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Posted by: Ben Wright at 8:46PM EST on September 29, 2007
Welcome to everyone that's finding their way here via Eric McErlain's
Eastern conference preview over at Deadspin. In the interest of full
disclosure you might want to know that I helped Eric out a few summers ago and
filled in for him at
Off Wing Opinion. Don't hold the fact that's a Caps fan against him.
Here in Atlanta we're pretty optimistic about the Thrashers. I'll be posting my
own season preview sometime this week before things kick off for the Thrashers
on Oct. 5, but I want to point out a few of the the reasons for optimism.
Off To A Good Start. For the most part, preseason success is a good
indicator of regular season success. Although it happens, it's not very often
that a team posts a good record in the preseason and then tanks when games
matter. The Thrashers went 5-2-0 in the warm-up session and that counts for
something.
Kari Lehtonen. He was held out of about a week's worth of practice and
delayed his first exhibition game appearance because he had some soreness in his
groin. Everyone proclaimed the sky was falling and nobody outside of Atlanta
bothered to check back in to see how he was doing. I'll tell you how he's doing-
he allowed one goal in two preseason games. One goal on 57 shots. There's no
goaltending controversy and fans here don't need the coaches to send out a
proclamation for them to know that Kari Lehtonen is this team's starting
goaltender. Johan Hedberg will get more starts than last season but mark my
words- Lehtonen will get the bulk of the work.
Rookies. Nobody outside of Atlanta, save for fans of the teams these
guys previously played for, is giving the Thrashers any credit for putting Bryan
Little, Brett Sterling and Tobias Enstrom into the lineup. throw in Mark Popovic
and you have four young players that are going to make an impact. It's
occasionally claimed that Bob Hartley doesn't know how to manage rookies. The
Calder Trophy sitting in Chris Drury's trophy room says otherwise. These aren't
rookies that were brought in to plug holes. They're rookies that beat out
veterans with more experience and stole jobs.
This roster is better than the one that got off to a red-hot start last
season and actually held on to the top spot in the Eastern Conference for a
time. I'm with Ted Leonsis-
predictions are entertaining but meaningless. Last year Eklund picked the
Thrashers to finish 15th in the East. We were the third seed. This year he's
predicting us to finish 15th. I realize every major site and analyst has to make
predictions because everyone wants to read them, but few people outside of the
Atlanta market pay enough attention to the Thrashers for anything they say to be
taken seriously.
Adam Proteau at
The Hockey News for example lists Andre Deveaux as a departing Thrasher.
That would mean more if he'd played a single game for Atlanta. Then he says the
organization doesn't have depth. Apparently he wasn't paying attention to the
competition for jobs at the Thrashers' training camp. It's easy to take shots
when you don't know anything about Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, Tobias Enstrom,
Mark Popovic and Eric Perrin.
This will be the best team the Thrashers have ever iced to start a season.
Check back later this week and I'll tell you exactly why, position by position.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:21PM EST on September 29, 2007
We have another two entries in the
Back To Blueland contest. Check them out and let us know what you think.
There's still time for you to put something together before Wednesday's
deadline rolls around, so get to work!
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 2:25PM EST on September 28, 2007
My apologies for the low quality pictures, but I have an excuse- I'm a
horrible photographer. Below are shots of Johan Hedberg's new mask. Moose gave
the artist free reign to paint whatever he wanted and the artist (David
Gunnarsson of
daveart.com) opted to go with "Pirates of the Moose-ibean" featuring Moose
Sparrow.
The full mask.
A closeup of Moose Sparrow.
The right side, featuring a Thrashers third logo and a ship.
The chin, with the skull and crossbones replacing the O's in Moose.
The other side of the chin.
Every hero needs a villain...
The back of the mask, featuring the antler logo Moose is using on his fledgling
athletic wear line (not yet available for purchase).
