Posted by: Ed Pollock on July 2, 2008 3:56PM EST Finally!! Something too cheer about! Hot Damn! Let's keep on rolling, Donnie!!!

Posted by: Peter on July 2, 2008 3:56PM EST Wow way over paid but that is what it takes. Welcome to Atlanta sucker

Posted by: Jpuck on July 2, 2008 3:57PM EST I can take the plastic bag off my head, maybe this is a "Real" sign of things to come.

Posted by: Peter on July 2, 2008 4:00PM EST Hockey News says that Hainsey should have gone for around 1.8 Million and the thrashers are paying 4.5 Million What is that all about? 9. Ron Hainsey Proved he can be a top-four defender, albeit on one of the NHL’s weakest teams. Good mobility and can create offense, but doesn’t play as big as his size. AGENT Matt Keator PROJECTED SALARY $1.8 million KEY INFO All eight of Hainsey’s goals this year came on the power play. I can not belive that the thrashers are going to call this a great deal

Posted by: keep the faith on July 2, 2008 4:00PM EST Good, Orpik better be next

Posted by: Aaron on July 2, 2008 4:02PM EST I agree ktf, Orpik better be next. I'd take Mara or Malik also

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 4:08PM EST Spin away... I can't wait to hear how this is the 'person we wanted all along'. The guy played for Columbus for god's sake. This is the Holik contract that is going to handcuff the team to a stiff for the next 4 years.

Posted by: Sean Grace on July 2, 2008 4:09PM EST I like this pick up. We need to spend money now so who cares how much he cost. (I can't believe this silly situation) I'd like to order an Orpik with a side of Huselius please. Grace

Posted by: Steve on July 2, 2008 4:11PM EST Thank god!!! Yeah, overpaid, not surprising considering DW's history. Well, we got him now. I say Orpik, but the bad thing is since we signed him for similar money, I wonder if Orpik was already expecting this much or if we are going to have to pay him more since he came from a team that was in the Cup Finals. What are your thoughts, Ben? I know we have to get him 1st, but we have the cash. Orpik is 27, 28 in Sept., Mara is going to be 29 in Sep., but Malik just turned 33. I would take Orpik.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 4:11PM EST It's FIVE years! Peter- That sounds like Andy Sutton.

Posted by: Robert on July 2, 2008 4:11PM EST I'm ok with this deal. At least he is young, still only 27. A five year deal doesn't sign the guy into his late 30's. He also has some size. Look around the team. Armstrong is 6'2, Thorburn is 6'4, the rest of the team is tiny. Having a guy who is 6'3 won't hurt.

Posted by: nfieldr on July 2, 2008 4:11PM EST Who? Wow... I certainly hope that's not as good as it gets.

Posted by: Steve on July 2, 2008 4:13PM EST Anonymous, quit your griping! How do you know? He was rated high on list of FA defenseman, albeit not as high as Campbell and Redden, but still good. How do you know he is going to be like the Holik situation? God, give the guy a chance.

Posted by: mal on July 2, 2008 4:13PM EST he is getting over paid

Posted by: Marcus on July 2, 2008 4:15PM EST Good signing. Hopefully he'll thrive under Anderson's systems. Some serious overpayment, but that seems like the way to go this year... sign BERTUZZI!!! I don't care if we overpay him, he'll be great on Kovalchuk's RW. He might not be the fastest guy out there, but that's not his game. He'll pot all the rebounds Kovalchuk generates. With a speedy center, that's a badass line. GO FOR IT, DON!!

Posted by: Steve on July 2, 2008 4:18PM EST I know we are all happier we got someone, but TSN says we have Hainsey, but sportsnet.ca says that Columbus resigned him. What gives?

Posted by: S CUP on July 2, 2008 4:22PM EST Is Hainsey an upgrade to the d-line we had last year. You bet. Overpay for him? Maybe, but let's see production under Anderson before we judge. You paying $4 for a gallon of gas? Yes, because you have to . I'm sure we offered less for him but the market pressures drove up the price. Alot of teams have been paying more than Hockey News projected (albeit not twice as much). We could have paid $7+MM/yr for 8 YEARS for Campbell or $6+/yr for 6 YEARS for Redden. It's all relative. I know it's fun to armchair GM, but let's wait til all the signing are done to really judge how DW did compared to other GMs. He addressed one need so far and that's a big plus in my book.

Posted by: Barry on July 2, 2008 4:22PM EST Hey maybe a lil overpayed but we have the cap space to blow a lil money to get players to come here. We have to do what it takes and ASG/Waddell have money to spend so gotta go with what you got to get a player to sign here right? I'm happy with this signing. Sounds like a younger and better version of Zhitnik to me. Hopefully he'll play the point on the PP and hopefully Anderson will GET KOVY OFF THE POINT! GET KOVY OFF THE POINT!

