Thrashers Trade Kari Lehtonen to Dallas for Vishnevskiy, 4th-round Pick
by timmyf on Feb 9, 2010 8:47 PM EST
110 comments
The Atlanta Thrashers have traded goaltender Kari Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars for the Stars' top prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy, a small, mobile defenseman. Here's what Hockey's Future has to say about him:
A fluid skater, Vishnevskiy has all the offensive tools to become a powerplay quarterback in the NHL. He’s undersized and only average in his own end, two things that will work against him at the professional level. However, he has the vision and skill set that enable him to be a great puck-mover. Reads plays well and has the skating ability to stay in the play defensively, but isn’t consistent enough in that regard. Needs to figure out a way to handle power forwards effectively.
That sounds a lot like our own Tobias Enstrom, no?
Also included in this deal: a 4th round pick in 2010.
If you want to see what Dallas fans think of the deal, take a gander at the thread over at Defending Big D. Hint: they're not thrilled.
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I'm hoping
that this is merely a stepping stone trade to bigger and better things (like a bigger and better forward)…..
</pretend gm>
DE
TROIT
SUCKS
how much could Don get for a goaltender who spends more time on the IR than playing and a history of back and groin problems
Well, wow.
How many 1st round draft picks are we going to stockpile? He’s Dallas’ top prospect and HF gives him a 7.5C. Pretty good deal, though I was expecting a NHL player to cover for Army splitting.
The fans at Defending Big D are having a collective heart attack about this – they really like Vish. I take this as a sign that we’re getting the better end of this.
Which team’s a buyer and who is a seller?
Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?
Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.
We are definitely a seller here,
but in this respect, we were not going to sign Kari and he’s been out of hockey for so long, even with his Chicago assignment, it may take him a while to get back into form. So could we have taken that chance now that every game is so crucial for us?
A sell, but we lose nothing of value to us. Feels good, real good.
Good trade or not?
Any trade that gets Donut Boy away from Atlanta is a good deal. I’d take a bag of pucks in return for that unreliable, poorly-conditioned jerk. What a waste.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 9:16 PM EST reply actions
Edit
What do you silly bloggers know? Amateurs.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 9:18 PM EST reply actions
This is BS.
In other news, Dallas, huh?
Who said Dallas?
/Jerktime
Being a Thrashers fan - it's kind of like being punk rock in a hick town.
Birdwatchers Anonymous
DBD is reporting STL is in the mix too!
I AM LAZY!!!
Saturday’s powerball is 23 52 43 68…
Being a Thrashers fan - it's kind of like being punk rock in a hick town.
Birdwatchers Anonymous
NOOOOOOOOOO.
Sorry, Allen’s reporting just Dallas right now, praise be to Jeebus.
Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?
Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.
Really, the thing you should keep him away from...
… is Mr. Ambassador of Fun.
Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?
Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.
if this went through
it would be awesome. Wont be sad at all to see Kari let-one-in leave
He’s undersized and only average in his own end, two things that will work against him at the professional level. However, he has the vision and skill set that enable him to be a great puck-mover. Reads plays well and has the skating ability to stay in the play defensively, but isn’t consistent enough in that regard. Needs to figure out a way to handle power forwards effectively.
Undersized and only average; sounds like a typical Thrashers D-man…I think Waddell could’ve held on to the guy up to the trade deadline and gotten more.
by Black ice in Alabama on Feb 9, 2010 9:23 PM EST reply actions
a fat, perpetually injured goalie isnt going to get more than that. like dallas fans, im very surprised theyre valuing kari this high.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:27 PM EST up reply actions
It’s not like we’re trading Damien Rhodes or Mike Dunham…
by Black ice in Alabama on Feb 9, 2010 9:28 PM EST up reply actions
and its not like were getting erik christensen in return
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:29 PM EST up reply actions
typical atlanta defensemen like kubina, hainsey, valabik, and bogosian??
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:39 PM EST up reply actions
I’m with Cuckoo on this. Anything more than a bag of pucks and we come out a winner. If you read the trade stuff you see lots of references to their being far more available goalies than teams in need—this season it was a buyers market for goalies. I think this was a good move and I think it is a sign we will let Moose play out the season unless we tank the road trip and are really overwhelmed by an offer.
He's compared to Visnovsky
according to hockey’s future. sounds good to me. is it official yet?
Bad News for Me
@kausatoday Next to be traded by Atlanta is Colby Armstrong. I think his value will be highest at 2:50 on deadline day.
Whimper.
translation
Army said “hey Kovy, hold the door!”
So, another defenseman… does this mean the org. thinks we’re stocked at forward?
Being a Thrashers fan - it's kind of like being punk rock in a hick town.
