Ondrej, what about Ondrej?!

Yesterday, The Sporting News' Craig Custance reported that Atlanta's goalie prospect Ondrej Pavelec's agent voiced disapproval of Pavelec getting sent back down to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

What do we make of this news? Everyone knew this was happening back in June when the Thrashers resigned The Moose of moose(es?), Johan Hedberg, to a two-year deal. When THAT happened, it came as a shock to me.

When Kari went down last season for a brief period, Pavelec finally had his shot at NHL play and made the most of it, winning three and losing three in the seven games that he was involved in. His play during that stretch won him a lot of praise, a bit of credibility that he missed ever since he was drafted by the Thrashers in the second round of the 2005 draft.

So, when Pavs received these glowing reviews and promise from both fans and the team, why did the Thrashers want to bring back Hedberg, who some say his best years are behind him? Clearly, Kari needs a veteran to learn from as he's only 24 years old. Also, Hedberg is a great presence in the locker room. He has a tremendous work ethic and possibly one of the best attitudes in the game.

But what about Pavs? In all honesty, I thought that it would be a battle between Kari and Pavs for the starting role. We know that Hedberg wasn't going to push Kari out of the number one position, but Pavs could easily do that. He's young, he has the skills, he just needs the time and experience to put him ahead of the rest. With some competition between the two, I'm sure that both of their games would rise to the occasion and one-up each other. It would be great for both goalies to compete for the same opportunity.

Now that this news came out yesterday, the problem that everyone saw coming is finally manifesting itself in what could be the worst way possible. Do we really think that Pavelec is behind all of this? He could be. I remember when he was resigned a few years ago, there was some doubt about him remaining a member of the team because he wanted a shot at the big team then and he had the skills, but he was incredibly unproven at the next level. When this was going down, I believe he was still playing for the juniors in Cape Breton. Fortunately, that worked out and some sense was talked into Pavs and his agent then. This time, Pavs has a little more to work with in terms of getting to the next spot, which is inevitably a full-time place on an NHL team, preferably the one he is currently with. But to make claims that he should suggest a trade to get what he wants or, even worse, jump ship and an ocean and play over in Russia is exactly what the Thrashers do not want.

Who knows exactly what's going on here? Pavelec needs to get his stuff together and make his way back to Chicago, suck it up, and just play. His time with the Thrashers will come. It happened last season and it will happen this season as well. If he thinks he has the game to call the shots like this, that's absurd. Players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, etc. have the right to push the limits and make these kinds of demands - BECAUSE THEY ARE PROVEN. Pavelec is still a prospect goalie and he needs to sit tight just a minute and let things play out. I understand that he wants the best and that is as a starting goalie in the NHL. Realistically, unless he plays for Los Angeles, he doesn't have that kind of opportunity just yet. LA's tried going full-time with new kids and see how that's turned out (i.e. LaBarbera, Bernier). They are getting put through the ringer and not getting the chance that they deserve.

Honestly, what did Pavelec expect at the beginning of this season? For him to bitch and moan about having to deal with ANOTHER season in Chi-town is crazy. You don't see Brett Sterling BEW-HEWING about going back down to Chicago (if he does, that is). Brett is a proven AHL winner, attaining scoring titles and team championships. That's essentially the same stuff that Pavs has - great goalie stats and a Calder Cup (for one year's time in Chicago, mind you). If Brett gets assigned to Chicago for the beginning of the season, you better believe he won't go crying about it.

This is what happens when decent players get involved with jerky agents. Do I think this all sources from Pavs? To a degree. I mean, I'd be pretty bummed out that I wasn't making the big squad when I know that I really should be considered. But... THAT'S LIFE, ONDREJ. I'm sure that his agent is playing more of a role in this than Pavs, but you still have to place some of the blame on Pavs.

Hopefully this will work itself out in the coming weeks and the right thing will happen here. Someone needs to talk some sense into Pavs and he should report back to Chicago and wait for his time to come. Didn't Scott Clemmensen cry about constantly having to be Marty Brodeur's backup? And didn't he get picked up by Toronto, with the hopes that he'd actually get a shot at playing more than 10 times a season? See how that turned out? I don't even think he rode the bench during that stint and he was stuck in the AHL. Maybe Clems and Pavs need to exchange numbers and have their own conversation, hm?