Thrashers make changes, but did they go far enough? (UPDATED)
Hiring John Anderson was one of Don Waddell's many miscalculations. (Jessica McGowan/AJC)
(Updated below with Rick Dudley quotes)
The man who has been in charge of hockey in Atlanta from day one (and failed) now has an even better title with less responsibility.
His close friend is now the general manager.
Together, they will try to set direction and hire a new coach.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Change is good. Change is needed. Change is the only thing that gives the Thrashers a chance for success and hockey an extended lifeline in Atlanta.
But did the Atlanta Spirit go far enough? Or did ownership just make the easiest, most convenient and least expensive fixes it could make, hoping that this all works out?
Let me start with this: Rick Dudley has a pretty solid reputation as a personnel guy. He acquired several of the players in Tampa Bay that ultimately led to the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup (though he wanted to trade Vincent Lecavalier, which ultimately led to him resigning before the title season). He did good work in Ottawa and Chicago.
But fixing everything here will be a chore. Under Waddell, there has been no consistency in objective or design. The pieces seldom fit. It’s not that every draft and every trade failed. There just seldom seemed to be a plan about what kind of team he was trying to put together. If there was a plan, it wasn’t working.
Worst of all, nobody seemed to care.
Great sports teams have a level of accountability – from owner to general manager, GM to coach, coach to player. This franchise lacks it. It was illustrated again this week when Waddell, in summing up the Thrashers’ ninth playoff-less season in 10 years and scrambling for something positive to say, uttered: “I think we did make some strides this year. I know we’ve heard that before, but we did finish above .500, which is something we haven’t been able to do.”
He should know better. The Thrashers’ record of 35-34-13 ranked 23rd in the NHL and, in reality, was anything but above .500. That third category in the NHL standings is a loss category, for overtimes and shootouts. If the Thrashers were above .500, then 23 of 30 teams were above .500.
Is that the standard now?
There are several problems here, problems bigger than the names on the door. Here are three:
♦ Player development is a problem because of the Thrashers’ dysfunctional relationship with their minor-league affiliate, the Chicago Wolves (AHL). The Thrashers don’t operate the Wolves. Their owner, Don Levin, is more concerned about winning games than helping develop players the right way for Atlanta.
♦ Coach John Anderson had to go. He’s a nice guy but he was hired on the cheap. It was obvious at the time, even if ownership and blind Thrashers’ loyalists refused to acknowledge it. He’s not an NHL coach and proved it. There have long been rumors about the Club Med atmosphere around the team under Anderson. Bob Hartley never should have been fired. The problem wasn’t Hartley, it was the players in the locker room. Dudley/Waddell need an experienced coach, a proven winner, with an edge. The team lacks discipline and structure.
♦ I want to see ownership make a true commitment. If it takes money to turn the Thrashers into a winner – be it with a coaching hiring, a free agent signing or improving scouting and player development – let’s see it. There’s a reason the good teams are always good and the Thrashers are always the Thrashers.
Give Dudley credit: at least he understands the issues. When asked about the team’s attendance problems and rumors of a franchise move, he said, “In Chicago that first year, I think I could shake hands with everybody in the crowd. Now you can’t get in. You can’t sell tickets to a bad product.”
Regarding the team’s on-ice fortunes this year and next, he said: “We thought we should make the playoffs this year so obviously we think we should make the playoffs next year. I think we’re at a point now where we can evolve into something pretty good.”
He also believes the team needs to acquire a top-6 forward to make up for the loss of Ilya Kovalchuk.
If the Thrashers ultimately move, it won’t be because the sport failed, it will be because the franchise failed. There’s no reason for that to happen. There’s no reason stars like Kovalchuk or Marian Hossa should want to leave. There’s no reason a team should be turned into a cartoon by bringing in a relic like Chris Chelios.
Change is needed. We’ll see if this was enough.
