The Post-Kovy Thrashers - BAGM (NHL11)

[thrashman]

After 8 years, the Atlanta Thrashers and Ilya Kovalchuk are parting ways.

February 4, 2010
Associated Press

ATLANTA - The day that many followers of the Atlanta Thrashers organization thought would never come has arrived. Today it was announced that the club has traded 26-year-old captain Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils after Kovalchuk and Atlanta GM Don Waddell were unable to come to terms on salary for a long term deal. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, and a 2010 2nd round pick will be going to the Devils while the Thrashers will receive Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and 2010 1st and 2nd round draft picks.

"It's a very strange feeling that I can't explain right now," Kovalchuk said when reached for comment. "I have played my whole NHL career in Atlanta. This is the team that drafted me and this is where I grew up. Obviously the Devils have a good organization and have won many Stanley Cups, so I am excited to be going there, but I am also sad to be leaving Atlanta."

The move comes as the Russian star was piling up another impressive statistical season with the Thrashers. In 49 games this season, Kovalchuk has 31 goals and 27 assists for 58 points with Atlanta. However, throughout his time with the Thrashers, Kovalchuk's personal statistics have not translated to team success as Atlanta has only one playoff appearance in their franchise history which saw them swept in the 2007 playoffs by the New York Rangers.

"I do not blame Ilya for this team's lack of success," Waddell said. "There are a lot of things I could have done better as well. We wanted to keep Kovy as a Thrasher for his entire career, but it didn't work out that way."

Now Atlanta will try to carve out a new path built around current young players on the roster like Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane, Tobias Enstrom, Bryan Little, and Ondrej Pavelec as well as the group coming over from New Jersey.

Of the newcomers, 28-year-old Johnny Oduya has the most experience, being a regular on the Devils blueline since 2006-2007. The Swedish two-way defenseman has played 273 games with New Jersey, scoring 17 goals and adding 55 assists. This season Oduya has struggled though, with only 2 goals and 2 assists in 40 games.

Another Swede, 22-year-old Niclas Bergfors will come to Atlanta in the midst of a strong rookie season where he had 13 goals and 14 assists in 54 games with New Jersey. A 2005 1st round pick, Bergfors has paid his dues in the AHL since 2005-2006 with sparing call ups to the Devils before finally establishing himself as a full-time NHLer this season.

Without playing a professional game, Patrice Cormier is already infamous as the 19-year-old was recently suspended from the QMJHL for the rest of the season and playoffs as while playing for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Cormier delivered a vicious hit on January 18 to Mikael Tam of the Quebec Remparts. A 2008 2nd round pick, Cormier's status at this time is still uncertain, but he does play a physical style of hockey that the Thrashers desperately need.

Now that this ground breaking deal is done, it will be interesting to see how both Kovalchuk and the Thrashers move on from this point. For eight seasons the #1 pick in 2001 from Tver and the upstart Atlanta franchise were synonomous with each other. Now that time has come and gone and both must establish new identities. Only the future will tell if the move will be a successful one for either side.

[bthomp05]

Great write up here. I was wondering when you were going to be back Thrashman.

[thrashman]

Quote: Originally Posted by bthomp05

Great write up here. I was wondering when you were going to be back Thrashman.

Thanks bthomp. I appreciate you following as always.

[thrashman]

THRASHERS HIRE RAMSAY


Craig Ramsay seen during a successful stint as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay.

June 24, 2010
Associated Press

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Thrashers announced the hiring of Craig Ramsay as the team's fifth head coach in franchise history today at a press conference in Philips Arena. The 59-year-old has most recently been an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins since the 2007-2008 season. Ramsay replaces the recently fired John Anderson who was terminated after two seasons at the helm in Atlanta where he went 70-75-19.

"This is a very exciting day for me and my family," Ramsay said to reporters. "To finally get a chance to be the full-time head coach of an NHL franchise after all these years is truly something special, and I look forward to bringing a winning product to the fans of the Thrashers."

Ramsay's head coaching experience consists of only 49 games in two separate stints as interim coach. His first temporary job behind the bench came with the Buffalo Sabres during the 1986-1987 season where the Weston, Ontario native went 4-15-2 in 21 games. Ramsay's next interim gig was not until the 2000-2001 season in Phildelphia where he led the Flyers to a 12-12-4 record in 28 games.

Thrashers fans will most recognize Ramsay for his tenure as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning under John Tortorella. During this time Ramsay helped lead the Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004 as well as two Southeast Division titles and four playoff appearances.

As a player, Ramsay was selected 19th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1971 and played his entire 14 year career with the club. In 1,070 games with the Sabres, Ramsay scored 252 goals and 420 assists including winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward in his final season of 1984-85.

[bthomp05]

Good move there.

[thrashman]

ATLANTA TAKES BURMISTROV 8TH OVERALL


Alexander Burmistrov is ready to get started with the Thrashers.

