• AJC - Armstrong gets used to Atlanta
• Atlantathrashers.com – From the Press Box; Thrashers-Islanders recapped
• AJC.com - Thrashers-Islanders photo gallery
• NHL.com - Caps, Thrashers lead NHL wheeling and dealing
• AJC - ISLANDERS 5, THRASHERS 4 (OT): Loss stings after big rally
• Gwinnett Daily Post - Playoff hopes fade for Thrashers
• AJC.com – Thrashers Blog: A new mayor for Blueland
• ESPN.com - NHL Top 15 Player Rankings - Week 20; Ilya Kovalchuk listed
• NHL.com - The Opening Faceoff: Trophy Tracker; Tobias Enstrom mentioned (scroll)
• THN.com - Waddell corrects 2007 deadline mistakes
• AP - Islanders edge Thrashers in overtime
• New York Newsday - Islanders win on Hunter's goal in overtime; Thrashers-Islanders recapped

I highly recommend Craig Custance's article on Colby Armstrong.

"This is a great opportunity for them to come in and establish themselves."

So said Mark Recchi after the morning skate today when talking about Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen. The consensus among Recchi, Chris Thorburn and Joel Kwiatkoswki, who all played with Armstrong and Christensen in Pittsburgh, is that both players will be well-loved in Atlanta and will thrive in their new roles. Armstrong is the more outgoing of the pair and plays a more physical role, while Erik Christensen is a high-skill player who the other three former Penguins said was under-utilized in Pittsburgh.

"They had him flipping around on wing and all of that," said Recchi. "He's not a winger. He's just a natural centerman. Very high skill level. He shoots the puck great. He passes the puck great. He's a strong skater and good kid. He's going to be asked to play every power play and be an offensive player and I think you're going to see him thrive here."

Christensen and Armstrong will get a prime opportunity to showcase their skills tonight at home when the Thrashers host the Islanders. The pair will play together on the second line with Eric Perrin as the middle lines get a bit of a makeover.

Kovalchuk will stay with Todd White and Mark Recchi on the first line, Eric Perrin will play left wing with Christensen in the middle and Armstrong on the right side of the second line, Kozlov and Holik stay together with Bryan Little to their right and the checking line of Boulton, Slater and Thorburn stays intact. Brad Larsen, Mark Popovic and Steve McCarthy are tonight's healthy scratches. Kwiatkowski will play with Exelby as the defensive pairings remain unchanged from Tuesday night. Here is your updated lines chart.

Christensen will also play on the top power play unit, along with Bryan Little, Mark Recchi, Ilya Kovalchuk and Toby Enstrom. Armstrong was one of Pittsburgh's top penalty-killers so he'll see plenty of ice time doing the same here in Atlanta.

Check the video player for Don Waddell's media scrum. It should be up shortly. The one thing I got Don to address which hadn't been mentioned by any other media is whether or not a fourth alternate captain will be named. At this point there are no plans to name one but that doesn't mean it won't happen if the coaching staff feel it's needed.

For those who are curious about these sorts of things, Colby Armstrong took over the locker room stall used by Marian Hossa and Erik Christensen is in a stall between Eric Boulton and Slava Kozlov.

Answer the question below and send your response to thrashers.mailbag@atlantaspirit.com by 2 pm and you could be a winner. Please read all of the rules below. Good luck.

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The Thrashers didn't practice today due to flight delays that kept them from getting home until close to 5am, but that didn't stop Colby Armstrong (known in Pittsburgh as Army) and Erik Christensen from taking to the ice for 20 minutes on their own. They got in last night (they flew during the Thrashers game in Montreal so they didn't see the loss) and were anxious to stretch their legs so they put on their new gear and put in a somewhat awkward on-ice workout. Armstrong commented afterwards that it was weird skating with just the two of them on the ice, but he was blown away with how nice the practice facility was. Apparently Pittsburgh's practice rink isn't anything special, and Atlanta's is one of the better in the league, especially for one its age.

