New Thrasher Hossa is one of the top young forwards in the game.

Thrashers have turned the corner
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Sept. 2, 2005

The Atlanta Thrashers have the potential to be not only one of the most interesting teams in the NHL this season, but one of the most improved as well.

It has been quite the summer for Thrashers GM Don Waddell, who jumped into the free-agent market and then swung a blockbuster trade.

In that deal, Waddell acquired winger Marian Hossa and defenseman Greg de Vries from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Dany Heatley.

It was a good, old-fashioned blockbuster, a swap that had folks around the NHL going "Wow!"

With the deal, Atlanta receives one of the top young forwards in the game and a veteran defenseman who will mentor the team's young backliners. And while Waddell admitted it was difficult to trade Heatley, he acquiesced to the young forward's request to start his NHL career fresh in a new city after Heatley struggled with the notion of staying Atlanta after the tragic automobile accident that claimed the life of teammate Dan Snyder last fall.

Waddell also made a big splash in the free-agent market, signing Bobby Holik. The veteran center is a unique player in the NHL -- he's big, strong, and useful both offensively and defensively. Holik wasn't a good fit in New York with the Rangers, but he was an integral part of the New Jersey teams that won Stanley Cup titles in 1995 and 2000. Holik's decision to join the Thrashers after being released by the Rangers appears to be a good one for both sides. His skills and experience seem to be a perfect fit with an emerging Atlanta team.

But it's homegrown talent that sets the Thrashers apart as a team on the rise. Atlanta has some excellent young players throughout the lineup. The forwards include a burgeoning star in Ilya Kovalchuk. Braydon Coburn and Garnet Exelby are fine young defensemen, and goalie Kari Lehtonen carried the Chicago Wolves, Atlanta's top farm team, to the Calder Cup finals last spring. The 2005-06 season may be the season that Atlanta breaks through to capture the first playoff berth since the team entered the NHL in 2000.

Also keep in mind that although coach Bob Hartley is a no-nonsense coach, he works well with young players, as evidenced by his success in the AHL as coach of the Colorado Avalanche's farm team.

Forwards

If Kovalchuk isn't the most exciting player in the league, he's right up there. The left wing has great speed, a terrific shot -- and moves, moves, and more moves. Kovalchuk is poised for a breakout season as he had made remarkable strides in his first three seasons. As a rookie, he had 29 goals and 51 points. His second season saw him improve to 38 goals and 67 points, and 2003-04 was better yet with 41 goals (tying him for the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals) and 87 points. The sky is the limit for Kovalchuk, who may well reach 50 goals and 100 points in 2005-06.

Hossa scored 36 goals and 46 assists in 81 games for the Senators in 2003-04. He has been a standout performer. In 467 career regular-season games, Hossa has scored 188 goals and 202 assists. In 2002-03, Hossa scored a career-high 45 goals and added 35 assists. He gives Atlanta a solid, proven offensive player who produces night in and night out.

Here's where the addition of Holik should help. Though he's best known for his defensive prowess and physical play, Holik is no slouch offensively, either. He had 25 goals and 31 assists for the Rangers in 2003-04 and has scored 20 or more goals nine times in his career. Just as important for a young team that has yet to learn how to win, Holik demands accountability from his teammates. That doesn't always make him the most popular guy in the locker room, but his teammates know they can't take a night off without hearing from him, and he is loath to accept excuses.

Kovalchuk might be the most exciting player in the League.

Another player in line for a comeback season is center Mark Savard. He was limited to 45 games in 2003-04, but they were a productive 45 games, as he scored 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points, an improvement over the 47 points he produced with the Thrashers in 57 games in 2002-03. A healthy, productive season from Savard would make the Thrashers all that much more dangerous.

Slava Kozlov is one of those quiet, productive guys coaches love. He never creates a fuss, just produces. In 2003-04, Kozlov reached the 20-goal mark for the eighth time in his career. He also tacked on 32 assists. Kozlov is a perfect second-line left wing for this team.

Scott Mellanby looked like he might be done after the 2000-01 season when he scored just 11 goals and 10 assists in a season split between Florida and St. Louis. But Mellanby keeps proving there is room on a roster for a smart, hard-working veteran. Over the next three seasons he totaled 41, 57 and 31 points as a Blue, then signed with the Thrashers last summer. Now, he will get his chance to show the kids how to get things done.

Right wing Ronald Petrovicky is coming off his best NHL season, scoring 16 goals and 15 assists in 78 games with the Thrashers in 2003-04. He also plays an abrasive, gritty game and is a valuable third-line winger.

