New Uniform Gossip

Ok, yeah, it's from HockeyBuzz.com, but Howard Berger has a summary up of the new 3rd jerseys. Maybe. Kinda.

For Atlanta:

ATLANTA: The club will introduce a dark red jersey with the word “THRASHERS” on the front, just above the player’s uniform number, which will appear on both sides of the design. A broad white stripe will adorn each arm of the jersey with a dark red number in the stripe. A broad white-and-dark blue stripe will run down the sides of the jersey.


Oh, good - carbon copies of Dallas. And what's up with the numbers? So we don't get players confused? "Is that Kovy or Larsen? Oh, God, I DON'T KNOW."


And for the Blues:

ST. LOUIS: Another significant change. The Blues will introduce a dark-blue alternate jersey with a white stripe trimmed in black on the sleeves and uniform base. The club’s traditional “blue-note” logo appears within a circle on the front of the jersey, with the city’s famous Gateway Arch in the background. It will also have the lace-up feature.

I like the lace up feature. I like the coloring. I shall wait and see on the logo... I like the fact that they're working in the Arch, but... I'll just wait.

The Thrashers Have Full Coaching Staff

Anderson's appointment as the Thrashers' new head coach apparently is attracting top quality minor-league coaches to our team. Randy Cunnyworth and Todd Nelson were named Thursday to the coaching staff to join Steve Weeks and video coach Tony Borgford. Presumably one of our two new assistant coaches will be the defensive coach so he can work with our new talent there. Our D should be rebuilt and ready by the time the season starts, and I am assuming Weeks will actually be able to be goaltending coach this year, so Kari's development should come across nicely.

ESPN Power Rankings were released today, and we rank dead last in the Eastern Conference. I don't really understand if Burnside pays attention to what goes on here, if he hates us, or if he just doesn't care, but I would assume the addition of these excellent coaches, along with our shift from journeyman players (only Slava seems to fit that bill right now) to fresh young talent like the kind that these guys are used to working with in the minors, would at least put us more in contention than the Isles and Panthers are. And, well, we have a defense now, so wouldn't that make us slightly better than Tampa Bay, who has neither defense nor depth at goal? Offense is fun to watch, but serves no purpose if you're getting sat on by Boris Valabik.

I also disagree with his assessment of the Blues. Our defense is improved, and we actually have depth at goal. The rest of the Central has not stepped up to pass them; Nashville has taken a step back and Columbus still has the same coaching staff that could never make it to the playoffs, even with Nash and LeClaire. Detroit's only signed the Second Coming in Hossa, or so people are thinking (watching him here makes me realize what he's capable of, but on Detroit who is already perfect, well, what's the big deal?). Chicago is the team in the Central that gives me the willies. I can see St. Louis finishing 3rd in the division and fighting for the number 8 playoff spot. I don't know if we'll make it or not, but we won't be second to last in the Conference again.

Thrashers Ink Angelo Esposito to a Multi Year Deal

Esposito, acquired in the in the Hossa deal at the deadline, apparently impressed someone at prospect camp. The Thrashers penned him to a multi year deal. He has the chance to play 10 games at the NHL level for us before we can make the decision to send him down to the QMJHL again (too young for the Wolves) or to keep him with us. We have depth at center (yeah, I'm counting Todd), so unless something weird happens, we probably won't see him for a while.

He's opened up since getting here and knowing that he's playing on a team that'll be giving him a chance - he never would have had one on the Pens because of how stocked their roster is. I hope that he matures into the solid hockey player that was close to what everyone expected him to be... we really got the better end of that Hossa trade, didn't we?

I can't wait until we can all see EC's full potential at center, probably centering Kovy.

What's the Reasoner?

The Thrashers have signed Edmonton center Marty Reasoner to a contract (terms undisclosed, of course). He's not a power goal scorer, but he's pretty solid for face-offs and is a great locker room guy (thereby continuing the Thrashers' quest to steal every good locker room guy in the league).

His acquisition makes me wonder... is this to set up a trade? Is Todd out? Is he being moved to LW and is Larsen gone? Either way, it makes me happy. Reasoner should be a good, solid 3rd line center for us.

Kari's been resigned.

Per the Blueland Blog, our starting goalie has been resigned. The terms of the deal haven't been made public as per team policy, but once I hear a rumor of how long and how much, I'll post it. Hopefully it's for more than a year, because if not, well... that has trade bait written all over it.

EDIT: Per Craig Custance, it's a 1 year deal for $3 million. Nice deal... but that one year thing makes me wonder. Moose got 2, and Pavs is down in Chicago.

Now it's wait and see time.

