In other news...
The NHL free agency floodgates opened on Sunday and the Thrashers lost a few players, re-signed some notables, and picked up a few game-breakers (hopefully). Here's what happened to le Thrash since Sunday:
The most surprising move to me was the Klee acquisition. de Vries' departure to Nashville wasn't much of a shock, but the pick up of someone along the same lines as Devo doesn't come off to me as an "improvement". My experience with Klee is that while he was with Toronto a couple of years ago, I had him on my fantasy team for a while and that made me aware of how he was as a player. Granted, I never watched him play, so I do not have any kind of knowledge on his style of hockey, but he wasn't remarkable in the stats department. It just struck me to replace one veteran defenseman with another one who will probably play the same role. I never asked for anyone in the Sheldon Souray department, but I'm sure that there was someone else who would better fit into the Thrashers' system than Ken Klee. Personally, I would've loved to see Tom Preissing in a Thrashers jersey next season... hell, even Tom Poti had a nice year with the Islanders previously... let's just say there were options out there other than Klee that I would've made an effort for.
Resigning Dupuis was a great move because he was definitely one of the bright spots during our playoff push and our (ugh) first-round exit. And the recent re-signing of Slava Kozlov is a move hugely supported by the Blueland faithful. The biggest concern for this off-season was whether our management was able to keep Slava in the picture while making an effort to improve the team. Many wondered if he'd test the waters of free agency and see what kind of deal he could get, others also worried about whether he priced himself out of our already bloated payroll. Fortunately, he'll be in Thrashers Blue for three more years, and possibly end his career here, a place where he is most appreciated.
Picking up speedy forward Eric Perrin from rivals Tampa Bay was a "typical Waddell" pick - not noteworthy, and has potential to have any kind of effect on the team. Fans wonder if he'll turn into another Niko Kapanen experiment (that failed miserably) or if he can spark up like Mr. Belanger did late last season. I think he'll provide more offensive punch than Simmer, but Simmer's scrappy presence on the ice will be missed. And the arrival of Todd White will be surprising. We'll either be taken back by how well he fits into Hartley's system or how he might become another Steve Rucchin and have the game pass him right on by. From various sites, I've seen a few people compliment Don Waddell on these acquisitions... let's hope their compliments and hints about their abilities ring true.
While none of these moves rivals the Briere signing or the double-plucking the Rangers did of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, they are what we've come to expect of Don Waddell and Co. for the past few years. He's clearly not hesitant to pull the trigger on bigger moves (the Heatley/Hossa trade and the Tkachuk signing come to mind instantly), but it's like there's this kind of fantasy to sign some smaller players and try to give the team great parity. The superstars are obviously Kovalchuk, Hossa, and possibly Lehtonen and thankfully Kozlov, but other than those, there are a slew of players that have third- and fourth-line potential. The team that the Thrashers are left with, to me, doesn't seem as through-and-through as last year's Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, and Anaheim squads; the main complaint of Atlanta from fans and critics alike last year (and is sure to continue through to this upcoming season) is that the team we're left with is quite one-dimensional. That lack of diversity in the lineup is appearing to bleed into the '07-'08 season. We'll see what all of these moves bring in the upcoming months.
Regardless, I'm incredibly excited about this upcoming season for the Atlanta Thrashers. There are so many elements of the hockey season that I'm missing out on right now that I'm ready for September to roll around and the pre-season to get started.
In the meantime, there's the prospect camp that opens this weekend in Duluth. It'll run from the 6th to the 12th and will put all of our up-and-coming players on display for both fans and the organization to see, pick apart, etc. Featured players in the Thrashers' system (and possible candidates for roster spots with the team, as well) include Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, Chad Denny, Tobias Enstrom, and Ondrej Pavelec among many others. Information about the camp (including other players featured and times of the sessions each day) can be found below. All sessions are open to the public. I know I'm going to make a serious attempt at one of the days next week (somewhere on Tuesday through Thursday). I'll be sure to post pictures and notes from my trip(s?) up to the IceForum next week.
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