Sports Illustrated Lists Thrashers As Most Improved NHL Team
Allan Muir of SI.com ticks off what he thinks are the most improved teams of the off-season, and the Thrashers are #1. Tampa Bay is at #2, which again goes to show how much tougher the Southeast will be this coming season. Says Muir:
"These Thrashers may not boast the wattage of previous editions, but it'll be a more consistent and more competitive group. A playoff berth is within reach."
Updating the Thrashers Salary Cap Situation
by The Falconer on Jul 29, 2010 12:13 PM EDT
in Analysis
8 comments
Way back in May, I took a stab at estimating the Thrashers cap situation for 2010-2011 season. A great deal has changed since that May post, so I thought it would be interesting to look at how much the roster has changed and what effect that has had on the team's projected salary cap number.
In terms of roster changes, the Thrashers did not re-sign Kubina or Afinogenov but did choose to re-sign Boulton and Slater. They walked away from MacArthur's arbitration award. They dealt away Reasoner to Chicago and acquired Sopel, Byfuglien, Ladd and Eager in two trades. They signed Chis Mason for one of the two goalies spots. At this point the only two unknown numbers are RFA salaries for Bryan Little and Nic Bergfors (I have estimated each at around 2.2 million cap hit).
Assuming my projections for Bergfors and Little are in the ball park, what is interesting to me is that the current team cap budget is actually $4 million less than my May projection for the club. Part of this difference is that the team has filled the D slot with the cheaper Sopel ($2.3) rather than my projected $4.5 million going to Kubina. The other major savings were at the goal position. I had budgeted $4.7 for Pavelec and mystery goalie, while the actual cap cost for Pavelec and Mason comes in at a low $3.0 million combined.
Looks like no arbitration for Ladd. RT @RealKyper: Newly acquired Andrew Ladd settles with Atlanta. 1 year deal for 2.35M
I'm Back!
by The Falconer on Jul 28, 2010 5:44 PM EDT
in Opinion
6 comments
I probably should have posted something here a long time ago, but I never thought I would spend so much time away from this blog. I know that many readers regularly come to this site for Thrashers news and analysis and I'm proud that you have come to rely on BWA for that information. So I do feel guilty about not posting for the last month, and I feel that I owe a bit of an explanation.
The day I returned home from the NHL Draft, I agreed to split up with my spouse of 12 years. It is an amicable separation, but it was unexpected at that time. I am embracing this change and looking forward to the third act of my life with great anticipation. But one consequence of this change is that my personal and professional absorbed every minute of my time over the last four weeks. Thankfully, the other folks here at BWA were able to provide you with content in my absence.
My new life is beginning to take shape and I expect to have some time for writing again. I have a pile of interviews from Prospect Camp to transcribe and post and I'll write up my impressions of Camp (although I spent less time watching than in some previous years). So come back here in August for interviews that I conducted in early July. I'm really looking forward to watching the Thrashers this fall. It will be exciting to see what this lineup will look like on the ice. I hope that you'll keep checking back here as we get ready for another year of NHL hockey in Atlanta.
Goaltenders and Wine Have More In Common Than You Think.
by hildymac on Jul 25, 2010 9:12 PM EDT
15 comments
Unless you're a fan of Beaujolais wine, you probably prefer what you drink to have a bit more body, especially in the wintertime. Beaujolais is fun for the summer, slightly chilled, with a light salad. A nice well-aged Bordeaux or Burgundy work so well in front of a fire with a big bowl of stew or a nice prime rib. And, of course, we've all gotten a hold of a bottle of wine that we're excited to drink, because it's old - and either the cork falls apart in it and you have to pour it through a mesh sieve, or the wine's actually too old and tastes like an old gym sock.
This scenario can apply to the goaltender as well. They're good at the start of their career in juniors, or in the minor leagues - the summertime of hockey. As they mature at the proper rate, they should get better and better - if stored and treated properly - and then there comes a magic age (Behind the Net has it guestimated at around 33-34) where you need to consume before they turn into rotted cork.
Some members of the Thrashers fan community are not sold on Ondrej Pavelec. Admittedly, his statistics in Atlanta have not been mind blowing.
Associate Coach John Torchetti discusses the three players who came from the first trade with Chicago: Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Brent Sopel.
Is Sunbelt Hockey Working?
Peter Evans over at Hoosier Hockey took a well-researched look at the game in non-traditional markets. He is one of the few writers that I've read who caught onto a point that hockey fans who live in the South have been saying for a while: there's a strong movement in building fans of the sport.
An Early Look at Updated Prospect Rankings
by timmyf on Jul 23, 2010 10:43 PM EDT
in Opinion
12 comments
Here at BWA, we've started doing our prospect rankings as an average. The final ranking is based on the thoughts of myself, The Falconer, and hildymac. I've updated my rankings after camp, but both Falconer and hildy are a bit busy right now. To satiate you guys, here are my rankings (below the fold...) I've included a few basic notes to explain why a player has moved up or down on my list, but I'll gladly answer questions in the comments. Okay, here goes... ::ducks::
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
82 | 54 | 15 | 13 | 121 |
|
Atlanta
|
82 | 35 | 34 | 13 | 83 |
|
Carolina
|
82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 80 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 80 |
|
Florida
|
82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 77 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 9:21 AM EDT)
Thrashers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Washington
|
Fri 10/08 | 7:30 PM EDT |
|
@
Tampa Bay
|
Sat 10/09 | 7:30 PM EDT |
|
@
Los Angeles
|
Tue 10/12 | 10:30 PM EDT |
|
@
Anaheim
|
Fri 10/15 | 10:00 PM EDT |
|
@
San Jose
|
Sat 10/16 | 10:30 PM EDT |
Last 5 Games
|
Pittsburgh
|
Sat 04/10 | W 1 - 0 |
|
@
Washington
|
Fri 04/09 | L 2 - 5 |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 04/06 | L 0 - 3 |
|
@
Pittsburgh
|
Sat 04/03 | OT - L 3 - 4 |
|
@
Washington
|
Thu 04/01 | L 1 - 2 |
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