AJC writer Craig Custance reports on the Thrashers AJC blog that hard-hitting pre-season defensive addition Vitaly Vishnevski is officially out of the Atlanta Thrashers future, having moved to Nashville in exchange for what appears to be a 3rd line center in the form of Eric Belanger.
This is the second change of scenery for Belanger in the past two days, after facing a trade from Carolina to the Preds on the 9th.
The Atlanta Thrashers website is now reporting it as well as NHL.com.
Is this the move Thrashers fans have waited for? I highly doubt it. There have been a few concerns raised about the lack of certain positions on the team - a prominent center, a PP leader, a solid D-man, etc. This move does little to address any of those areas of question, but while I do not see another move of Belanger in the future (three teams in two says, how much else can this guy take?!), I assume that there will be some shuffling around of other figures.
It's a shame that Vish was the odd man out here. His arrival to Atlanta was more-or-less positively-viewed. A hard-hitting defenseman to join the ranks of Exelby was looked at (by me, at least) with optimism for defensive strengthening. And for him to reconnect with a former teammate in Havelid (they were both blueliners in Anaheim), I thought it wasn't a bad move. I guess things didn't pan out and much wasn't put on his shoulders because he flat-out didn't bring it each night. His recent scratches from the lineup must've been an indication of what was to come.
It looks like Nashville gets a little defensive depth there with Vish in the lineup. Considering that their two big D-men are Timonen and Zidlicky, Vish gives the Preds some more bang for the buck. It wasn't like Nashville was lacking defensively, I just think that things weren't exactly looking optimal with Timonen being number one in their system and Zidlicky having a bit of an off season and a bunch of youth in the depths with Weber, Suter, and Hamhuis.
Regardless, next Tuesday's (the 20th) matchup in Carolina will be an interesting, uh, homecoming (?) for Belanger.
Remain tuned in because I'm sure that you won't hear the end of Atlanta and Don Waddell's shopping around.
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