Officialness from the AJC.

Goalie is one place the Thrashers have quality depth, with Johan Hedberg re-signed to a two-year contract and Ondrej Pavelec one of the top prospects in the organization. Waddell has talked about the possibility the Thrashers would make one or more trades, though he hasn't mentioned any players or positions. Might Lehtonen end up elsewhere?

"I don't think so, and I hope not," Lehtonen said. "I think the coach and Don and the whole organization, they trust me, and I think they're looking for me to have great success with this organization. I'm happy here, and I don't want to go anywhere."

Blues re-sign McClement

From the Hockey News:

2008-07-14 19:00:00

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues signed free-agent forward Matt Foy and re-signed centre Jay McClement on Monday.

Blues president John Davidson said McClement agreed to a US$950,000, one-year deal. He had nine goals and 13 assists in 81 games last season for St. Louis.

Foy had four goals and four assists in 28 games last season with the Minnesota Wild.

Terms of the Matt Foy's deal were not disclosed.

Wow... 8 points in 28 games. I think Foy's a depth signing.

Thrashers Sign Jason Williams to a One Year Deal

To help with Chicago's cap overage, we've signed forward Jason Williams to a one year-$2.2 million contract. The hesitance to sign a longer one probably stems from the fact that he missed 35 games with a hernia last season.

He can play both center and winger; DW probably signed him as a winger. Our situation at C (Little, EC, White, Perrin) is fairly solid, but we needed a right wing. Word is that Ottawa was very interested in him as well, but the Thrashers outbid them for him.

2005-2006 was his last full, injury free season, but look at the numbers for it. If he can reach that level again, it looks solid for him.




Welcome to Blueland, Jason!

We win.

The tift between the Blues and the Canucks seems to be over, with the Blues walking away with D man Mike Weaver.

From the Blues Site:

Blues Sign Defenseman Mike Weaver

St. Louis Blues

Jul 10, 2008, 1:58 PM EDT

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced today the club has signed free agent defenseman Mike Weaver.

Weaver, 30, played in 55 games last season with the Vancouver Canucks, registering one assist, 33 penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. The 5-9, 182-pound defenseman has played in 204 NHL games, recording 25 points (three goals, 22 assists) along with 93 penalty minutes.

The Bramalea, Ontario native was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Thrashers on June 15, 2000.

Also, the new season's schedule is set to come out the 17th. I really wish the teams' websites would put them out in iCal format for easy download.

The StL/Vancouver Tift Gets Funnier.

From Puck Daddy:

To recap: The Canucks inked Blues RFA forward David Backes, 24, to a three-year $7.5 million offer sheet; the same Vancouver franchise that cried to the heavens when Bobby Clarke tried to raid Ryan Kesler by the same means. Davidson figured Vancouver might tender an offer sheet. "They offered a trade. The offer was like a Volkswagen for a Porsche. It didn't make any sense at all ... not even close to being sensible," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, adding that the Blues' matching the offer was an indication that "we're not going to get pushed around by another organization."

Vancouver traded two draft picks to the Buffalo Sabres on July 4 for the rights to RFA Steve Bernier, a 23-year-old forward who came to Buffalo in the Brian Campbell trade. Yesterday, the Blues signed Bernier to a one-year offer sheet whose financial terms ($2.5 million per season) were nearly identical to the Backes contract. Which is a real punk rock thing to do.

Punk rock? Hell yeah.

Pre-season Schedule Out.

Nashville, Detroit, and St. Louis are the pre-season focus this year, along with a couple of prospect games up in Nashville that I REALLY wish were here.

From atlantathrashers.com:

Thrashers Announce Preseason Schedule

Atlanta to Host Three Games at Philips Arena

Atlanta Thrashers

Jul 9, 2008, 1:37 PM EDT

The Atlanta Thrashers announced today a six-game preseason schedule that features three games at Philips Arena against the Detroit Red Wings (Oct. 1), Nashville Predators (Oct. 3) and St. Louis Blues (Oct. 4). The Thrashers will visit Nashville, St. Louis and Detroit for preseason match-ups against the Predators (Sept. 25), Blues (Sept. 26) and Red Wings (Sept. 28).

2008 Atlanta Thrashers Preseason Schedule

Day	Date	Opponent	Site	Time (EST)
Thurs.	Sept. 25	Nashville Predators	Nashville, TN	8 p.m.
Fri.	Sept. 26	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis, MO	8:30 p.m.
Sun.	Sept. 28	Detroit Red Wings	Detroit, MI	5 p.m.
Wed.	Oct. 1	Detroit Red Wings	Philips Arena	7 p.m.
Fri.	Oct. 3	Nashville Predators	Philips Arena	7:30 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 4	St. Louis Blues	Philips Arena	7 p.m.