Birdwatchers Anonymous
Maybe they are using my NHL 2010 ps3 dynasty strategy
Get the best player in the Stars system and then turn him around for a forward prospect in another system. Instead of settling for the best Stars forward prospect, you’d come out ahead if you get even value on a team that has a forward stocked farm.
Vish (as we call him)
As a Stars fan, I can tell you that it hurts us to trade him away, because he’s been touted as our next Zubov on the powerplay. VERY high ceiling. He’s got a LOT to learn defensively, and isn’t very imposing at all. But he also was never in the NHL for extended periods of time; perhaps he’ll get the minutes he needs in Atlanta to develop at the professional level. As for offense…he’s got gobs of potential. From what I’ve seen at practice, he’s got a HUGE shot, and is pretty accurate with it too. Fluid skater as well. Basically, you’re getting a future powerplay weapon who will, with time, be pretty solid in his own end of the ice as well.
Downside to all what I just said is that he hasn’t seemed anything special when he HAS been up here, which is probably why we traded him, but like I said give him minutes in the pros to develop and maybe he’ll prove us wrong.
Anyways, that’s my two cents from a Stars perspective. We’ll be keeping an eye on him for sure!
"It would've been a huge momentum boost if we had beaten the St. Mary's School for the Blessed, Blind, Deaf and Dumb."
Hockey nut since the night of 5/2/08. What a night it was.
Appreciated!
Atlanta’s system requires defensemen who can make solid tape-to-tape passes, move the puck quickly from the defensive zone through the neutral zone, and jump into play when they have open ice. It sounds like Vish has all these characteristics.
It’s looking like a prospect logjam at D for us with Kulda, Postma, and now Vishnevskiy. I wonder if we’ll move Kulda? eek. Falconer will be distraught!
Yup, Vish is your man then.
Although he has a funny-looking babyface. So watch out for that one.
"It would've been a huge momentum boost if we had beaten the St. Mary's School for the Blessed, Blind, Deaf and Dumb."
Hockey nut since the night of 5/2/08. What a night it was.
kari has a double chin now. so watch out for that one.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:55 PM EST up reply actions
Oh great. We'll keep him away from the buffalo wings.
"It would've been a huge momentum boost if we had beaten the St. Mary's School for the Blessed, Blind, Deaf and Dumb."
Hockey nut since the night of 5/2/08. What a night it was.
Donuts
Keep him away from the donuts.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 9:58 PM EST up reply actions
Or Kyle Wellwood and…. anything
Being a Thrashers fan - it's kind of like being punk rock in a hick town.
Birdwatchers Anonymous
Do you remember what the TV commentators said about Bourret when he was up on stage with Waddell at the draft?
“Wow, that’s one chunky S.O.B.”
Not kidding.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 10:03 PM EST up reply actions
joining...
…the all time shutout leader
DE
TROIT
SUCKS
Strange trade for the Stars
odds are it’ll take Kari a while before he gets comfortable and back in game form, but hey, maybe he can pull a Giguere for you guys with a renewed commitment to not eating Krispy Kremes and drinking Finlandia the morning of his start.
If I were the Stars I’d say, here you go Kari, down this stretch you got to earn a new contract with us. Maybe that’ll motivate him to for once, to act like a professional.
blue line looking good
regardless if we kubina or not, our blue line is looking pretty threatening in the future. bogosian, enstrom, valabik, hainsey, kulda ,new guy, and maybe kubina.
oops i did. too soon. its like getting used to writing 2010 on dates.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:45 PM EST up reply actions
actually, with this trade i guess kubina is definitely on his way out. theyre prolly planning on getting some offense for that and the army trade.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
More than I expected
to get for Lethonen in a weak goalie market.
All things Thrashers + stats: www.birdwatchersanonymous.com
Kane, Bogosian, Enstrom, Bergfors, Pavs, Vish … swear to the hockey gods it’s looking like an honest to goodness youth movement.
DW is getting the hang of things. only a ten year learning curve.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 9:53 PM EST up reply actions
that would be awesome if we turned out like chicago.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 10:11 PM EST up reply actions
It's official.
http://twitter.com/DefendingBigD/statuses/8884019454
Reporter: There`s a "stamp out the Beatles movement" underway in Detroit. What are you going to do about it?
Paul McCartney: We`re going to start a campaign to stamp out Detroit.
Sellers?
With Kari gone and Army with one foot out the door, are we officially sellers yet?
Nooooo
They’ll hang on to the dream that they have a chance to make the playoffs until it’s too late and miss any opportunity to better the team through selling.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 10:15 PM EST up reply actions
So now that Salmela and Lehtonen are gone
should we change the flag of Blueland from a Finnish look-a-like to a Swedish (Enstrom, Bergfors, Oduya) one?
the way his career is going, im sure he’ll do it for 5 bucks.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 9, 2010 10:27 PM EST up reply actions
Not a bad trade for the Thrash or Stars for that matter
I’m guessing Kari is happy to get out of the SE, since Ovi tortures him.
