2009-2010 Atlanta Thrashers Preview

The Thrashers have been a tempest of terrible since entering the NHL a decade ago. The team’s ownership has spent much of that time period in court fighting with each other, there are thousands of empty seats every game and the Thrashers have qualified for the playoffs exactly one time. After a strong stretch run, can Atlanta actually ice a competitive team in a city consumed by college football?

Looking Back at 2008-2009

The Thrashers had a pretty rough first half last year and were among the league’s worst teams at the All-Star break. However, superstar Ilya Kovalchuk was named as the team’s captain in January and he was exceptional thereafter, scoring more than a point per game. The team’s play on the ice improved noticeably as well and the Thrashers finished with one the NHL’s best 2 nd half records. However, it wasn’t enough to qualify for the playoffs as Atlanta finished with a 35-41-6 record, good enough only for a 4 th place finish in the Southeast.

The Offseason

The Thrashers made some interesting moves in the offseason, beginning with the Kovalchuk-induced acquisition of forward Nik Antropov. Apparently the captain actively recruited his countryman to join him in the Deep South and it paid off in the form of a high-scoring linemate. The other major move was a trade that brought big blueliner Pavel Kubina to the Peach State from Toronto, which should give the defense a significant boost. Finally, young center Evander Kane was the 4 th overall pick in the NHL draft and he appears to be in position to make the team out of training camp.

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2009-2010 Outlook

Everything revolves around the explosive talents of Kovalchuk. A former Richard Trophy winner, Kovalchuk has never really played with a ton of talent around him and it will be interesting to see how he meshes with Antropov. As he’s in the final season of his contract, it will also be very interesting to see if the Thrashers hold onto him for a playoff push if they haven’t inked him to an extension by that point. The team’s performance on the ice could go a long way towards keeping one of the five most talented players on the planet in Atlanta.

But Kovy isn’t the only threat for the Thrashers. Vyacheslav Kozloz, Brian Little, Todd White and Colby Armstrong all broke the 20 goal mark last year and young center Rich Peverly was one of the team’s best players down the stretch. Add Kane and Antropov to the mix and there is the potential for a big jump in scoring.

Another big boost to the Thrashers will be the presence of Kubina on the blueline. Kubina has a cannon shot and has the potential to really help the offensive attack. On top of that, Zach Bogosian might have been the team’s best defenseman as a rookie until he was felled by injury last year and a full year of production from him will really help. Don’t forget about Toby Enstrom and Ron Hainsey either, because both are strong two way players and Enstrom in particular really blossomed into a great puck mover last season. This is a much improved group of defensemen.

Atlanta has a full out goaltending battle going on between erstwhile superstar Kari Lehtonen and youngster Ondrej Pavelec. Lehtonen has to take the job by the horns or he’s probably going to find himself wearing another sweater since this is the final year of his contract and he’s never truly lived up to his exceptional billing. Expect him to take the job out of camp and relegate Pavelec to the minors initially (as veteran backup Moose Hedberg is going to fill the #2 goalie role) but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Pavelec back in Atlanta this season. However, if Atlanta wants to make the playoffs, Lehtonen has to step up.

PREDICTION: People are already writing this team off for various reasons, the most common of which seems to be ‘they’re the freaking Thrashers’. I’m not one of them. Kovalchuk is going to have an exceptional season: his pace last year after being named captain would have resulted in a 60 goal, 110 point year over a full season of play. Furthermore, he’s in a contract year so you know he’s going to light the lamp a lot this season. The numbers I just mentioned are very realistic for Kovy! On top of his prodigious talent, there is a surprising amount of depth around him up front and I think that Atlanta will score a lot more this season.

Furthermore, I expect the light to come on for Lehtonen, who is also in a contract year. He has an improved set of defenders in front of him and all the motivation in the world. With all this talent on hand, I think that the Thrashers improve to 3 rd in the Southeast Division and that should be enough for them to sneak into the East’s final playoff spot. Even though the 8 th seed means that they’re probably going to get steamrolled by Pittsburgh or Boson in the 1 st round, making the playoffs would be a huge accomplishment and might be enough to entice Kovalchuk to sign on for the long haul.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com

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