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160 comments Add your comment
Darkhorse
April 14th, 2010
11:21 am
Step in the right direction. The only way Waddell is gone is if the owners are too. That’s at the top of my Christmas list. Best case scnerio about today’s changes are if the ASG don’t let Waddell get in the way of what Dudley wants to do. Waddell needs to be McKayed like the Falcons did.
Smoothie
April 14th, 2010
11:21 am
I like “hi Bob!” as a man and he was / is a solid coach. But it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to bring him back. Dudley’s promotion to GM hopefully will mean a paradigm shift in philosophy. We’ve already seen that in some of the moves he’s made since becoming Assoc GM with the drafting of Klingberg, the acquisition of Kubina and the flyer they decided to take on Patrice Cormier. Hopefully, a player like Nino Neidereiter, a 6′2″, 210 lb net crasher, will fall to us at # 8 and then Duds can do something with NJ’s first round pick from the Ilya trade. Of course, we’ll need some help from Philly in the form of a first round upset of the Devils.
Mr. Heat Miser
April 14th, 2010
11:21 am
Working for the ASG is kinda like working for the government. Screw up enough and you get promoted.
Hollywould
April 14th, 2010
11:22 am
Well, I guess it is time for me to show the pics of Waddel and the asg. Seriously, how does the guy keep a job here? Hopefully, as president(PRESIDENT, CAN U BELIEVE IT) maybe waddel is no longer involved in drafting, free agents, coaching, blue crew, philips tv’s that don’t work and fill in the blanks.
I still believe Anderson got a raw deal. perhaps he could not make changes on the fly but if you have new players all the time it does handicap certain things just like in every other sport.
first?
April 14th, 2010
11:23 am
There is a hockey team in Atlanta. Who would have ever thunk it…
first?
April 14th, 2010
11:24 am
Where do they play?
Jeff Schultz
April 14th, 2010
11:24 am
Whitaker77 — Discipline. Accountability. Doesn’t have to be a complete hard-a** but can’t be soft like Anderson. Also needs to understand the players he has on the roster. I know, that’s generic. I’ll throw one name out there of a guy who did a pretty good job in Edmonton: Craig MacTavish. Not saying he’s my first choice (or if I have a first choice) but their teams attacked and you always knew what you were getting game to game. I attribute most of Oilers’ problems to a lack of personnel. They had NO money for players. But they did make it to the finals one year. Just a thought.
JT10
April 14th, 2010
11:28 am
Good 1st move.
One more thing. If you want this to be a great hockey town, an NHL hockey town, enough with the Knights already, OK? Good grief, from the National Anthem to this blog. The KNIGHTS WERE A MINOR LEAGUE TEAM.
LET’S ACT LIKE A MAJOR LEAGUE MARKET, OK! WE HAVE AN NHL TEAM PEOPLE!
The only hockey history we have here is the Flames, and they were dang good!
Jim007
April 14th, 2010
11:31 am
DW needs to go too…
Simply need a new direction
Whitaker77
April 14th, 2010
11:36 am
The Knights were a fan favorite for those that could not afford to see the Flames and after the Flames left.
The fact that they are back speaks volumes of how Hockey is growing again here in Georgia, which is great.
But I have to agree ENOUGH with the KNIGHTS crap during the Anthem, there is no class to it. It used to be that people did not even clap after the Anthem as they felt it shows disrespect. Now we have Monkeys yelling KNIGHTS! Because there happens to be the word NIGHT in the Anthem… sad.
polskidawg
April 14th, 2010
11:45 am
100% correct assessment.
The ASG LLC was close, but no cigar.
Smoothie
April 14th, 2010
11:45 am
Jeff – MacT would be a very good hire IMO. The ‘06 Oilers would be a good team after which to model a team. We’ve got the young players to do it and we may have better goaltending depending on a) Pavs’ continued development and b) free agency. Would Turco come to ATL as a mentor and back-up for Pavelec? Then again, perhaps Hedberg’s determination to finish “unfinished business” would be sufficient for the back-up role. I just don’t know if Pavelec is ready for 55-60 games as the starter. That’s a tough one. I say bring in a guy like Dan Ellis and let him challenge Pavelec…let the best goalie win in camp.