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:03PM EST on September 28, 2007
A quick morning skate update:
Todd White wasn't at the skate- he's sick with the flu. It's more or less the same thing that kept Dupuis out of action for a few days and it's going to happen when players have young kids. Better now than during the season. White may or may not play tonight- he'll check back in when he's had a meal or two and it's closer to game time. If he doesn't play Mark Popovic will play as a forward. If White does play here are your lines:
If White doesn't play all bets are off and lines will be shuffled. Would Little take his place with Kovalchuk and Stelring? We might find out in a few hours.
Sterling and Little are both excited and relieved to still be here. I asked each of them if they'd add themselves to their roster if they played Fantasy Hockey. Little laughed and said he probably would. Sterling wouldn't.
Hartley is extremely excited about the youth movement and said the situation is comparable to what he had to work with his first year in Colorado in 1998-99 when he had Drury and Hejduk as rookies and then had Tanguay and Skoula the next year. the nice thing about the Thrashers' crop of rookies is that they're not all teenagers. Mark Popovic has five years of pro experience and he's 25. Tobias Enstrom as been pro for five years and is 22 and Sterling has a year of AHL experience under his belt and turned 23 in April. Bryan Little is the only rookie pro of the bunch and the only teenager, and he might have the most talent of the four. It should be fun to watch them progress. with all due respect to Jim Slater and Kari Lehtonen, Thrashers fans haven't had rookies like this to cheer for since Ilya Kovalchuk broke into the league in 2001-02.
Other duties call but check back later this afternoon for pictures of Johan Hedberg's new mask.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 3:02PM EST on September 27, 2007
So- you want to be an NHL All-Star Weekend volunteer, do you? Well
here's all the information you need to sign up. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people and it should be a whole lot of fun for everyone involved.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 1:15PM EST on September 27, 2007
So Craig beat me by a few minutes on the cut post. Well here's my Blueland Blog exclusive- Karel Pilar is still going to be playing in Chicago, but he got claimed off waivers by the Blackhawks.
Good for him. He's a really nice guy with a great attitude and I'll be happy for him if he can stick in the NHL. He's had a road time with health issues and I give him all the credit in the world for fighting his way back.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:44PM EST on September 27, 2007
The following forwards were assigned to the Chicago Wolves today:
Darren Haydar, Jordan LaVallee and Colin Stuart.
Joining them are defensemen Joel Kwiatkowski and Boris Valabik and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec.
What do you think?
Granted there could still be circumstances that lead to changes- injuries, waiver claims, trades- but the goal was to get down to 22 players for opening night and that's where we stand.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:13PM EST on September 27, 2007
As a reward to the faithful blog readers I'm going to post today's cuts here before we put up the press release, so if you stayed glued to the Blueland Blog (or your RSS reader) you could be among the first to know.
Coach Hartley said last night that there would be cuts today and he wasn't kidding. It looks like six players are being assigned to Chicago, which would put the active roster at 22. Guess how many players the team plans to carry on opening night? 22.
Don't change the station- I'll be back with names as soon as possible.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 12:09PM EST on September 27, 2007
We have a second entry in the Back To Blueland contest and I'd say it's just as good as the first. The two entries take totally different approaches but they're both very well done. Check them out.
SportSouth is going to be airing a Thrashers season preview. the first showing is Saturday at 10:30 pm but they're repeating it multiple times before next Friday's opening game.
We have a photo gallery up from the Thrashers Foundation golf tournament. It's worth taking a look at just to see Garnet Exelby's outfit.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:34AM EST on September 26, 2007
We've been running a new feature on the site after home games and I've got to say... I really like it. If you haven't checked out The View From The Press Box please stop by and take a look and let us know what you think.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 4:08PM EST on September 25, 2007
With training camp winding up and the final roster needing to be set within
the next week there is plenty of pressure on the players still fighting for
spots on the team. One thing that should be perfectly clear to them is what the
coaching staff is looking for, especially when it comes to the younger players
like Jordan LaVallee, Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, and Boris Valabik who don't
have much (if any) previous pro experience to fall back on.
After Tuesday's morning skate Bob Hartley spoke to the media about the
importance of the next three pre-season games.