Patrik Stefan, the No. 1 overall selection in the 1999 Entry Draft, hasn't blossomed into a scorer, but his faceoff skills, defensive play and general reliability still make him useful.

Serge Aubin is another underrated center. He scored 10 goals and 15 assists in 2003-04, despite being used primarily on a checking line.

Defense

After four very successful seasons with the Western Hockey League's Portland Winter Hawks, Coburn, the eighth overall selection in the 2003 Entry Draft, spent the end of 2004-05 with the Wolves and appeared in 18 playoff games as Chicago reached the Calder Cup Finals. This season, Coburn, all 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds of him, could well break into the NHL. That would add another exciting, young player to the mix.

Coburn's expected debut is another reason Waddell wanted de Vries from Ottawa. He is a highly competent NHL defenseman, one who has been on a Cup winner in Colorado and always plays a strong, smart game. He is the perfect player to mentor Coburn through his NHL growing pains.

Veteran Jaroslav Modry will be making his Atlanta debut this season after signing with the Thrashers after the 2003-04 season ended. He is a quiet presence on the backline and can ship in offensively. Modry scored five goals and 27 assists with Los Angeles in 2003094. He has 490 NHL games under his belt.

Also set to debut for Atlanta is another defenseman acquired after the 2003-04 season. Niclas Havelid scored six goals and 20 assists for Anaheim in 2003-04. He was a third-round selection by the Ducks and had his best NHL season in 2003-03 with 11 goals and 22 assists. He should be a very nice fit for the Thrashers.

Over the summer, Atlanta re-signed Andy Sutton and Tomas Kloucek and acquired Shane Hnidy from the Nashville Predators.

Sutton is a 6-6, 245-pouind bruiser entering his third full season with Atlanta after being acquired from Minnesota. He has 21 points in each of his last two seasons, but his primary role is to be a physical defenseman.

At 6-3 and 225 pounds, Kloucek, who also has played for Nashville and the Rangers during his NHL career, is another big man on the blue line. However, injuries have limited his effectiveness over the years. He also isn't much of a scorer (just 10 points in 140 career games), but Kloucek will throw the body and moves the puck effectively.

Hnidy spent parts of four seasons with the Ottawa Senators before being swapped to the Nashville Predators near the end of the 2003-04 season. A summer trade to Atlanta will give him a chance to earn some extra minutes that didn't materialize on Ottawa's packed defense.

Goaltending

There are auspicious starts to a career -- and then there is Kari Lehtonen's. Recalled near the end of the 2003-04 regular season, Lehtonen, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft, posted a four-game win streak from March 19-April 3, 2004. Over that span, he notched one shutout, had 1.25 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage.

No wonder Thrashers fans are eagerly awaiting his debut this season! By all accounts, Lehtonen is the real deal. He helped Chicago get to the Calder Cup Finals in 2004-05, going 38-17-2 during the regular season. In the playoffs, he was 10-6 with a 1.71 goals-against average. So unless a lot of people who are paid to evaluate talent are very wrong, Lehtonen is going to be very special.

Expected backup Pasi Nurminen suffered a serious knee injury in training and was contemplating retirement. The Thrashers moved quickly to fill the void and signed veteran Mike Dunham, who played with the New York Rangers in 2003-04, where earned 16 wins in 57 games, and shared first on the team with two shutouts in 2003-04. Dunham was acquired by the Rangers from Nashville for Rem Murray, Tomas Kloucek and Marek Zidlicky on Dec. 12, 2002, Dunham earned an overall record of 35-47-11 with seven shutouts in 100 games with New York.

Dunham, 33, has earned a 129-163-39 record, 2.69 goals-against average and 18 shutouts in 358 NHL games over eight seasons with New Jersey, Nashville and the Rangers. Dunham has represented the United States in numerous international competitions, including three Winter Olympic Games (1992, 1994, 2002), winning a silver medal at Salt Lake City in 1992, and three World Hockey Championships (1992, 1993, 1998).

Outlook

The Thrashers, led by Waddell, have built their team intelligently. Thanks to solid drafting, exciting, young players are being groomed to step into very important positions -- and now that plan is bearing fruit.

Kovalchuk and Heatley are two of the best young forwards in the game. Coburn is an exciting defensive prospect, and Lehtonen is very highly regarded.

Mix in talented veterans with character like Holik, Mellanby and Kozlov under a strong coach like Hartley and the Thrashers look like a team ready to break out.

As the season progresses, Waddell may want to add another veteran defenseman, but in the meantime, he will be eager to see how his plan progresses on its own. This could be the season in which the Thrashers take the last step and move into the playoffs.