Sherry Taylor
April 14th, 2010
11:52 am
I can honestly say I am surprised they aren’t retaining Anderson, et al. Who would’ve thought that? Not me, the Atlanta Spirit seems so unattached to the Thrashers I’m surprised they allowed such a move. That said, they need to get someone BEFORE the draft! Otherwise the coach won’t have any input as to the players they take. I have to agree with Kozlov to an extent in that it seemed everyone in the league knew what the Thrashers were going to do coming up the ice, except the other Thrashers players. I think Anderson tended to ‘tinker’ too much with lines, example, when Kane got hurt, instead of finding someone else who could fit into the line with Slater and Armstrong which was going guns ablazin’ at the time, he tore it all up and messed with all of the lines. You don’t rip something up completely if only one part needs repaired. I also agree that rotating all of the lines all of the time hurt, when you see tow or three are really hot or it is a tight game, you go with what is working. I’d like to see someone, coach, come in that will be able to kick some pads when they get out there on the ice and are lagging. Anderson didn’t seem to be able to rally the troops when they came out under-performing. They would play brilliant (final game against Pittsburgh) for one or two games and then play like amateurs for seven or nine games. That goes to coaching. It would be nice to think that these moves, which seem drastic on the surface, will make a huge difference, but we won’t know that until November. We need someone who is not afraid to lead this team and not bend to personalities. One of the biggest mistakes Waddell made was making the team about Ilya Kovalchuk. Team play is not encouraged when you day after day admit that it is all about one. We need a coach that does NOT have a minor league mentality, which Waddell has and so did Anderson. He, Anderson, favored players who had played with him in Chicago. There’s a reason those players are in Chicago. We need a major league, if you will, minded coach who has a plan and a passion for the sport. I hope Dudley can show us some skills that look even a little bit like Thomas Dimitroff of the Falcons, he has an eye for talent and not afraid to take a chance. (It will be interesting to see what happens in the goalie coach position–well, all of them, really.) Hartley couldn’t coach effectively because of big egos, Kovalchuk and Holick, but on the pro level a great coach finds a way around that. Whatever the results, I think the TEAM is better off and played better after Kovalchuk than with him. But, that’s just one former sports broadcasters humble opinion.
Irish-Heel
April 14th, 2010
11:56 am
Hey Jeff that Oiler team had a lot of young talent that caught fire. Edmonton had talent The Trashers have little to no talent. The term I think that is appropriate is No-Talent @#$ Clowns. As a Canes fan I would like to see the Trashers get Melrose. He can compete with Craig Sager for the shiniest suit in the Atlanta area.
Ace
April 14th, 2010
11:57 am
Bring back the Knights! That was fun to watch live (do people really watch hockey on TV?) and affordable.
Supes
April 14th, 2010
12:00 pm
Fire Don W. What is it going to take? Unreal.
Happy with the other moves. Anderson is a nice guy but not NHL Head Coaching material.
ASG is a JOKE of an ownership group. This team needs ONE individual owner, passionate and committed about building a winning NHL team here in ATL. Not some group of faceless people who were forced to buy the Thrashers b/c it’s the only way to purchase the Hawks.
MrHughes
April 14th, 2010
12:04 pm
This move seems a lot like the Rich McKay GM –> President move. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with this. DW is no longer making personel or drafting decisions. This isn’t a promotion. That’s just marketing talk. He’s lost most of his power and responsability. Only only a promotion in title and/or a lateral move. It’s like running a lemonade stand and counting $ to being the president of marketing and making signage and keeping the books.
The jobs require completely different skill sets.
Moreoever, there’s been a hole since Bernie Mullin left ASG, so there’s a need to have someone that looks over the other aspects of running the Thrashers that is full time and inhouse. I think DW can excel in that role. Clearly, he cares about the team and building a winner. So, I wish him well.