After speaking to the media (look for them on the evening news tonight, including 11Alive) Armstrong and Christensen met a few of their teammates who were trickling in for off-ice workouts (despite the cancelled practice some guys have trouble staying away from the week). The new guys were excited to learn that their old teammate Joel Kwiatkowski was still around, and they already knew Chris Thorburn and Mark Recchi. Armstrong also knows Mark Popovic somehow, but I'll have to look in to the connection there (probably a Team Canada tie). After chatting with some of the players about game day habits, team dress codes, tickets, and other things that are good to know as an incoming player Armstrong and Christensen left with Mark Recchi who is quickly taking them under his wing. Armstrong and Christensen were both drafted by the Penguins and neither one was expecting to get dealt. They're leaving a lot of friends behind in Pittsburgh and having someone they know like Mark Recchi in the locker room is going to make the transition a whole lot easier for them. Not only do they know him well from Pittsburgh, but he has been traded enough times that he can give them some advice on how to deal with it.

Later in the afternoon Don Waddell addressed the media and took questions about the trade (more on that in an article going up later tonight). Waddell wasn't able to say exactly where Armstrong and Christensen will fit in the lineup, but expect the lines to have a different look. Here's what he did share:

• Colby Armstrong will play on the right wing on a yet-to-be determined line (my guess would be the third line in the spot cleared by Stuart being sent to Chicago today)
• Christensen can play any forward position but is a natural center. He'll be playing on the second line tomorrow night with undetermined linemates.
• Bryan Little thoroughly impressed Don Waddell last night and earned the right to play again against the Islanders.
• Waddell likes the way Kovy, White and Recchi have played together lately, but he may break that line up.

If you can dig through all of those hints and come up with a lineup you're one step ahead of me.

Finally (for now), if you were curious about what numbers the new players will be wearing Christensen will wear 9 and Armstrong is going with 19. Both players will play tomorrow night.

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone trade breakdowns are popping up. You can never filly judge a trade until you see how the acquired pieces fit into their new roles but the early reviews are good based on the quotes below:

Ross McKeon on Yahoo!:

"[Don Waddell] said he wouldn’t deal pending unrestricted free agent Marian Hossa unless he could get players who could help right now, and he did that in fleecing Pittsburgh for Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen, which doesn’t mention prospect Angelo Esposito, who could emerge as a player in a year or two."

From TSN:

"Considering the virtual inevitability that Marian Hossa was heading for unrestricted free agency, the Thrashers brought in a substantial haul of talent
in return."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (it's always a good sign when the paper in the other team's city is unhappy):

"This flies directly in the face of the philosophy the Penguins supposedly have as far not giving up too much of the future for the present."

ESPN's Scott Burnside (who doesn't routinely go out of his way to compliment Don Waddell):

"As for Atlanta GM Don Waddell, he pulled off a strong deal in difficult circumstances."

Sportsnet's Jim Kelly-

"That's a great player for Pittsburgh and Atlanta got two good players off a very good roster, a highly-regarded prospect in Esposito and a
first-rounder for what could well be a rental player if the Penguins can't find the money to sign Hossa. When it comes to players you can't sign that's
good value indeed."

AP via SI.com:

"Still, the price Pittsburgh paid for Hossa was unusually high on a day when name players were routinely dealt for draft picks. The Penguins, for example, also picked up 6-foot-7 defenseman Hal Gill from Toronto for second- and fifth-round picks.

For Hossa, the Penguins gave up two quality young forwards in Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen; 19-year-old Angelo Esposito, last year's first-round pick and this year's first-rounder. Once the draft is over, Atlanta will have acquired four players from Pittsburgh who are 25 or younger.""

Toronto Star:

"Pittsburgh sent forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick to Atlanta, a team that didn't want to see Hossa walk for nothing this summer. The Penguins also picked up Pascal Dupuis. The price for Hossa was steep." (Emphasis added)

Chicago Tribune:

"The Penguins paid a big price to get a player who will become a free agent on July 1, dealing two of their top forwards, plus 2007 first-round draft pick Angelo Esposito and a future first-round draft pick" (Emphasis added)

Boston Globe:

"It's expensive," [Boston GM] Chiarelli said of the price Pittsburgh paid. "[Hossa] is a very good player. It's expensive. It rivals, if not exceeds, the going price for [Keith] Tkachuk and [Peter] Forsberg last year."

Breaking things down on the statistical level is the ever reliable Falconer who has a nose for numbers. He takes a look at both the roles of the new players and the monetary implications of the trade. His first post on the trade was titled "Two Thumbs Up" so it's pretty clear how he feels.

