Atlanta Thrashers

[lanky522]

With all the talks about teams and their plans for next year, I thought I\'d ask everyone\'s opinion on the ATL Thrashers.

By my calculations, they currently have the following players that are UNRESTRICTED Free Agents this summer:
Slava Kozlov
Keith Tkachuk
Scott Mellanby
Jon Sim
J.P. Vigier
Eric Boulton
Brad Larsen
Eric Belanger
Pascal Dupuis
Greg DeVries
Andy Sutton
Shane Hnidy

RFA\'s this summer include:
Jim Slater
Derek Mackenzie
Steve McCarthy
Garnet Excelby

The only forwards that they have singed for next season are:
Kovalchuk
Hossa
Holik
Rucchin
Jason Krog
Darren Haydar

6 Guys. To fill 12 spots on offense (not including reserve/bench players in the event of injuries). They\'ve got their work cut out for them this summer. I expect to see this team completely blown up.

What are everyone else\'s opinions on this team? Who will they re-sign of the above listed guys? Who will they call up? Who will they go after in free agency?

Post edited by: lanky522, at: 2007/05/18 14:51

[repenttokyo]

lanky522 wrote:

With all the talks about teams and their plans for next year, I thought I\'d ask everyone\'s opinion on the ATL Thrashers.

By my calculations, they currently have the following players that are UNRESTRICTED Free Agents this summer:
Slava Kozlov
Keith Tkachuk
Scott Mellanby
Jon Sim
J.P. Vigier
Eric Boulton
Brad Larsen
Eric Belanger
Pascal Dupuis
Greg DeVries
Andy Sutton
Shane Hnidy

RFA\'s this summer include:
Jim Slater
Derek Mackenzie
Steve McCarthy
Garnet Excelby

The only forwards that they have singed for next season are:
Kovalchuk
Hossa
Holik
Rucchin
Jason Krog
Darren Haydar

6 Guys. To fill 12 spots on offense (not including reserve/bench players in the event of injuries). They\'ve got their work cut out for them this summer. I expect to see this team completely blown up.

What are everyone else\'s opinions on this team? Who will they re-sign of the above listed guys? Who will they call up? Who will they go after in free agency?<br><br>Post edited by: lanky522, at: 2007/05/18 14:51

Mellanby retired.

They will most likely keep Kozlov, Belanger, Sutton, and Vigier. Maybe Dupuis. Most of their UFA\'s are inexpensive and not exactly irreplaceable - I can see them wanting to keep a number of them for development purposes, But the core of their team, with Mellanby gone, really only consists of Hossa, Kovalchuk, Holik and Lehtonen.

[Jason_Banks]

I agree for the most part I see Atlanta blown up but not for the worse... they\'ve been waiting for a few players to come along... Ie Kari, Exelby, McCarthy, Haydar, Krog, Slater... and not from a total stand point... say 6-8 new faces on the roster...

They have 2 stars in Kovy and Hossa thier vet centers Rucchin and Holik respectively, thow in Zhitnik/Havlid on 2 of Hnidy, Sutton and DeVries should be back... then ya got room for Popovic as a roster player or Oystrick...

Brett Stirling and Byan Little have a chance at cracking the roster...

Then go out FA hunting on forward... for wingers... Nagy,Zubrus,Gelinas,Smyth,Zednik,Blake,Isbister,Yo rk,Friesen,Bertuzzi,Hartnall,karyia,Dvorak,Bulis?. .. mix and match 2 of them to play on the 1st 2 line wings... or resign Kozlov or Tkachuk... they do have some $$$ wiggle room and thier bottom 2 lines would only cost like 4 million put togather

[lanky522]

The one thing that I\'m sure of is that Tkachuk will be gone... ATL has to cough up a 1st round pick for next years draft to ST Louis if they resign Tkachuk (that was part of the deal).

I don\'t think that he made a big enough impact for them to want to sign him for that steep a price. I think they\'d be wise to resign kozlov as he\'s one of the more versitile players out there... he often plays center when atlanta has injuries. They can probably get him for around 3-3.5 a season, which is a great price for someone who can put up 70 points and can play every position. They need to go out there and find a top 2 line right winger though I think. That way they have two full lines that can do damage...

I agree that if ever there were a time to give little a shot, it\'s now... Rucchin and Holik\'s contracts both come up at the end of next season. It\'d be nice if Little could slide into one of those top two spots to replace one of them at that point...

[Zorro]

I\'m sorry but Little is far from ready for NHL time. Especially on one of the top two lines. He is a great talent but he won\'t be ready to produce this season. Alla> Brule..

and Vigier signed for one year..

[lanky522]

It\'d be nice if Little could slide into one of those top two spots to replace one of them at that point...

I was talking about the start of the 08-09 season in terms of little being tried out. I know he\'s far from ready right now...