"The closer we get, well we have to make our team plus those final three
games are very important games for us" he said. "They need be good games for us
and that's why the other day I drew the line in the sand. That first experience
or second camp you get comfortable but when are you going to make the statement
that 'I am an NHL player'? You have to make that statement and as a player the
only way you can make it is on the ice. That's where you're paid to be and
that's where you have to perform."
Would a strong performance on Tuesday earn a player an extra game to show
their stuff on Wednesday or Friday. Maybe, but maybe not.
"I have a blueprint of the seven games in my red book. So I have a plan
obviously. Tomorrow night (in Florida) and game seven (Friday versus the
Panthers) it's all written in pencil. A bad game today and..."
The coach paused to clarify what he meant, choosing his words carefully.
"There were guys the other night who were penciled in for tonight's game and
they got the "bon soir." They're warned. We gave them one, two, three or four
games and we can't be any more fair than this with them. If they can't cut it
there's probably a reason. Either they can't do it or they don't want to do it.
That's how it works in this business."
Asked specifically about 2006 first-round draft pick Bryan Little who is
trying to make the Thrashers' opening night roster after playing junior hockey
last season Hartley was firm and direct.
"The biggest question for him is to show us that he's ready. There's no doubt
in my mind that Bryan Little will be an NHL player. The biggest question is
when. Is it now? Is it at Christmas? Is it February? Next year? Two years? He
holds the answers."
He holds the answers- just like every other playing fighting for a roster
spot in Atlanta's camp. The philosophy for the coaching staff has been the same
since the day training camp opened- the players themselves will answer all of
the questions and determine who makes the team. The talent and skill is there at
every position, but now the question is about the mental makeup of the players.
"You have to draw a line and say I'm here for business," said Hartley,
clearly talking about the younger players. "Kids come to camp and they want to
see the big rink. They want to see Marian Hossa. They want to see Ilya
Kovalchuk. I went through this in Colorado with all the big names. Some big
picks came in and they never touched the puck because they were too busy
watching Sakic and Forsberg."
"And Jeff Odgers" laughed Hartley, looking directly at the retired winger
that played for him Colorado and Atlanta.
"Some kids get overwhelmed by training camp. Some guys say training camps are
way too long, but unfortunately for some of those kids by the time they figure
out why they're at the training camp the camp is over for them. They're gone.
Usually for them, physically they'll be pretty well ready. It's the mental part.
It's the mindset coming in."
Hockey players are notorious for being among the most polite of all
professional athletes, and that might b part of the problem when it comes to
fighting for roster spots. Younger players are to quick to defer to veterans.
Hartley would prefer to see them step up.
"You have to take a jersey away. You have to take a stall from someone.
You're pushing guys that are on one-way contracts." he explained. "They want to
hold their spot. In our business, we're at the top. You survive by being the
best but before you get there you have to be able step on people's toes. You
can't tell a guy 'I'm sorry but I would like your stall.' Very few guys are
ready to give their stall. You have to steal them. You have to take it away and
you have to earn it. That's part of the attitude you need. As a kid you can't
come in a be conservative and say you want to get a feel for what it's going to
be. You're all in. You're all in. That's the way it is."
The question now is if any of the youngsters are ready to put all of their
chips on the table. There's clearly a difference between playing junior and
minor league hockey and playing in the NHL, and it's up to the players to show
they handle the transition.
"I want to see if they can be men playing in the NHL, not kids playing in
junior," said Hartley.
Asked specifically about Colin Stuart, a relatively young player who has toiled in the minors for three seasons Hartley was blunt. "It's the same as for the rest of them. I want to see more grit. I want to see more attitude. Valentine's Day is February 14."
The message from the coach is clear- if you want a spot take it. Don't
expect anyone to give it to you.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 9:36AM EST on September 25, 2007
Once again Craig Custance beat me to the punch and
posted a lineup before I could. that's alright- I had my "who's making it post up before he did" so I'll call us even today.