Some more news- as you may have heard three players were called up from Chicago today in case they were needed. all three of them will play tonight. Watch the game on SportSouth to see what the lines are going to look like, but Bryan Little, Colin Stuart and Joel Kwiatkowski will all play. Little and Stuart fill the forward spots vacated by Hossa and Dupuis and Joel Kwiatkowski steps in on defense. Mark Popovic and Alexei Zhitnik Steve McCarthy will both be healthy scratches.

Flying under the radar was a deal between Atlanta and Washington swapping Alex Giroux for Joe Motzko. Motzko was Hershey's leading scorer this season (21 goals, 27 assists) and should fit right in with the high-octane Wolves in Chicago where he's headed for now.

Here are the player pages for the new acquisitions from Pittsburgh so you can read up on them. Armstrong and Christensen are tentatively expected at practice tomorrow (pending travel arrangements) while Esposito will stay with the Quebec Remparts where he's playing out his junior career.

• Colby Armstrong
• Erik Christensen
• Angelo Esposito (Hockey's Future profile)

More analysis will come, but so far I'm thrilled with this deal. Hossa was and is an incredible player, and Pascal Dupuis added a lot to this team, but you have to step back to really analyze this trade. Waddell was able to deal two pending unrestricted free agents for two young roster players who are under contract through next season and who are restricted free agents after that. To get a top-level prospect and a first round pick in a deep draft on top of that is some high quality gravy. Hossa's offense (and defense) will be missed but don't count out what Armstrong and Christensen can add. I've been listening to TSN all day and they're questioning whether Pittsburgh paid too much to get Hossa and Dupuis. Likewise with Sportsnet. Various sites will publish their trade report cards over the next 48 hours and I have a feeling they will speak highly of what Waddell accomplished.

• Atlantathrashers.com- Streaming video of TSN's trade show, compliments of the NHL Network.
• NHL.com- Completed trades list (they won't break stories but it's a handy list)
• TSN.ca- Jay Onrait's blog (the man is funny and it'll be a nice distraction from the chaos)
• NHLnumbers.com- Salary and contract length breakdowns for every team
• Thrashers message boards- A lot of crazy and wildly inaccurate things will be said on there today. It's my job to make sure people don't get too crazy.

I'm going to be doing my best to get you Thrashers trade news before it gets to the media, but given that the team is in Montreal that's going to be tough. I can't make any promises.

Your daily links from the weekend:

• AJC (2/25) - Canadian spotlight falls on Hossa
• AJC (2/24) - MAPLE LEAFS 3, THRASHERS 1: Hossa frustrated by another loss
• AJC (2/24) – Thrashers Report
• AJC (2/24) - INSIDE THE NHL: Season could grow 2 games; Don Waddell quoted
• AJC.com – Thrashers Blog: Hossa offers heating up
• TSN.ca (2/22)- Thrashers now expected to shop Hossa
• Sportsnet.ca (2/23) - Waddell almost certain Hossa to be dealt
• Toronto Sun (2/24) – A Thrasher, for now; Marian Hossa quoted
• Yahoo Sports - Fun just beginning as trade deadline nears; Holik, Waddell quoted (scroll)
• Sportsnet.ca - Calm before the storm; Don Waddell quoted
• Vancouver Province - Mixed fortunes for former Canucks; McCarthy, Hedberg quoted
• NHL.com - Southeast: Prospal trying to keep Lightning close; Hossa, Lehtonen mentioned (scroll)
• New York Newsday - Rangers' vets unconcerned about trade deadline; Pascal Dupuis mentioned
• USA Today - Reviewing the past dozen NHL trade deadlines; Thrashers mentioned
• USA Today - Richards emerges at center of trade deadline talk; Thrashers mentioned
• AP - If it's his Toronto finale, Sundin skates off a winner; Thrashers-Leafs recapped
• National Post - Sundin, Steen propel Leafs past Thrashers

It's not going to be an easy day to concentrate on any work-related tasks, and tomorrow is pretty much going to be written off for any work that isn't trade-related. I don't know who is getting dealt and I don't know when, but I'm fully expecting some moves between now and 3pm tomorrow and in all likelihood someone is going to offer Don Waddell a package for Marian Hossa that's just too good to turn down. With Sundin saying he won't waive his no-trade clause Hossa is the biggest name on the market, so it's going to be interesting to see what transpires. I'm on pins and needles just like most of you are, and as soon as I have something that I'm allowed to share you'll know.