I think JA got jobbed tho. 5 games under .500 isn’t that bad.
Hartley lost the locker room. It was time for him to go. In the end, the team played harder for JA than it did for Hartley. And, my 2nd team is the Avs, so I love Bob Hartley as a coach and jumped for joy when DW brought him to Atlanta.
TheAntiMe
April 14th, 2010
12:05 pm
John Anderson was the coaching equivalent of the player who finally breaks into the pro’s and is just happy to be here. Hopefully, whoever is hired as coach for the Thrashers will be someone who has been around long enough to not just be happy with the status quo.
Oh, and I totally agree. Waddell’s remark about the Thrashers having finished above .500 is pathetically disingenuous. Does he really think that people in Atlanta are so hockey illiterate that they wouldn’t realize that his statement was totally inaccurate? Waddell needs to go back to selling used cars.
JT10
April 14th, 2010
12:09 pm
For you fans that love minor league hockey, go see the Gladiators.
Bob
April 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
The overwhelming response of Atlanta Sports Fans is “Who cares?” We will never support hockey enough to make it a wise investment to be here.
Pi$$onaDAWG
April 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
Let the Hawks and Thrashers go. Football and Baseball seasons are long enough. There are many teams that could your support. UGA, GT, and now GSu have football. UGA, GT, GSU, Kennesaw, and Gwinnett Braves offer Baseball and Softball. UGA, GT, GSU, and KSU have Basketball. There is Hockey in Gwinnett in the burbs were the fans are anyway.
Bruce
April 14th, 2010
12:18 pm
1. Murphy’s Law: In every hierachy each member rises to his own level of incompetance.
2. Somebody get Pat Quinn on the phone, or grovel and get Hartley back!
Flames/ Knights/ Thrashers Fan
April 14th, 2010
12:29 pm
Please get off the Knights fans. Some of us remember when the Flames left, and left a void of hockey for us die hard fans. The Knights were a well run organization that won on the ice (1994 Turner Cup) and won fans in the community. They filled a big gap in the hockey fan’s heart. There were nearly 15,000 of us at the Omni when they beat the Ft Wayne Komets for the Turner Cup.
Now we do have an NHL team, and now that Waddell is “out of the picture”, let’s pack the place next season!
Jeff Schultz
April 14th, 2010
12:32 pm
Irish Heel — Edmonton scouted and brought in great talent but never could keep it because of economics. And a comment on Melrose: Ugh.
Smoothie
April 14th, 2010
12:33 pm
Why in the hell would I support UGA, GaTech or GSU with my hard-earned dollars? College sports is going to hell in a hand-basket. At least with pro sports, there’s accountability, well most of the time unless you are Don Waddell, and you can rightfully criticize paid professionals for screwing up. I’m not going to get caught up in the ups and downs of teenagers playing a sport. I did that in college and now it’s time to focus my appreciation and rancor, if need be, into being a pro sports fan for the city I live in. Too many college fans in this town, most of which don’t even know what the hell they’re talking about when it comes to the team they follow.
Ornery
April 14th, 2010
12:36 pm
Things will not improve until Waddell hits the train tracks. Who has any brains left in the Thrasher organization? Loyalty only buys so much credibility but in this instance, it makes the franchise a joke of major contention. CLEAN HOUSE. Or you’ll wind up like the Flames.
JASon
April 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
Jeff, glad you called him on the b.s. about finishing above .500. Even I know that means nothing in hockey: its points that matter. This nimrod doesn’t realize that in shootouts and ot no loss registers for the losing team. Just look at the standings. What a dope
AtlThrash4404
April 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
Simply spend the cash to make this team what it needs to be lets start spedning at least near the salary cap the Hawks are doing well how about making the Thrashers a priority instead of the stepchild to the Hawks that they have been since day one. Hockey can work in Atlanta and be extremely successful with the ownership supporting it the way they should
Joe Friday
April 14th, 2010
12:40 pm
Well, there’s good news and bad news here. Good news first. Anderson isn’t an NHL coach, it was patently obvious to me from the first time I saw his system that it wouldn’t work in the NHL. It was rinky dink and reeked of Don Waddell’s minor league handling of this club from Day 1, minor league players, hiring minor league coaches in Fraser and Anderson, the one strong guy, Hartley, got the boot because he was given young players, and he’s not a veteran player guy.
