By Bud L. Ellis
Four days after another season ended with the Atlanta Thrashers looking from the outside at the NHL playoffs, the franchise made wholesale changes in the hope of skating past game No. 82 next spring.
The Thrashers fired head coach John Anderson and the entire coaching staff after two seasons. Much maligned general manager Don Waddell, who held the position since the franchise’s inception in 1999, was moved into the president’s role, and assistant GM Rick Dudley was promoted to replace Waddell.
The Thrashers hope the moves will reset a franchise that has missed the playoffs in nine of their 10 seasons of existence.
Atlanta, which traded superstar Ilya Kovalchuk at the trade deadline following a contract extension impasse with the Russian sharpshooter, actually played one game over .500 after dealing Kovalchuk to New Jersey in February. But a five-game losing streak in late February and early March put the Thrashers in a hole from which they could not recover.
Two or three wins more would’ve put the Thrashers in the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and just the second time in franchise history. But after Atlanta was eliminated from postseason contention with a home loss last Tuesday to New Jersey, many figured changes would be afoot.
Dudley does bring a positive vibe to a franchise desperately in need of something positive. He helped built successful teams in Tampa Bay and Chicago.
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Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 10:12 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, Don Waddell, Ilya Kovalchuk, John Anderson, New Jersey Devils, Rick Dudley, Tampa Bay Lightning
By Bud L. Ellis
In eight years, Ilya Kovalchuk wrote his name all over the Atlanta Thrashers’ record book, becoming the franchise’s cornerstone and the face of hockey in Atlanta.
That era ended Thursday night with the soon-to-be free-agent Kovalchuk packing his bags for New Jersey and the Thrashers looking to move on without their career leader in games, points, goals and assists.
Ending months of tense contract negotiations during which general manager Don Waddell offered as much as $100 million, the Thrashers dealt the perennial All-Star left winger to the Devils as part of a deal involving five players, three draft picks and plenty of teeth-grinding in Atlanta on who to blame for Kovalchuk’s departure.
Atlanta also sends defenseman Anssi Salmela, traded from New Jersey last year for Niclas Havelid, to the Devils. In return, Atlanta gets defenseman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors and prospect Patrice Cormier.
Bergfors is fifth in the NHL in rookie scoring, with 13 goals and 14 assists. Oduya is a strong defenseman who has just four points this year, but scored 27 points a year ago while playing all 82 games. Cormier had 31 goals in 31 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before being suspended for the rest of the season for a high elbow.
Without a doubt, though, the centerpiece is Kovalchuk, who scored 31 goals with 27 assists in 49 games for an Atlanta team just one point out of a playoff spot. But Kovalchuk, who will be an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the Thrashers could not come to terms. Rather than keep him and risk getting nothing in return if a contract couldn’t be reached, the Thrashers decided to roll the dice that they could make the playoffs without their top scorer.
For many, the blame rests with Waddell, who wasn’t aggressive enough early on in negotiations. For some, the blame rests with Kovalchuk, who was offered plenty of money but wanted the absolute max salary possible.
Either way, the Thrashers’ playoff chase begins anew Friday night against Eastern Conference leader Washington. For the first time since April 2001, they’ll take the ice without Kovalchuk as part of their organization.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 8:36 pm by bud
Tags: Anssi Salmela, Atlanta Thrashers, Don Waddell, Ilya Kovalchuk, Johnny Oduya, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, Washington Capitals