Posted by: Steve on July 2, 2008 4:30PM EST If you are going to get a RW for the Kovy line, don't get Bertuzzi!! James Mirtle has Jagr, Recci, and Satan ahead of him. We have the money, so either keep Recchi or get one of the other two. Although I don't think that Jagr would come here. He has already been made an offer to return to the Pens. That leaves Satan. I would take Satan over Jagr, and he would probably come a little cheaper. He has Huselius as a RW, but NHl has him at LW. I don't know. I think we are fine on wings. WE NEED A CENTER FOR KOVY; HE HAS BEEN ASKING FOR ONE, AND WE NEED ONE!!! FORGET WINGERS!!!

Posted by: Terrible T on July 2, 2008 4:31PM EST Hainsey's a decent player & is getting into his prime years. As far as i know he's got no major injury issues. Not a name that alot of people have heard of, but an improvement over what was brought in during UFA over the past 2 summers. It will take more than just Hainsey to make a signifigant improvement though. They should have enough cash to bid for Orpik and probably make a pitch for a forward. Positive move, but it took long enough.

Posted by: Jordan on July 2, 2008 4:34PM EST I think this is a good pick. Everyone acts like there paying this guy or something.

Posted by: Robert on July 2, 2008 4:39PM EST Waddell is definately turning his focus to get a couple of forwards now. There are still some left, most of them on the downside of their careers. Morrison, Demitra, Satan, Williams, Huselius, Bertuzzi are all out there and won't be too expensive.

Posted by: Kevin on July 2, 2008 4:50PM EST DW finally did something good... now lets just hope he'll get some offense to support Ilya Kovachuck.

Posted by: Jpuck on July 2, 2008 4:51PM EST Scott Burnside's instant analysis: Hainsey has terrific upside because of his size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and his puck-handling ability. He may not have matured defensively (he was a combined minus-26 the past two seasons in Columbus), but he's only 27; he has plenty of time to round out his game. Hainsey will be expected to log big minutes and help out a power play that was 23rd in the league in 2007-08.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 5:11PM EST If they sign Orpik with the same skill that they signed Hainsey the thrashers will need to pat him 8.125 a year tell me how it is good to over pay by this much and stop acting like it is ok. The thrasher faithful waited 3 years to get Bobby's salary of the books and Don put it right back on and he is not done yet he will over pay another loser or two before he is done. Even if the ASG wised up tomarrow and fired Don he will ruin this team for many years to come. This guy is a second defnse pairing on almost any other team I can not wait for the Toronto boys to start talking about how bad this deal is. By the way S Cup no one is over paying by 250% like the thrashers are and to suggest that you and Don know more on the subject than Hockey news is foolish at best. Stop standing up for a guy who has only stolen from the fans and the owners by staying in his job.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 5:21PM EST Well, Orpik has resigned with PIT ($22.5M for six years) according to TSN.ca.

Posted by: deeply depressed on July 2, 2008 5:23PM EST I can't say anything bad about the signing 27 year old Defensemen who can play on the power play and help our back-line all good..go get me one more and a veteran center and a winger and let John Anderson build a team...overpaying for players in their prime makes more sense then over paying for a veteran.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 5:26PM EST orpik is gone too

Posted by: S CUP on July 2, 2008 5:27PM EST Anonymous: You think we were the only ones offering him big money? That's foolish if you think that. There are too many sanctimonius "true hockey fans" who think they know more than the ones running the club with ALL of the inside information. Reading some hockey websites does not mean you have all the relevant information. I haven't agreed with the outcome of alot of personnel moves and have and will continue to say such. But to imply that Don has only made bad moves is unfair. Sit back and bit_h if you must, but I bet we'll have a team that finishes in the top half of the Eastern Conference this year. I respect your right to your opinion as I hope you respect mine.

Posted by: jordan on July 2, 2008 5:36PM EST well put johnny b

Posted by: harris on July 2, 2008 5:37PM EST He's young, he's fit, he plays with his brain and his brawn. He has had valuable experience and international exposure as kid, and has proven himself as a pro. I have followed his career and he will prove his worth. With the right team, teamates and coaching, this kid could become a superstar. Congratulations to Ron & the Thrashers. Atlanta has gained a fan base from the northeast. With risks will come great rewards.