In addition to its preseason schedule, the team will travel to Nashville and compete in two prospect games against the Predators on Sept. 22 (7 p.m.) and Sept. 23 (Noon). More information on the games will be provided at a future date.

Atlanta Thrashers Prospect Games

Day	Date	Opponent	Site	Time (EST)
Mon.	Sept. 22	Nashville Predators	Nashville, TN	7 p.m.
Tues.	Sept. 23	Nashville Predators	Nashville, TN	Noon

The Thrashers will also participate in the annual Traverse City Prospect Evaluation Tournament, hosted by the Red Wings at the Center I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City, Mich., from Sept. 11-17. Details will be supplied in August.

Also, those random free-agent signings that refuse to pop up anywhere on the official site finally popped up on the AJC's (then on ours):

The Thrashers also signed three other unrestricted free agents, forwards Junior Lessard, Grant Stevenson and Mike Hoffman.

Lessard, 28, appeared in 21 games last season with Dallas and Tampa Bay. Lessard won the 2003-04 Hoby Baker Award as the nation's top college player while at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Stevenson, 26, led Quad City (AHL) with 73 points and 43 assists, and tied for the team lead with 30 goals in 80 games last season.

Hoffman, 27, had eight points (five goals, three assists) for Portland (AHL) last season.

Prospect camp and other news...

Prospect camp has begun - I'll try to make it out there Thursday to see what the hub bub is about... Bogy has a nice write-up in the AJC, and there are some great videos of him over at ThrashPractice. I like the comparison to Scott Stevens. I'm impressed with his skill already... I think he's a pretty good lock for the season.

Also, Boults re-signed for 2 more years according to TSN's signing tracker. That's major off-season signing #3... 4 if you count possibly signing Junior Lessard from Tampa. No one's announced it but he's being listed as a Thrasher at the NHLPA site, so who knows.

We're soooo passive aggressive.

HA! In retribution for Vancouver's plot to toss out offer sheets to our guys, the Blues giving an offer sheet to Steve Bernier... who they just acquired on the 4th.

A nice power forward with some presense would be fun... Vancouver has a week to match the offer, though, and they probably will. Yeah, he only had 32 points last season, but still.

But he'd be nice to see. Aside from the hair. Please, fix that. Please. You are not a member of the Jonas Bros.

EDIT: 'Nucks matched. No matter... now they have to pay a million more for the kid than they would have had to. HA!

Et Tu, Rex?

Tampa Bay signed Mark Recchi to a one year, $1.25 million contract.

Tampa: Where Penguins go to Retire. So much for us being Pittsburgh South. Oh, wait... we've gotten their prospects and decent players.

Tampa is now an offense forward team. The only way that they succeed is if Kolzig has one more decent year in him. IF.

This is the problem with their new owners... yeah, they're making some great grabs, but they're putting it together like a guy throwing together a fantasy hockey team. Power forward, power forward... oh, I know that guy's name!... power forward... that guy's supposed to be a good goalie...

All it'll take is a team with a solid D and they'll run smack into a wall. Hopefully we'll be that team, and if we can bring over Nikulin from Russia, we'll be that team.

Look, someone said something NICE about us.

From NHL.com: Hainsey another piece of Atlanta's blue line upgrade.

I know the fact that we just signed the guy probably persuaded him to say some nice stuff, but apparently he had a choice, and he chose us.

Thanks, Ron!

"There were a few teams I was considering and I went over my options for two days, but, in the end, felt coach (John) Anderson’s style would suit me best," Hainsey told NHL.com. "Atlanta has some good, young players and the more I looked into the team, the more excited I got."

The 27-year-old defenseman is looking forward to putting his maneuverability to good use in Atlanta.

"I wasn’t given the green light as much in Columbus, but realize that could change in Atlanta,’’ he said. "I'm excited to have an opportunity to rush the puck, in addition to playing sound defense in our end."

Pujols and Ludwick Named All Stars

Neither are starters, but that's just fine. This is Pujols' 6th straight ASG and 7th overall, and Ludwick's first. Congrats, you guys! The ASG is on July 15th.

Surreal.

New Jersey's Bobby Holik hoists the Stanley Cup after the Devils defeated the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the 2000 Stanley Cup Final. Holik, who left New Jersey following the 2001-02 season, rejoined the Devils on July 1, 2008. (Photo by Getty Images)

One can't help but wonder, did he randomly slash someone with that afterward, or did he just throw it into the stands for a delay of celebration penalty...