Regardless, here's the lineup for tonight based on what Craig posted in the comments section of his blog
yesterday afternoon.
Forwards:
Kozlov - Holik - Hossa LaVallee - Slater - Dupuis Kovalchuk - Little - Stuart Boulton - Perrin - Thorburn
This is our first time seeing the Hossa- Holik- Kozlov line together in a game situation.
LaVallee is getting the chance to play with Slater and Dupuis- two players
he could realistically be playing with if he makes the team. Tonight should
be a big night for him.
It'll also be a big night for Bryan Little as he gets a chance to show what he can do with an elite winger by his side. White probably has the job of centering Kovy locked up but if Little can impress the coaches he might be able to get them to consider putting him in between Hossa and Kozlov.
Colin Stuart will also get a chance to play an offensive role while providing a bit of grit to Kovalchuk's line. It's probably not a job he's really auditioning for but it's a chance for him to show off his well-rounded game.
Perrin has had a turn or two playing with some offensive talent. Now we'll see how he fares on a hard-working checking line. Boulton and Thorburn looked great playing together in Nashville and I'd expect more of the same tonight.
The defense is split 50/50 between veterans and guys trying to earn a spot. Enstrom showed plenty of skill on Saturday night. If he can start strong he might take a big step towards locking up a spot. Personally I think he has a leg up on Pilar and Kwiatkowski but that's just me. I don't what the coaches think and I don't make the decisions.
Tonight's game is going to be
make or break for a few players trying to crack the roster. Wednesday night in Florida is likely the last audition and there are still some guys that need to be worked back into the mix.
Anyone that disappoints tonight could headed to Chicago tomorrow morning. Hartley is anxious for someone to step up and
show that they really want a spot. His attitude all through camp has been that the players decide who makes the team- not the coaches. Now it's time for someone to make the leap from playing just good enough to avoid getting cut to playing good enough to earn a job.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 10:52AM EST on September 24, 2007
The radio ads have been out for a little while and the print campaign is
kicking into full gear. We want the whole city to know that the Thrashers are
taking to the ice on Oct. 5 to launch the 2007-08 season. Pictured above is a
banner hanging at Atlantic Station in midtown. right across the 75/85 connector
is a billboard that you can clearly see as you drive through the city. Where
have you spotted Thrashers ad lately?
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 4:13PM EST on September 23, 2007
Four more cuts have been made and the active roster stands at 29. Bob Hartley has mentioned that they plan to carry 22 players so that means seven more players will be sent down to the AHL over the next week or so. Assuming injuries aren't a factor one of those seven will likely be goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, leaving Lehtonen and Hedberg as the team's two goalies. No surprises there.
So who's still fighting for spots?
There are 16 forwards left in camp and if you assume that 13 will be carried that leaves a few guys fighting for the final spots. We're getting close though. If every forward that had a regular spot in the NHL last year makes it (which is a pretty safe assumption) that gives us five forwards fighting for two spots- Darren Haydar, Jordan LaVallee, Bryan Little, Brett Sterling and Colin Stuart. Brett Sterling is probably the closest to locking up a spot so the real question is who of the other four forwards will be starting the season in the NHL?
The situation on the blueline isn't any more clear. There are 10 defensemen left in camp and seven spots. The four returning players (Exelby, Havelid, McCarthy and Zhitnik) are assumed to be on the team and so is Ken Klee. That leaves Enstrom, Kwiatkowski, Pilar, Popovic and Valabik fighting for the final two spots.
The forward positions may be solidified fairly soon, but I'd expect it to take a bit more time to make the final cuts on the blueline. Pilar and Kwiatkowski have NHL experience, Enstrom has plenty of promise, Popovic has done everything that has been asked of him when called up and Valabik brings significant size and grit to the position. Everyone has something to offer.
I spoke to Enstrom last night and he wasn't at all happy with the way he played. Most other people I talked to thought he had a decent showing and that his strengths outweighed his weaknesses, so it may be that Enstrom is his own toughest critic. That's a good sign from a player determined to make the squad. He isn't taking anything for granted and isn't letting the hype give him a false sense of security.