Posted by: Brett on July 2, 2008 5:47PM EST just my opinion but i like this signing. he is 27, not 34 or 35, a big guy (6'3'' 210lbs.) and has played top pair minutes in columbus. is he being overpaid, most likely, but many many players are going to be overpaid this offseason with the cap going up. and if thats what it took to bring him to ATL than that is ok by me. Over paying a player in his prime is totally acceptable if it is effective. now we need a top 6 foward. go don go. on a side note the thought of having a 34 year old brian campbell with 3 years and $24 million left on his contract scares the s*** out of me. zhitnik all over again but with a lot more money involved. yea it would have been good in the short run but think long term people, that is just too much. almost glad that he went to chicago now that we have all slept on it. Go Thrash

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 5:48PM EST just my opinion but i like this signing. he is 27, not 34 or 35, a big guy (6'3'' 210lbs.) and has played top pair minutes in columbus. is he being overpaid, most likely, but many many players are going to be overpaid this offseason with the cap going up. and if thats what it took to bring him to ATL than that is ok by me. Over paying a player in his prime is totally acceptable if it is effective. now we need a top 6 foward. go don go. on a side note the thought of having a 34 year old brian campbell with 3 years and $24 million left on his contract scares the s*** out of me. zhitnik all over again but with a lot more money involved. yea it would have been good in the short run but think long term people, that is just too much. almost glad that he went to chicago now that we have all slept on it. Go Thrash

Posted by: Jim on July 2, 2008 5:52PM EST Well look at what Ross Mckeon has to say about the great Don Waddell Potty Mouth "In Atlanta, GM Don Waddell has been given a long rope, and he’s taking every advantage of it. He made deals at the trade deadline to get into the 2007 postseason that set the franchise back, and when his team fell woefully short of expectations this season he still held onto his job. He’s lucky he’s in Atlanta because a lot of markets wouldn’t tolerate the team’s shortcomings under his tutelage. On Tuesday, he was quiet again, despite talk beforehand that the Thrashers might be aggressive in the market. There’s no excuse for the lack of improvement for a team that has one of the most dynamic and exciting goal-scorers in the league in Ilya Kovalchuk. There was a 39-point disparity between Kovalchuk’s team-leading 87 points and runner-up Mark Recchi’s 48. And Recchi collected most of those points with Pittsburgh before getting waived late. The Thrashers might want to stop the puck from going into their goal more often, too. They were worst in the league, allowing 272 goals. Atlanta has Kari Lehtinen, a promising 24-year-old goalie, who has been injury prone during the early portion of his NHL career. As much of a bulldog and battler as Johan Hedberg is, the Thrashers might be better off with more experience in the back-up role, or at least a goalie with a bit more size. The defense is all over the place. How else can you explain rookie Tobias Enstrom stepping in last year to be the team’s best blueliner? Waddell has more than $20 million in salary cap space, but again, if he can’t lure anyone to a bad team in a non-traditional market, what difference does it make how much money he has to spend" Well I guess that must be wrong after all it is not what Don what year of the 5 year plan Waddell is saying and I guess that Hockey news has been with in 30% or so on all of the other major signings would not mean that the thrashers paying 150% more than what the market should bare is out of line. For the record I do hope that the thrrashers can make it into the top half of the east but they won't not with even less talent than last year. Remember most of the wins came when Hossa nad Zhitnik played and they are gone this team is not half what it was last year and if the trend continues it will be this bad for years to come

Posted by: Kevin on July 2, 2008 5:53PM EST I don't understand why all the blame of overpayment is on DW. The price of players goes up when teams compete for the prize. Its not like DW just said "hey how bout 4.5 million?" The salary over/under payment is relflection of the competetion involved in obtaining that player. Hainsey is a solid pick up for us. We need more, but this a good step. A young player with a contract meant for the future. This guy is a proven PP-factor. He may not be the best defenseman, but his special teams play will be what makes the difference anyway. All of those teams in the playoffs had outstanding special teams records. We can't get there again until we strengthen that area of our game. Hainsey is the right step.

Posted by: Kevin on July 2, 2008 5:59PM EST And, for the record, those of you who have to go copy and paste articles that project our team negatively are just showing us that you can't speak reasonably on your own. You have no business talking about any sports team if you can't voice your OWN opinion in a reasonable, docile manner. This is not a place to bash DW. Talk about Ron Hainsey and whether or not you like him as an addition to our team.

Posted by: Justin on July 2, 2008 6:02PM EST Such is the marketplace right now... I figured he'd get 4+ million. We're paying for what we think the market will be like in five years, though. It could be a steal. All of this year's salaries have been inflated. "And Recchi collected most of those points with Pittsburgh before getting waived late." -Ross McKeon (I think the poster a few above said) Rex played 53 games in Atlanta, netting 40 points.