Blues News.

No, we didn't sign anyone new, but we snagged Yan Stastny for 2 more years (yay) and Matt Walker signed with the Blackhawks (ew). Yes, that gives a chance for one of our new boys to move up to D, and yes he only scored one goal last year, but Sean Gallagher at St. Louis Game Time said it very well:

As a fan, we don’t select our favorite players, they either grab our attention Brett Hull style or slowly grow on us. Walker is one of those grow-slowly guys for me and my hockey-loving son. And while his signing with Chicago isn’t exactly “Jim Edmonds went to the Cubs” in this town, in the Gallagher household it was even more unsettling.

As the son of GT said when I told him that our guy Walker has gone to Chicago, “Why them? Why couldn’t it be anywhere else?”

Shit on a Stick.

Awww, apparently Dan Boyle didn't want to come play for the Thrashers. Dan, you were placed on waivers. Beggars can't be choosers.

Wow... another class act from Tampa Bay. Really - do you think we'd even WANT him? We're pretty much set and aren't in dumpster diving mode this off-season, apparently. Go hop your tacky self to the curb.

Tampa hasn't made it past the first round of the playoffs since they won the Cup... or haven't made it there at all. That giant sucking sound in the east last season wasn't all us, thank you very much. We can at least usually assemble a winning record... last season was the first time in quite a while where we haven't, and I think that problem's been fixed fairly decently. He obviously has no clue what's going on, and... well... you were placed on waivers for a reason. You have no right to complain, because you have just been told by your team that you're not part of the direction they want to take.


Really, yes, we do have a bad rep after one bad year that is probably partially warranted. But at least we realize that and have made some strides to fix it.

Have fun out west, Dan. Don't get a sunburn, and watch out getting the crap kicked out of you by Dallas and the Wings when they come out there. I hope Sean Avery takes his butt out. And gets a 20 game suspension doing it. There - 2 problems solved.

Welcome back, Jimmy Baseball.

God, it's weird to see him in a Cubs uniform. Not so weird to see him strike out at his first AB. I loved the standing ovation everyone gave him at Busch... we respect our former Cards and appreciate what they brought to the franchise, even if they are wearing Cubbie Blue. I'm glad that he's turned his season around, because it got off to a horrible start. I'm sure that if we would have had the room we would have loved to have gotten him back.

Apparently there's a bit of a tift between Jim and TLR... I think LaRussa misunderstood a bit what Edmonds was saying, but he also is very dedicated to the Cards and any insult to the team's an insult to him.

I just love Pujols... he nailed his 300th homer tonight (our only run... now we're 3 and a half back), and he had this to say about Edmonds:

Former teammate Albert Pujols said he had not thought about the situation.

“Whatever he had to say, it doesn’t matter to me,” Pujols said. “He was a great teammate and he’s an even greater person.”

On a side note, I'm watching the game on WGN right now and the fireworks are going off from the riverfront - you can see it from the stadium, and the Arch is in the background... I hope all those Cards fans there realize how lucky they are right now to be part of the best baseball tradition in America, and the classiest tradition in sports.

Are we the next Sonics?

ESPN seems to think that we're #6 in line to become it.

I don't take too much stock in an organization that made jokes about re-naming the Sonics the Oklahoma City Bombers.


Can the NHL pressure AS to sell the team? Bettman REALLY doesn't want to move anyone... he approved the establishment of the teams where they are to expand the market. The NBA doesn't have to worry about getting the sport out there like the NHL does. I don't think ANY of the teams are moving. If necessary Bettman can go after AS for violation of terms of contract or something, I suppose, and get an ownership team with some sort of intelligence.

Atlanta's too huge of a market to lose a team, especially when the potential is really, really there.

The Russian is Coming

Ilya Nikulin may very well sign with us this summer in time for the new season. If this is the case, then we are set at D and need to look forward to building our... well...forwards.

http://www.ajc.com/thrashers/content/sports/thrashers/stories/2008/07/03/thrashers_0704.html

Peace out, Rex.

Knobler over at the AJC, and also at Taking Note:

Asked if there was any chance he would return to Atlanta, Recchi replied: “Uhhh . . . no.”
Recchi said he and Rick Curran, his agent of 22 years, have heard from “a couple of teams, which is really all you need. So it’s been good.”
A deal could have been done, he added, but “I’m a little bit picky at this point, too.”
“At some point,” Recchi continued, “there would probably be more teams but I don’t want to be on a bad team again. I know what my role is now and I want to be on a good team that has a chance. I want to help out leadership-wise.”
Besides, he said with a laugh, “I’m not really a priority.”

