers’ case, it is neither). If your ownership is dysfunctional, your entire infrastructure is flawed, like building your house on a foundation of sand. It all trickles down from there.

Ownership believes that the correct GM is in place in DW, yet he makes boneheaded move after boneheaded move. Is this franchise rebuilding, or is it trying to contend? You can’t do both simultaneously, yet DW wants to try anyway. As mentioned by others here, he has drafted some pretty good pieces to build upon (Bogosian, Kane, et al), yet he overpays for free agents who supposedly are going to put this team over the hump and into the playoffs, and trades away other critical building pieces (Coburn).

Then, the incompetent GM hires an incapable coach, and you wonder why the players play with no heart? It all starts from the top. This is the culture they’ve cultivated, and without a change in philosophy, it will continue regardless of who plays for it.

This team needs to decide what direction they want to go, and commit the resources necessary to follow it through. If you want the team to win now, you’ve got to get the coach and the players to get that done, and OWNERSHIP must be willing to spend the money to enact it. Saying you want to win now, yet spending at the bottom of the league in salaries is disingenuous and a slap to Atlanta hockey fans. Of course, by going this direction, you compromise your team’s future.

If the team decides it wants to build a long-term winner, which is the correct direction for the franchise at this time, then you need to follow the blueprints used by the Blackhawks, Penguins and Capitals (Go Caps!) among others. First, you need OWNERSHIP to understand that the team will be a losing one for the next several years. Fans are already used to this anyway. Then, ownership needs to hire a GM who knows how to build an organization (and that includes building a winning minor league farm system, something most people overlook), and can identify talent. Someone like Ken Holland comes to mind. You stockpile draft picks and develop your talent. Install a coach that players respect and buy into. You’ll lose plenty over the next 2-3 years. You’ll have top-5 draft picks for those years. You pick up a potential franchise player or two. In years 4-6, you’ll start competing for the playoffs, the division, and perhaps even the Cup. You strategically sign free agents to bolster your team. And because you’re still developing your talent in the minors, you’ll enjoy continued success for the next decade and beyond.

IMO, the latter scenario is the path that the Trashers need to take, especially if it wants to draw fans and keep the team in the city. In order to take that path, you cannot shell out for Ilya. He needs to go make his money elsewhere. He’s worth a couple of higher draft picks and a top prospect, if not a bona fide NHL star who isn’t as expensive. This is a good way to start your rebuilding. If you sign him to the money he’s asking for, he’ll cripple the rebuilding effort, and thus the future of this team.

The NHL is full of examples of this blueprint in action, just in the Southeast Division alone. It’s how Tampa and Carolina won their Cups. It’s how the Caps will contend for one. However, the NHL is also full of examples of teams that just don’t get it, and they frustrate their fans to no end. Toronto and the Rangers, for example.

It’s not the players’ fault. They’re riding on the Titanic captained by Bozo the Clown. Until a specific course is charted and successfully navigated by a capable skipper, this boat is headed straight for the iceberg (Blueland??) and the only thing the players can do is sink with it, or jump ship.

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Pucks, this is why I said that ownership must be committed to a rebuilding. The franchise will survive if ASG commits to it; that is, if they know that no one will show up for several years until the team turns the corner. They need to know, up front, that they’re losing that money for long-term gains.

I don’t know, and don’t pretend to know, what the f**k ASG is thinking. If they truly wanted to move, then I have to believe they’d do it with or without 17. If the Trashers staying in the ATL depends on 17, then by all means, sign the pig and resign yourself to life competing for the 8th playoff spot. It would be the wrong move, but I would be in support of the greater good of having a team here so I can continue to watch the Caps when they come to town.

I have seen this movie before in Washington. No one there gave a rat’s patooty about hockey. Once the salary dump took place and guys like Bondra, Jagr, Lang, Gonchar, Grier, Oates, etc. were shipped off, The Phone Booth looked like Philips on a good night. And yes, rumors circulated of an impending franchise move.

No one knew who Ovechkin was when he was drafted, but I literally shed a tear when the pick was made because I knew it was the start of something special. He then tore up the league, we drafted guys like Green, Backstrom, and USA hero John Carlson, and developed guys like Semin and Laich. Now The Phone Booth is sold out nightly, and the Caps are the toast of Washington (doesn’t hurt that the Wizards are thugs and the Redskins are putrid).

Leonsis is the best owner in hockey behind Ilitch, and behind his leadership, has built a perennial contender and an outstanding farm system. ASG is no Ted Leonsis.

You are absolutely right that Kovy shouldn’t “want” to stay in Atlanta. Many rumors have him going to Toronto — that would be poetic because they are mired in incompetence, with the added fun of being under the most powerful microscope in the NHL — he’ll wilt under the pressure when he can’t turn the team around by himself. The irony is delicious!

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I would say, if Kovy is gone the same way Waddell let Hossa go – for nothing, Waddell should be gone too. There is no way flap after flap he can keep his job. I am puzzled, how Waddell survived this long as a manager.

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trade kovy and letemin while they are still woth something

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