Posted by: Jim on July 2, 2008 6:04PM EST Keivin I see your point But Don Signed one guy so far and has grossly over paid him while no one else has done this kind of thing. It is hard to believe that every one is picking on poor Don who has made this team this bad and made it so that no one wants to sign here Who is to blame if not Don the owners and Don have both said that he has been abel to get anything he wants in the way of players and coaches but when they suck he is not to blame? Not Anderson Don and Anderson both said that he had no part in draft and free agent signing. Then tell me who is and after all these year and thousands of dollars spent it is hard to believe that the team is in worse shape than season one or two. It would be better if he signed no one and just left but he won't do that he will over pay on several players and the fans can pay the price again.

Posted by: Jim on July 2, 2008 6:10PM EST It is called research and why is it that every one else in the hockey world can see this for what it is but a few who do not have the sense to come in out of the rain. This should not be personal to you and I am sorry if it is, but the numbers do not lie this is the worst team in hockey right now. You can attack me all you want but it won't change that. If the good people at the thrashers spent as much time improving the team as they do attacking any one who points out that the emperor has no clothes they would not be in this mess.

Posted by: Justin on July 2, 2008 6:16PM EST "This should not be personal to you and I am sorry if it is, but the numbers do not lie this is the worst team in hockey right now." -Jim Last time I checked, we were the third worst. The numbers (standings) don't lie. You haven't seen this team on the ice under John Anderson, so you are making unfair assumptions at this point.

Posted by: Kevin on July 2, 2008 6:17PM EST The only people not getting overpaid are the people nobody wants. I'm glad don blew some money on good material than just bargain shopping on other teams scraps. Keep that in mind at all times, thank you.

Posted by: Kevin on July 2, 2008 6:21PM EST Let hope DW has seen the light and is actually try to add forwards and D mans to help The thrashers to get a Stanly cup. We really need to add some power to the line so we always dont have to depend on Ilya.. You saw what happened last year at the end of the season.. he got worn down.. so lets add some OFFENSE

Posted by: West Coast Thrasher on July 2, 2008 6:34PM EST I am by no means a DW or ASG supporter or defender, but I do know someone who is related to one of the ASG owners and for everything you read or hear on these boards or in the news there are at least two other relevant facts/pieces of information you don't hear that ASG and DW do know, but don't speak publicly about. Also, everyone loves to bash the GM when things go south and I agree with a lot of the DW bashing, DW has had 10 years and 1 playoff appearance is not cutting it, but some of the blame must also fall on the players. They are the ones on the ice who are ultimately responsible for the Thrashers win/loss record. This past season Kozlov was terrible, Hossa was poor while he was here, Zhitnik was awful after showing signs of being a good player the prior year, Kari has not developed as fast due to injuries, etc., etc. I would guess many of you were happy when these players were brought in by DW, but when the player fails to compete and contribute as they are expected only some of that blame can go to the GM, as he could not control what happens on the ice. I was as mad as any of you when we were silent in the FA market yesterday, but if you are a true fan you owe it to your team to at least wait until all the deals are done and evaluate our roster for next season at that point, not on day 2 of FA in early July. Let's hope for a few more good deals so the Thrash can put a competitive line-up out there this season.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 6:53PM EST I would love to be a DW and/or ASG supporter... if only they'd deliver something that we would all be happy supporting (a competitive team). True, some of the blame does lie on the players' shoulders, but with these with the performance DW/ASG has delivered combined with the amount of time he's been given, it's damned hard to be supportive... I continue to support the players (and whoever operates the flame-breathing bird heads). New topic: with Holik/Frankenstein signing back with his old team (NJ), who's the new captain going to be?

Posted by: jwolf on July 2, 2008 7:02PM EST bout to throw up

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 7:18PM EST BBBBEEEERRRRRTTTTTUUUUZZZZZIIIIII!!!!!! we need him on this team of undersized pansies. this team needs to start playing the game the canadian way!

Posted by: Will on July 2, 2008 7:28PM EST Look on the brightside all the Thrashers have to do next season to get into the playoffs is to improve 20pts.

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 7:37PM EST Wow, with all the talent out there, and all the room ATL has to work with, and considering they are one team that needs big re-working, this is the best they come up with. Sure add another D, doesn't hurt. But don't lock a mediocre guy up for 5 yrs when he is proven top 4 on a Columbus club. I would have been ok with 2 or 3, but 5 is a gamble. They best jump into the mix and get going because they're missing the boat.

Posted by: jwolf on July 2, 2008 8:27PM EST is this the pearl jam forum?

Posted by: S CUP on July 2, 2008 8:44PM EST Captain choice: Kovy or Havelid Would like to see it be someone who will be here more than one year so even if Recchi re-signs I think someone else should be captain.