June 25-26, 2010
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - In front of a crowded house at Staples Center, new Atlanta GM Rick Dudley announced his first pick as the man in charge of the Thrashers' draft fate. That pick was the 8th overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and with it Dudley chose Alexander Burmistrov, a talented young Russian who is eager to prove himself in the NHL as soon as possible.

"The NHL is my dream," Burmistrov said to reporters after being chosen. "Atlanta is a good city, and the Thrashers have some good players. I am very excited."

The 18-year-old Burmistrov is a native of Kazan, Russia, where he came up in the system of the mighty Russian club Ak Bars Kazan. However, Burmistrov only competed in one KHL game before coming over to North America to play Canadian junior hockey for the Barrie Colts of the OHL. In 62 regular season games with Barrie, the talented center had 22 goals and 43 assists. Burmistrov then added 8 goals and 8 assists in 17 playoff games for the club.

"Alex has all the tools to be a great playmaking center for us," Dudley explained. "His hockey sense and stickhandling are off the charts. However, he's not just an offensive player. He works on all aspects of his game and has a strong desire to produce in the NHL."

Burmistrov has also made his presence felt at the international level for his native Russia, particularly with the Russian U18 team at the 2009 World Junior Championships. At that tournament, Burmistrov had 4 goals and 7 assists in 7 games, helping lead Russia to a silver medal. Most recently, he represented Russia's U20 side at the 2010 World Junior Championships, scoring 3 goals and 1 assist in 6 games.

The Thrashers other 2010 NHL Entry Draft selections were as follows: 3rd round, 87th overall - Julian Melchiori (D): Newmarket Hurricanes (CCHL), 4th round, 101st overall - Ivan Telegin (C/LW): Saginaw Spirit (OHL), 5th round, 128th overall - Fredrik Pettersson-Wentzel (G): Almtuna (Allsvenskan), 5th round, 150th overall - Yassin Cisse (RW): Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL), 6th round, 155th overall - Kendall McFaull (D): Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL), 6th round, 160th overall - Tanner Lane ©: Detroit Lakes High School (USHS), 6th round, 169th overall - Sebastian Owuya (D): Timra J20 (SuperElit), 7th round, 199th overall - Peter Stoykewych (D): Manitoba South Blues (MJHL).

[thrashman]

THRASHERS COMPLETE DEALS WITH BLACKHAWKS


Could the Thrashers be unveiling a new logo?

July 1, 2010
Associated Press

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Thrashers continue to take advantage of the new Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks' need to clear cap space. Today the Thrashers acquired forward Andrew Ladd from the cap-strapped Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2011 2nd round pick. The move comes just over a week after Atlanta's monster deal with Chicago which saw the Thrashers pick up Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager, and Akim Aliu from the Blackhawks for Marty Reasoner, Jeremy Morin, Joey Crabb, and 2010 1st and 2nd round picks.

"This franchise has not experienced much winning in its history," Thrashers GM Rick Dudley said. "By getting all of these talented players who have also just won a Stanley Cup, I think it will create a new dynamic of success here in Atlanta."

At only 24-years-old, Ladd has already won Stanley Cups both with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. Originally a 4th overall pick by Carolina in 2004, Ladd scored 17 goals and added 21 assists for Chicago in the 2009-2010 regular season. In the Blackhawks' run to the Stanley Cup, Ladd had 3 goals and 3 assists in 19 playoff games. For his 5 year NHL career, Ladd has totals of 63 goals and 86 assists in 321 games.

"It's pretty cool to be reunited with these guys right after we had been broken up with the previous trade," Ladd told reporters after the trade announcement. "Now we just need to do what we did in Chicago here in Atlanta."

Byfuglien, 25, will bring both a big body at 6'4, 255 pounds and big game experience to Atlanta amid rumours he may also be switched backed to his original position of defenseman. Playing forward last year with Chicago, Byfuglien had 17 goals and 17 assists in 82 games. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Minnesota native elevated his performance to another level, piling up 11 goals and 5 assists in 22 games, including 5 game winning goals. A veteran of 5 NHL seasons, Byfuglien has 55 career goals and 54 assists in 260 games.

"This is a new challenge I look forward to," said Byfuglien. "No one thought we could win turn a franchise around like we did in Chicago, but it happened. The same thing can happen here in Atlanta."

The 33-year-old veteran Sopel comes to Atlanta with 10 NHL seasons under his belt. In 588 career games, he has 42 goals and 169 assists. Eager, 26, is a former 1st round pick who has evolved into a hard-working grinder with alot of grit in his game. He has 27 goals and 25 assists in 255 games. Aliu is a 21-year-old, 2nd round draft choice of Chicago in 2007. He had 11 goals and 6 assists with Rockford of the AHL last season.

[Jshson14]

Really Awesome write-ups, Thrashman.