Thanks, Rex. We saved you from the AHL and made you Alternate Captain at the end of the year, and we get "uhhh...no?" I know we were horrible last year, but this year will be different. Cut us some slack.

OMFG.

Don Waddell IS alive!

We have saved Ron Hainsey from Columbus to the tune of 5 years, $22.5 million dollars. Yes, he was -7 last year, but that was on a D that was just about as bad as ours, so what do you expect?

Here are some stats:




And here he is in action:

Day 2.

Sean Avery is out of the East (YAY) and out west to Dallas.

The Pens team from last year is falling apart... too many free agents... Conklin to Detroit... Ruutu to Ottawa... HOSSA TO DETROIT. 1 year, $7.4 million.

He says it's about the championship... he says it's about the money... he says it's about stability... he could have had all of that in Pittsburgh. Could have stayed with Crosby and Malkin. Could have been a star - the Pens fans love(d) him.

Now he's another cog on the Wings' championship machine. And if he hasn't noticed, they don't win every year.

I am not happy with the way that Detroit and Chicago are beefing up. The Blues have lost Ryan Johnson to Vancouver, who were apparently on a mission to get at least ONE of their players. Other than that, no improvements to the roster yet. I *am* happy about Mason.


Atlanta has NOTHING. We offered a new contract to Eric Boulton, who will probably take it. We haven't done anything else... haven't even announced Kari re-signing. There are still people out there (heck, the Pens are giving away Free Candy), but I don't feel well. Maybe it's just the hamburger I had for lunch.

Oooooohhh, Brian Campbell apologized. Per HockeyBuzz:

Brian Campbell's Classy Move..."

I just got the Campbell Story, and this is NOT rumour, this is FACT.

It really came down to Atlanta and Chicago. The deals were very comparable. Brian sat down with his family to decide. He chose Chicago, but out of respect he did something that is NEVER done, and should be.

When a team puts all that money on the table it is a huge compliment. It is a big deal, even if they don't spend it, for a team to make an offer that is that huge, What usually happens is the agent will call the teams that aren't chosen to inform you, if you are lucky.

Brian Campbell personally called the Thrashers and thanked them. A small gesture maybe, but it goes a long way.

It's 11:15...

... and we have signed NO ONE. Not saying that we didn't inquire... but nothing yet.

We even asked about DOUG WEIGHT.

Great... we're going to turn into a retirement home for the Blues... Dougie just needs to go back to St. Louis so he can retire where he belongs.

No Soup for YOU.

Campbell to Chicago - $7.1 million a year for 8 years. Thrashers offered more, but... well... Chicago's closer to Toronto where Soupy's from. I was hoping for it, but... part of me didn't think it would happen.

Between Campbell and Huet, well... I am not hopeful for St. Louis and their wait and see attitude.


I got a pre-recorded VM from John Anderson shilling for season tickets. I'll have to record it and upload it in a sec... I give him an A for effort.

Here's the voicemail.

On the upside, while we haven't signed anyone (not even really our RFA Kari), um... Bobby's back off to New Jersey at $2.5 million for a year. They paid that?

Cardinals Signed Someone!

Yeah, forget you, Thrashers. The Cardinals can actually get people to put pen to paper. Of course, it was our first round draft pick, Brett Wallace. I haven't found the terms of the deal yet, but when I do, I shall post it.

Also, Albert's next homer is #300. Keep an eye on him tonight.

Freeeeeeee agents... get your freeeeeeee agents here!

First confirmation - Devils re-signed Salvador to a 4-year deal. He won't be sporting a Bluenote again any time soon, those of you who were hoping for that.

Stupid rumor of the day from the NY Post: 12 year, $100 million dollar deal for Marian Hossa offered by Boston.


I REALLY doubt that.

CuJo to the Leafs for backup at a year contract... and Dupuis back to the 'Burgh.

Shanny back to NJ maybe??

Hawks sign Huet... and from TSN: Vancouver signs RFA forward David Backes to an offer sheet, 3 years $7.5-million. St. Louis has seven days to match or accept a 2nd round draft pick as compensation.

Freaking MATCH!

Keep an eye on TSN.ca's UFA's signing tracker - it's a bit behind, but still useful. The fun goes on until 5!


Nothing doing today, but apparently Chicago and Atlanta are the last 2 standing in the Campbell Sweepstakes. $8 - 8.5 million has been offered, or so it's been said. Too much? Yes. Can we afford it, yes. Can we afford to not have a defense past our first line this season? No.

And we have better weather than Chicago.

EDIT:: St. Louis matched the offer on Backes. *whew*