Я Харт не так ли?
No, what tortures him is the HOT NOW sign at the Krispy Kreme.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 9, 2010 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
I’m surprised at how negative the poll results are trending. They started off much more positive but have fallen over time.
For those folks who are leaning toward the bottom two options, why are you opposed to this deal? Wasn’t Huet recently traded for a 2nd-rounder? Vish+4th is almost certainly better than a 2nd. Do you really think we could have gotten more?
Tough climate for trading a goalie…
I’d say my only hesitation about the trade would be that I know Kari has talent. Pavs I’m not so sold on. But between his injuries and the rumors about his questionable off-ice behavior, coupled with Don’s remarks about the team not wanting him back, this trade had to be done and the return is pretty darn good.
How about option "E"
- Looks great today and turns out to be a flop. Ivan turns out to be a mini-Zhitnik and Kari wins a Vezina.
by TheBrickwall on Feb 9, 2010 11:21 PM EST up reply actions
Hmmmm
This actually seems like…a good trade for the Thrashers? Wow. I was not expecting nearly that much for Kari. Just seeing the meltdown going on at the Stars blog makes me feel kinda good about this. You can’t argue with getting a teams top prospect for a guy who couldn’t stay healthy and hadnt seen a shot all year. Not bad. Not too bad at all.
Mixed feelings
Hockeydb.com reports Vishnevskiy as being 6 feet tall exactly, so I find it interesting that this is considered to be “undersized”. He looks to have some real offensive talent, which I like, but we don’t really need d-men. We’ve got d-men – both here and at Chicago. I am not kidding when I say this. I am starting to wonder if DW is obsessed with owning as many d-men as he can. There’s like 10 on the Wolves’ roster already prior to this. I wouldn’t be surprised if we make another trade or two and wind up with even more. Can we not get a forward?
I’ve seen a few people speculate the organization is stockpiling picks and prospects for future deals, more specifically to dangle in front of Chicago when they go for their salary dump this off-season. I whole-heartedly approve that approach just so long as the return does not involve Brian Campbell. I’d prefer it involve Versteeg, Sharp, and /or Byfuglien.
Would be interested to see what the Blues offer was
Carlo Colaiacovo? Anything else? Since we’re building the Leafs team that Toronto never finished (Kubina, Antropov) grabbing their former first round pick sounds like it would have been a natural.
Expect the pictures of DW being led away in hancuffs to be out by 10 AM. In polite society this is called grand theft.
Now with the roster spot open does Kulda get the call? Would like to see him spend some NHL time paired with Odulya getting a feel for this league
This guy isn’t going to play in the NHL anytime soon. In fact, he’s probably the 3rd highest D prospect in the Thrashers system.
by SilverRubicon on Feb 10, 2010 7:39 AM EST up reply actions
Sorry, you were referring to Kulda. Yes, would like to see him get some playing time but that will probably require a trade for him to get a shot.
by SilverRubicon on Feb 10, 2010 7:40 AM EST up reply actions
How does this help the Thrashers long-term?
While I think the surface value of the trade is fair: an elite, but lazy/injury-prone, goalie for a top (but not elite) defensive prospect and a mid-round pick, I don’t see how this improves the Thrashers long-term for 2 reasons.
1) We have a number of very good defensive prospects and a young group of proven NHL caliber d-men already signed for the next few years (Enstrom, Bogo, Hainsey, Oduya, Valabik (I know some of you think he’s a question mark, but remember he’s 6’7)).
2) We will now be on the market for a goalie in the next year or 2, and it’s unclear if Pavs is a bonafide #1. The Moose is 38 and having a career year. When he goes back to performing around a .88% save percentage, Pavs will have to carry the load. Lehtonen was clearly capable of performing at a high level. Being able to platoon him and Pavs would appear likely to raise the level of goaltending in Atlanta over the long-term (as both have proven to have a quality save percentage over 40-50 games). Both Pavs and Lehtonen are more talented than the Moose and younger. If at some point, one or both proved capable of handling the full starting load, then a trade would be optimal.
On kind of a related note, I found the comments from the STH town hall about the guys in the locker room not having faith in Kari or playing as hard for him to be a little stunning. At the end of the day, if you want to win, you play your best players. I have trouble believing that pros, who want to be in the playoffs, truly want to have the “nice guy” behind them, not the talented one with the proven save percentage.