Good news also is that we have a new GM, but please be realistic. This is a PR move that we, the fans who have boycotted and left as season ticket holders forced the owners to make, but they didn’t go all in, they did this as PR to blow more smoke up our rears. Waddell is the problem, promoting him to team President is a joke, a horrible business decision further proving these guys have no ability to run pro franchises.
I do not suffer under any delusion that Waddell is going to out of the personnel decisions. Read Dudley’s own words “I look forward to building this organization even further and working closely with Don”
Dudley himself said he’ll be working closely with Don, and that’s the bad news. Waddell is still going to call the shots, all they did was change the title of Dudley by removing associate from the front of GM and they changed Don’s GM to President, but the hierarchy remains the same, Dudley still reports to Waddell and Waddell is still in charge.
Now most of you fellow astute hockey fans also noticed what I did in the past year, and that’s some better personnel decisions being made and we figured it was Dudley giving Waddell some better advice, but some of the same dumb decisions were made (not trading Kovy when it was obvious to everyone but Sara that he was out of here, and it ruined our season, letting the minor league coach run his minor league system, allowing dissent in the locker room).
Mickey Mouse got promoted, and the new GM is still reporting to the same guy and states today that he’s looking forward to working closely with the guy that is the problem.
Oof.
O'Brien
April 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
I will preface this by saying I am not a hockey fan. but as a fan of ATL teams, I would like to see the Thrashers do well.
But why is Waddell still on payroll? 1 playoff appearance in 10 years, and he’s been calling the shots since 1998 (day 1). Hiring and firing different coaches, questionable drafts, questionable trades and questionable signings. And look at where the Thrashers have picked in the first round.
1999 – #1,
2000 – #2
2001 – #1
2002 – #2,
2003 – #8,
2004 – #10
2005 – #16
2006 – #12
2008 – #3
2009 – #4
And this year, they will pick #8.
If this was basketball, the GM would have been fired a long time ago.
I’ll hang up and listen.
Smitty
April 14th, 2010
12:45 pm
Can Waddell stay out of the picture? Dudley is a tough guy. Hopefully he will tell DW to stay upstairs.
Christina Harlan
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
We NEED to fire Don Waddell!! I love hockey and really want to support the team. Is anybody listening? I want to love the Thrashers.
TheAntiMe
April 14th, 2010
1:00 pm
Just for the sake of thinking outside the box, how about Darren Eliot as coach? I’m sure you’ll love that one, Jeff, based on your Barry Melrose comment.
heartofdarkness
April 14th, 2010
1:03 pm
And the answer is… this is Georgia, and mediocrity is good.
Jeff Schultz
April 14th, 2010
1:13 pm
TheAntiMe — Actually, I have a lot of respect for Darren. He’s a bright guy and knows hockey. But I see him more as a guy with GM potential one day than coach because he knows where the problems are, big picture, in the organization. I’ll leave it at that.
Wayne stuck in AL
April 14th, 2010
1:16 pm
The only reason Waddell was bumped up to Team President is because he was the only person the dysfunctional and absentee Atlanta Spirit knew and trusted…Trust me, if Bernie Mullin were still around, not only would Waddell be gone, it would’ve been gone years ago.
TheAntiMe
April 14th, 2010
1:20 pm
lol – Thanks, Jeff, for not calling me stupid.
DWTOO
April 14th, 2010
1:25 pm
Anderson had to go. Dudley will want to bring in his man.
oldfart
April 14th, 2010
1:25 pm
Who does Waddell have pictures of?