Posted by: jim on July 2, 2008 8:54PM EST TO those of you who think the Thrashers overpaid for Hainsey. I've got news to you. It's not as if Atlanta is a very promising franchise. It's not even in a Hockey city. I love the Thrashers, but you guys have to realize that Waddell (who should've been fired a long time ago) is going to have to overpay for free agents just to get them to play in Atlanta. So, I say, Hainsey is better than Kwiatkoski and Boulton, so one down, alot more to go.

Posted by: jwolf on July 2, 2008 9:11PM EST anyone hear anyhting else on who we might get?

Posted by: Best Celebrity Legs on July 2, 2008 9:17PM EST I'm going to have to take a wait and see attitude on the guy. I've never heard of him so when I heard he got signed I was kind of like, huh? Seemed like a lot of money for a dude coming from Columbus. Could you see one of our guys getting picked up for 4 million if available? I doubt it. Anyway, he's young and with size. I gotta figure the new coach blessed the pick as well.

Posted by: Kirk on July 2, 2008 9:51PM EST Don has done a decent job finding good players, but a horrible job keeping them. Wouldn't we be excited to have Savard, Brunette, Coburn, and Hossa on this years' team. Ownership stated in March '08 that they have never turned down a request by the GM for money to pay these guys. So why are they gone?

Posted by: JAmes_kovyboy on July 2, 2008 9:59PM EST God the D is locked up..maybe another top 4 can be good but with Bogosian-Havelid-Enstrom-Hainsey--->Good top 4 Huselius off to Columbus...4 year 4.75/yr So Recchi-Morrison-Satan left to sign and maybe Demitra in biggest dreams

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 10:50PM EST Satan would be a nice pick up, although it always seemed more appropriate that someone with that last name really should be in a NJ jersey. Anyway, blue Thrashers jerseys with Satan on the back would be a hot selling item!

Posted by: Anonymous on July 2, 2008 11:22PM EST Satan is washed up. He reached his peak long time ago. Brendan Morrison would be a solid center, which this team needs...bad. Stephan Yelle wouldn't be a bad choice for a 3rd/4th line center. He is big on faceoffs. Demitra might fit, but could be expensive. Other than those picks, I would only go for young players. They were sleeping when the rest of the decent talent went, so its either those few UFAs or rookies.

Posted by: Nouah on July 3, 2008 11:16AM EST For sure the guy is overpaid but it’s a consequence from the stupid contract that Garth Snow offer to Mark Streit. If you compare the 2 guys, I would choose Hainsey before Streit in any situation. Hainsey is still young, keep improving year after year and is stats are real not boosted like Streit (Thanks Kovalev and Kostistin). I think its a good add on to our so-so defensive squad. Anyway don’t be surprise that the next free agent will be overpaid too, we have to reach at least a payroll of 41M, we still far away, even if Donnie offer a 4M / year contract to Lehts. So we must believe that the system of Anderson works or we going to finish dead last and we will draft mister Tavares next June.

Posted by: Joey on July 3, 2008 11:31PM EST I agree that the addition of Hainsey was a good move on atlanta's part. We still need to add a forward to play with Kovy. Great talent in the wolves, we should still grab a centreman or a winger to play with Kovalchuk. Possibly grab another defenceman. Josh Gorges out of Montreal as a Restricted agent. Jason Smith out of Philadelphia.

Posted by: Steve on July 5, 2008 10:39AM EST Seems like every year the good players go somewhere else. We were lucky to qualify for the playoff two years ago, and look where we are now. We never can seem to land the big free agent, or maybe we are just too stingy.

Posted by: Bob on July 6, 2008 9:01PM EST When you look around at the league and the deals afforded FA defenseman this year, I'm not sure how you could classify Hainsey as being overpaid. This team would be far better off signing TWO players of Hainseys caliber than they would signing ONE Campbell or Redden and would just about have money left over. It is a signing in the right direction for DW. I would much rather throw a couple million at a Defenseman coming into his prime years than watch another Holik, Mellanby, etc signing. We'll have a full year of Christensen and Armstrong (don't forget about Esposito, top five talent wise when drafted) on offense. Havelid-Enstrom, Hainsey-Bogosian, Exelby-Valabik (moving Exelby down in the rotation can only help) on defense. We could definitely use a top line Center, but all in all, a move in the right direction.

Posted by: Michael on July 8, 2008 2:48PM EST Knowing Ron Personally You Guys Have Gotten A Good All Around Defenseman And Person, You Lucked Out. He Will Benefit Your Team In More Then One Way!