After last night's loss in Carolina JP Dellacamera asked Darren Eliot if there were any positives to take away form the game. Darren paused for a moment before replying that really weren't any. I'm not inclined to disagree, although the Thrashers did show some marginal improvement over Saturday night's loss that saw that fall behind 4-0 before they scored. At least they showed some fight last night and battled back to make it 1-1, and then 3-2 before finally giving up the ghost. This isn't the time of the year where you can happy with marginal improvements though, and this team needs to figure out how to play an opening period before they take to to the ice in Toronto tomorrow night.

The deeply buried silver lining is that Eric Perrin has five points during his four-game point streak and has tied his career-high of 36 points. He now sits tied for third in team scoring (with Todd White). That's great for Perrin, who deserves all the credit in the world for carving out a role for himself here in Atlanta, but it's also reason for some concern. With all due respect to Eric, he shouldn't be the most consistent forward on the team and it probably says something about how things are going for other players when Perrin is tied for third in scoring. Ilya looks like he's feeling better and his line contributed two goals last night (Recchi and White) so there's reason for optimism on that front, but the pressure is really on the veterans and stars to step up and lead this team to the playoffs.  It goes without saying that no team should expect to win when they routinely give up 40 shots a game, so everyone needs to clamp down on defense without sacrificing offense. One issue the Thrashers have struggled with this season is working together as a unit. When things go badly the forwards wait for the defense to get them the puck while the defense waits for the forwards to come back and help them. both groups need to communicate and be more in tune with what their teammates are doing.

Hopefully Darren Eliot is right and the funk that this team is in will lift once the Marian Hossa situation is resolved, whether it's via a new contract, a trade, or the knowledge that he's here through the end of the season. We'll know in four days, if not sooner.

As for my comment yesterday that any forward that didn't take a shot should have to walk to Toronto- the only guys to be held shotless were the fourth line of Larsen, Thorburn and Boulton. I think I'll let that crew on the plane, even though they were a combined -5. It certainly wasn't one of their better nights, but they've been consistent for the bulk of the season.

Your daily links

• Highlights: Hurricanes 5, Thrashers 3
• AJC - HURRICANES 5, THRASHERS 3: Struggles on defense continue
• AJC – Thrashers Report
• AJC.com – Thrashers Blog: Marian Mythbusters
• AP - Thrashers let chance slip by
• Raleigh News & Observer - Canes get key win against Thrashers
• ESPN.com – Thrashers-Hurricanes video highlights

Your (late) daily links;

• AP: - Thrashers/Hurricanes preview
• AJC - THRASHERS: Division not grand, but beating teams within it is
• AJC - Too much is being asked of Lehtonen
• NHL.com - Experience eases deadline jitters; Don Waddell quoted
• Raleigh News & Observer – Eye on the Hurricanes; Thrashers-Hurricanes previewed
• AJC.com – Thrashers Blog: Waddell: Nothing on the table I’m considering
• Hockey's Future: Thrashers NCAA Prosect Update

If you're wondering how our college kids are doing I recommend Holly Gunning's Hockey's Future article. A friend of mine used to teach at North Dakota and he knew a lot of the hockey players quite well since a lot of them were in his classes. If I remember right he was a big Rylan Kaip fan.

On to the game tonight- no major changes for the lineup. Given that he's been the Thrashers' best player night in and night out since the All-Star Game, Kari Lehtonen gets the start. Alexei Zhitnik is over the flu and is back in the lineup, so Mark Popovic is out. No changes up front that I know of- at least not to the actual  lineup. I can't vouch for the lines since the morning skate was in Raleigh and I'm here in Atlanta.

I'm not one to throw around terms like "Must win" and Biggest game of the year" but tonight's game is big. Really big. The Hurricanes have a three point lead over the Thrashers atop the Southeast Division and a regulation win for them tonight puts them five points up on the Thrashers. That's not an easy gap to overcome, even with 20 games left in the season. A regulation win by Atlanta closes the gap to one point and could have them nipping at the heels of some of those teams (Boston, Philly, Buffalo) that are fighting for the eight place spot. I agree with Don Waddell- I think two teams from the Southeast can make it into the playoffs. with all of the division games coming up to end the season all it would take is for one or two teams to post a solid record against their own division. If Atlanta and Washington beat up on Tampa and Florida they could separate themselves from the pack. Likewise, if Boston and Buffalo struggle against their own division late in the season they could drop out of the race.

