I guess it's about time that I start getting back into the mix of things. Here at WE WANT DUNHAM!, we care about two things and two things only - hockey and music (we'll get to the latter in a bit). Seeing how there's minimal hockey news going around (unless you're REALLY - read: obsessive - into arbitration discussions and salary developments, which, uh, God help you), there aren't many posts going on around the Thrashers blogosphere. Prospect camp came and went in the blink of an eye... yes, of course, there was the great free agency domino effect that took place in early July... and now, well, there's tons of speculation and, yep, rumors. Personally, I'm no good at any of those two things. I'm too casual of a fan to really start wide-spread inner thoughts and feelings on the subject of my beloved hockey team and their competition. But, since I'm on the topic...
The Thrashers went into this summer's free agency period with a few question marks. A majority of the team's salary is tied up in marquee players such as Ilya Kovalchuk ($5.5 mil) and Marian Hossa ($7 mil) and other overpaid players, namely Bobby Holik ($4.25 mil), and perhaps the addled Steve Rucchin ($2.4 mil). With all of that committed to the upcoming season, the organization was hard-pressed to come up with suitable talent to further the Thrashers "acknowledged" successes from the previous season. Apparently feeling their needs didn't fall into the success plan for this next season, the Thrashers cut ties with Eric Belanger, Jon Sim, Keith Tkachuk, Greg deVries, Andy Sutton, Shane Hnidy, and, most recently, J.P. Vigier. As such, their "replacements" (can you even call them replacement players? uhhh...) are as follows:
Todd White
Eric Perrin
Ken Klee
Chris Thorburn
Pascal Dupuis (resigned)
So, the Thrashers dumped a lot of defensemen in favor of the experienced Klee and the newcomers (TBA, really). They also picked up a solid (yet not true "first-line") center in White, while washing their hands clean of Tkachuk and Belanger. Personally, the times I saw Tkachuk and Belanger on the ice, I didn't feel a bit of regret in going after either prior to the trade deadline last year. "Walt" brought a bunch of personality to the ice each shift and I really felt like he and Kovalchuk developed good chemistry during their brief time together. Also, it was clear that Belanger had a solid impact on a team that was somewhat lacking in the "center with initiative" department, scoring nine goals and fifteen points in a 24-game span.
While I'm still as excited as ever for this '07-'08 season to get started, I'm still questioning these moves. I don't feel that secure with any of them, except the Dupuis signing. Then again, who really skipped around the block when word came down that the Thrashers picked up Eric Belanger from Nashville, from Carolina, in a matter of minutes? I've read random things online about Todd White from Minnesota Wild fans and they've had nothing but positive things to say about his play and his camaraderie with teammates. That's encouraging and all, but I'm still not sold. I think I was one of the few who got mildly excited about Steve Rucchin's addition to the team last season, and I saw how that panned out. The White signing comes off as a similar move to me. Then again, there's more room for surprise with White because I'm admittingly unaware of him; with Rucchin, I clearly remember the role he played on the Anaheim team that went to the Stanley Cup finals years ago, therefore, I knew what kind of player we acquired. And Eric Perrin? We'll see. Still not sold on Klee, either.
There's the free agents we signed and then there's the other side of the issue - dealing with n00bz. This season, expect quite a few, more than the recent Thrashers fan is used to. With just Klee, Zhitnik, Havelid, Exelby, and McCarthy on the current roster, that leaves open at least one more slot on defense. AHL players like Mark Popovic and Boris Valabik will get serious looks during training camp as will up-and-coming European stars Ilya Nikulin and Tobias Enstrom. Surely one of them will make the opening day roster, but who? And how quick will this player fit into their role of NHL defenseman on a daily basis? I don't know, but the thought of that leaves me scratching my head a bit. For offensive flair, we're relying on Brett Sterling, Darren Haydar, Jason Krog, etc. to step up and fit into the NHL roster as well. As a Thrashers fan, I absolutely heard A LOT about these players' roles on the team in Chicago (AHL) - how Sterling was AHL rookie of the year, how Haydar broke scoring records, how the chemistry between those three players was apparently tight. But we need to be reminded that we're talking about the AHL here. I remember the only preseason game I went to last season included some plays from Brett Sterling (including a few points on the board?), so he probably can compete at the NHL level, but I'm still unsure.
Basically, there are too many question marks surrounding this season and I'm hard-pressed to see immediately past them. Granted, things might work out and all of my doubts and fears about this team will be laid to rest and there will be even more success come April of '08.
But like I said, I'm super excited about hockey again. I can't wait to see how these new players play, how the players we've come to know will fit with the n00bz, how the n00bz will fit into the grand scheme of things. I remember reading a story during the off-season in The Hockey News about the big prospects that Anaheim had - do the names Getzlaf, Perry, and Penner ring any bells? While maybe the talent level isn't as high with the three Thrashers prospects I mentioned earlier as it is with the three Ducks, I kinda get the same vibes from our three birds. Inserting Krog into the lineup midseason didn't have much of an impact, and Haydar didn't even register on anything that I can remember. And looking at their roles during their short stints with the team, it was hard to develop into anything with 14 games and four games under Krog's and Haydar's belts, respectively.
Who's to say what this season holds for the Thrashers, and the rest of the Southeast Division? Will there be a new division champion at the end of the season, as the trend has been? Or will the "big three" - Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay - still race for the top? How about Florida or Washington - will they be the dark horses that no one is counting on? I don't know, but I'm getting more and more psyched for this upcoming season.
Bring it on and let's raise that banner!
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