Just some thoughts that I’ve been surprised no one has brought up.
by Unknown Wristshot on Feb 10, 2010 9:11 AM EST reply actions
I think they want the one who’s reliable. Kari = not reliable.
by CuckooForKovalchuk on Feb 10, 2010 9:24 AM EST up reply actions
I think the "little faith" has to do more...
with Kari’s lack of professionalism. Based on stories I have heard (rumors mind you), Kari would occasionally barf after gameday morning wrm-ups due to prior night activities. It was obvious that he was not dedicated to his conditioning. I would think that players are willing to give their all for someone who is willing to do the same.
I found that statement
about players not playing as hard for Kari stunning as well. It could have been phrased better. Maybe a reflection on how good of a leader Moose is or that the softies that Lehtonen would let in on occasion would lower the spirit of the team. In no way do I think players didn’t try as hard for Kari.
Was Kari really a bonafide #1?
Yes, I agree that he has shown more skill than Pavs, but so what? He can’t get on the ice. If what Waddell said is true and the team has no faith in him, then what is the point? And even if we all agree that Kari was an honest to goodness top goalie, what good does that do the Thrashers if he is never able to play?
The team was able to move a player who wasn’t going to see the ice for an organization’s top prospect and a pick. If that isn’t better for the team long term, then I really don’t know what is.
by SG Standard on Feb 10, 2010 10:15 AM EST up reply actions
Moose is actually 36. will be 37 in may. although he wont last much longer, hes good for at least another one or two seasons.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 10, 2010 11:37 AM EST up reply actions
Spirits are high right now
For weeks the impending trade of Kovy had me down in the dumps about this team. Even though we didn’t get the return in full value of Kovy’s talent, I’ve never been more excited about Thrashers hockey.
We are stockpiling youth and I hope DW isn’t done. As mentioned above by others we have a plethora of solid D prospects that I would like to see dealt to a team that has a more forward heavy on prospects. Much like the Braves moving to the youth movement, it gives you some optimism for the future. Something I haven’t felt in a while rooting for this team.
i agree. things are looking very promising and whats even more exciting is how good our team has looked the past 2 games. even though we lost 5-2 to the caps, the 14 in a row caps that kill everyone, we looked damn good out there. and the game against the panthers was one of the best games other than the philly one all season IMO. I think this team actually been MORE exciting to watch without kovy, because more people are stepping up and showing what they can do. now if we can get todd white out of the pp/organization, we would look even better. these are exciting times indeed in the newly designed Swedish Blueland.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 10, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions
@TheFourthPeriod tweeted the following
2 down (kovy, lehtonen), more to follow… Thrashers are getting calls for Kozlov, Armstrong, Kubina, Boulton, among others
Kozie and Kubina have no trades….but the surprise here is Boulton. Really? He’s cheap, a great team guy and fills his role adaquately….but I’ve never considered him something another team would covet.
Veteran grit is important when you’re making a playoff run. He’s also pretty darn cheap.
I’m excited to think of all the assets we could pile up moving these guys. Except for Armstrong… please don’t go, Armdog…
I like Army
But can we sign him after this season? Waddell will move him if he doesn’t think he can.
I say, let’s embrace the youth movement and move these guys to contenders for some offensive prospects. Let’s not half-ass it this time. Thrashers could be a force in 3 years and to me, that’s the most important thing.
Timmy knows this, he’s just feeling foolish because he bought a red Armstrong sweater to wear to games. :-)
Can we get rid of the red jerseys already? All we do is lose in them.
by Unknown Wristshot on Feb 10, 2010 12:19 PM EST up reply actions
Interesting Note
The Lehtonen trade garnered more comments on this blog than the Kovy one.
by dennylambert!! on Feb 10, 2010 12:32 PM EST reply actions
After the Kovalchuk trade
there was record traffic to this site and a new or renewed interest in some of the SB nation members to BWA. I for one love that we are hearing from different view points and personalities and I will make a commitment to post in the in-game threads more, something I do with Braves and Falcons games.
By “different view points and personalities,” do you mean me, Aaron, and Mike?
Because pretty much everybody else seems to hate us. And by “pretty much everybody else,” I mean J.K. Sockey, because he’s the only one that matters.
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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
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Washington
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Fri 10/08 | 7:30 PM EDT |
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@
Tampa Bay
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Sat 10/09 | 7:30 PM EDT |
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@
Los Angeles
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Tue 10/12 | 10:30 PM EDT |
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@
Anaheim
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Fri 10/15 | 10:00 PM EDT |
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@
San Jose
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Sat 10/16 | 10:30 PM EDT |
Last 5 Games
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Pittsburgh
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Sat 04/10 | W 1 - 0 |
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@
Washington
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Fri 04/09 | L 2 - 5 |
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New Jersey
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Tue 04/06 | L 0 - 3 |
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@
Pittsburgh
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Sat 04/03 | OT - L 3 - 4 |
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@
Washington
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Thu 04/01 | L 1 - 2 |
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