A few things to look (and hope) for tonight:

• Faceoffs. Rod Brind'Amour is out and Matt Cullen is the only other accomplished faceoff man on the team. Look for Bobby Holik to have a strong night taking draws. He hasn't lost more than 50% of his faceoffs in a game in more than a month.
• Score first. Score often. The Thrashers have struggled mightily to put up goals lately, but games against the Hurricanes tend to be good remedies for Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Kovy has 7 points in 4 games against the Canes this year (and 42 in 34 career games) and Hossa has 6 points in those 4 games- including 5 goals.
• A balanced attack. It seems that the thrashers have had trouble getting everyone rolling at the same time this season, most notably the Hossa and Kovalchuk lines. If both of those lines can get on the scoresheet while the third and fourth lines contribute the Thrashers will be in great shape.
• Shoot! 10 shots in a game is embarrassing. If nothing else the Thrashers should come out with an eagerness to shoot every time they touch the puck. Any forward that doesn't register a shot tonight (or at least one that gets blocked) should have to walk to Toronto for Saturday's game.

What are your thoughts?

By the way, have you ever wondered how the Thrashers are doing compared to where they were at this time last season? Or the season before? Well now you can know. Swap out the team name in the URL and you can bring up the same stat for any team in the league.

Your daily links:

• AJC.com - Goalie's home only hints at his profession (photo gallery); Kari Lehtonen featured
• AJC.com - Goalie's home reveals only hints of hockey; Kari Lehtonen featured
• AJC - THRASHERS: Hossa not only target of trade deadline talk
• The Sporting News - Forward thinking: Heatley not looking back; Ilya Kovalchuk quoted
• AJC.com – Thrashers Blog: Dupuis looking for long-term deal
• Winnipeg Sun - Glitz from the Ritz ... the deadline dirt; Thrashers mentioned
• Ottawa Sun - Can't make a deal; Don Waddell mentioned

The first two links on Kari Lehtonen's house are definitely worth taking a look at if you're curious about how a a 24 year old millionaire goalie lives.

It's the most exciting time of the year and at the same time the most maddening.

We all know that trades are going to be made around the league and odds are the Thrashers will be involved to some degree. With a week to go until the trade deadline something could happen at any time. Don Waddell could wait until next Tuesday to pull the trigger on a deal or he could pull something off by the time you finish reading this post. You never know.

And that's just it. Rumor hounds are having a field day trying to predict who will end up where and who's available versus who isn't, but when it comes to the Thrashers nothing is clear. That's Don Waddell's style.

In the three seasons I've been doing this job I can't think of a single time when the Thrashers were heavily rumored to be involved in talks for a player that they actually got. Maybe Keith Tkachuk, but nobody thought Atlanta was a front-runner in that bidding war. Don Waddell has a knack for keeping things under wraps, and that's why I don't put any stock in any of the rumors swirling around the Thrashers. Odds are the deals you read about ahead of time aren't the ones that are going to happen. That's the rule of thumb in general with the NHL and it definitely applies to the Thrashers.

The only reason to leak a possible trade is to drive up the price general managers will pay to get a player, but the price for a guy like Marian Hossa doesn't need to be inflated. If he hits the trade market there's going to be a bidding war whether Waddell tries to build it up or not.

So while I'll be keeping an eye on the rumor sites from now until the trade deadline passes I won't put much stock in anything involving this team, because the more you read about a deal the less likely it is to happen.

I do feel confident that the Thrashers have the green light to go out and make something happen. Billy Knight pulled of a great trade on the weekend, picking up Mike Bibby and turning the Hawks into a legitimate threat, and there's no reason to think our owners wouldn't sign off on something of similar magnitude for the Thrashers if the opportunity was there.

It's going to be an interesting week.

Your Daily Links:

• NHL.com - Southeast: Thrashers must make their point against division foes
• NHL.com - Hossa prepared for any eventuality
• AJC (2/18) - THRASHERS: Clock on Hossa ticking (C6)
• Atlantathrashers.com - A Total Team Effort
• A