Sherry Taylor
April 14th, 2010
1:39 pm
Hey Jeff, How about a Scotty Bowman? Is there one around the league that isn’t retired?
Archie
April 14th, 2010
1:41 pm
Jeff, you asked what becomes of companies that promote incompetent people… well they become the Falcons. Does the name Rich McKay ring a bell? The Falcons made the EXACT same move two years ago and everyone praised the move as the smartest thing the Falcons ever did, yet when the Thrashers do it people say it’s nothing but a dysfunctional ownership group making bad decisions. There’s a severe double standard at play here. The similarities between Rich McKay and Don Waddell are astounding, and that’s before the moves announced today. Both made bad decisions in hiring/firing coaches. Both made terrible late round draft picks. Both traded away first round picks for aging or marginally talented players. Both are well liked and known around the league for being great administrative and business minds, but not so for their personnel decisions.
What I’m getting at here is what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If the move worked for the Falcons, then it can work for the Thrashers. The latest chapter just isn’t finished yet because Dudley hasn’t hired a coach and staff yet.
Also, as for minor league affiliates, while the Thrashers may not have the greatest relationship with their AHL team, it’s less common than you think for NHL teams to own their minor league affiliates. There are less AHL teams than NHL, and many AHL teams have two NHL affiliates. So not owning your AHL affiliate isn’t the biggest handicap in the world, plenty of NHL teams are successful without it. The Buffalo Sabres don’t own theirs (they were one of the double affiliates), and they’re regarded as having one of the best development systems in the NHL.
Hindu Elvis Pimp
April 14th, 2010
2:08 pm
Is Boom Boom Geofreion still dead?
Hindu Elvis Pimp
April 14th, 2010
2:09 pm
I think I spelled his name wrong…..I can’t help it…..I’m Hindu Elvis Pimp!
Flintstone v Rubble
April 14th, 2010
2:11 pm
Be easy on McKay. He did quite a bit of good. He got two second round picks for a QB that was never going to play here. It’s all too easy to pile on someone. If you do, make it a point to state why instead of following the crowd.
who cares
April 14th, 2010
2:13 pm
They need to chagne their name to the KNIGHTS. No BIRD team has ever won a championship. Hawks-No Eagles/Cardinals.Seahawks/Falcons-NO.
Get rid of the Basketball team-it’s a thug league anyway. Don’t need the gold club hip hop boys with their pants on the ground coming to atlanta any way. the KNIGHTS won a Championship and if it weren’t for teh omni being blown up-they’d still be here. Atlanta is a COLLEGE town just like the college towns of alabama and NC. The bobcats? give me a break-there are more peopel at the Charlotte Checkers game than those clowns.
timthebrave
April 14th, 2010
2:20 pm
What’s the next 5 year plan? Hopefully it involves 1 f%^$^$& playoff win
timthebrave
April 14th, 2010
2:21 pm
Build a winner and people will come
Duke in Dahlonega
April 14th, 2010
2:24 pm
W.I.N.N.I.P.E.G.
Paul From Milton
April 14th, 2010
2:24 pm
One of the best columns I have ever read from you, Jeff. The analysis is spot on, especially the section on accountability from the top to the bottom of the organization. Atlanta may well lose the Thrashers and its a shame because it doesn’t have to happen.
Archie
April 14th, 2010
2:24 pm
I wasn’t even being hard on McKay, or Waddell. I think they’re very similar in that their skillsets are more suited to administrative and business aspects of pro sports and not as much on the personnel and scouting aspects. That’s not a knock on either guy, I think they were both in positions where they were excellent at one half of their job duties and sub-par at the other half.
However, because this town isn’t a non-traditional football market, nobody ever blamed the Falcons struggles on not being a “football town”. So it’s a double standard when the hockey team in town has the same trouble that every other team in this town had at one point or another yet blame it on being a non-traditional hockey market.