What were your thoughts on last night's game and what do you think of the most recent cuts? Who's going to make it?
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:14AM EST on September 22, 2007
While I was in Nashville I had the chance to stop by a modest tailgate party
across the street from Sommet Center. An RV of Thrashers fans made the trip from
Atlanta and were hanging out with some Predators fans they'd connected with via
some message boards. Here are some pictures of the festivities:
There was a bit of an incident with a band's catering truck that didn't involve
our tailgaters, but that didn't stop them from chatting it up with the Nashville
Fire Department.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:12AM EST on September 22, 2007
Alright- take a deep breath. I haven't talked to him myself, but based on Craig Custance's newest article it appears that whatever is ailing Kari Lehtonen isn't terribly serious. As Kari said to Craig yesterday:
"I felt normal, no pain or
anything like that," Lehtonen said. "I really wanted to stay for the
full practice, but I think those guys know best. It's better to take it
easy the first time and get ready to go full speed."
And here's the thing- Kari either says what he feels or he says nothing. He wears his heart on his sleeve and if we was seriously hurt he wouldn't be talking about staying out for the whole practice.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 5:02PM EST on September 21, 2007
Just a quick up date on two fan-type features on the site.
First, the Thrashers On Vacation page was such a hit that we're making it a permanent part of the site and re-naming it "Thrashers On the Road". As the name implies, you're free to send in any pictures of you, your friends and your family with Thrashers gear from the road or from vacation. We've been blown away by the response and we're starting to think we have some of the most well-traveled fans in the league.
Second- we posted our first Back To Blueland entry. It's pretty impressive but we're confident in your video making abilities. See if you can beat this:
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 4:40PM EST on September 21, 2007
Here are the lines for tomorrow night as published by Craig Custance in the AJC Blog. you might want to stop by the AJC Thrashers section. Craig broke a bit of news about Kari Lehtonen that you might want to get up to speed on.
26 Bartovic - 16 Holik - 18 Hossa (the Czech/Slovak line)
17 Kovalchuk - 12 White - 53 Sterling (Kovy and his new best friends)
50 LaVallee - 44 Little - 38 Haydar (the tryouts)
23 Slater - 11 Perrin - 43 Giroux (death by speed)
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 11:49AM EST on September 21, 2007
It's the little things that take the most getting used to sometimes. I moved my trash can at my desk the other day and I would up dropping trash on the floor three or four times just because it wasn't where I expected it to be.
So what's going to be hardest to get used to this season as we watch the Thrashers? I don't think it'll be the new uniforms. I'm already used to them. They're different enough that m mind has just accepted it and made the adjustment. No problem. It won't be the loss of players like Andy Sutton or Greg de Vries, That's a big enough change that you have to think about it.
No- the hardest thing for a lot of people that have been around for a while to get used is going to be seeing a player wearing #27 skating around running people over. that's just not what that number did from 2002-06. Welcome to Atlanta Chris Thorburn.
I fully expect Thorburn to be a fan favorite by Thanksgiving.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 10:37PM EST on September 20, 2007
Live-blogging games can be fun but it makes it hard to write a game recap. Sorry for the lack of updates in the third. Check back Friday for more about my quick trip to Nashville. Now it's time to see if I can make it down to the locker room before everyone clears out. Thanks for stopping in.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 9:56PM EST on September 20, 2007
The Predators swapped keepers midway through the second and put in Pekka Rinne. Fred Brathwaite is taking over for Ondrej Pavelec to start the third with the Thrashers down 4-2.
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Posted by: Ben Wright at 9:24PM EST on September 20, 2007
Darren Haydar with a nice tip shot from an unknown point man. I was talking to Craig Custance. Everyone else up here (Jennifer Bowman and Holly Gunning) missed it too, so I don't feel bad.
The announcer gave the assist to #9- Joel Kwiatkowski. I'll assume they meant number 8 because it wasn't Dupuis.
