Dudley "The Kids Will Play"
by The Falconer on Jul 15, 2010 1:20 PM EDT
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I had an opportunity to speak with Thrashers GM Rick Dudley on the last day of Prospect Camp. I asked him if the recent re-signing of veterans (like Eric Boulton) and depth players (Anthony Stewart) would pose obstacles to young players making the team. Dudley replied that the team would move contracts if the young players demonstrated that they were ready for the NHL in camp. He said that he could imagine perhaps three rookies in the NHL lineup depending on how their NHL camps go.
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On the surface that sounds good, but paying White, et al, to play in Chicago is just pissing away money from an ownership that doesn’t exactly have the deepest pockets in the league. Wouldn’t it have been better to have signed one Ponikarovsky than to pay White, Boulton, Stewart, and so on to play for the Wolves? Because I’m not really thinking that there is much of a market in trades for most of these extra forwards we’re carrying. And speaking of Stewart, I am sorry, but exactly what the #@$% was this supposed to accomplish? Because if this guy makes the Thrashers, there is NO WAY they are making the playoffs. He’s not even a decent AHL player. Crap, I’m pretty down on Holzapfel, but I’d rather see him on the Thrashers than Stewart.
I want to add that the same organization that so far has basically told Tim Stapleton who CAN actually play in the NHL to get lost has signed a guy in Stewart who is 3rd line AHL fodder. Ai yi yi. I wanted Waddell gone, but man, I am really just scratching my head at a lot of Dudley’s moves. I’m a bit of a pessimist at heart and I can see how this new roster can go very very badly for the next season. I hope Dudley is right because if he is not, it’s going to be a long and very grim year for the Thrashers.
I think Stapleton and Sterling should have gotten more of a NHL look than they did. But it is clear that Dudley is favoring size and grit on lower lines and there is no point in keeping around Stapleton if they’re not going to call him up and he is eating up ice time that O’Dell or Paquette would get in Chicago.
All things Thrashers + stats: www.birdwatchersanonymous.com
by The Falconer on Jul 15, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not so sure about Tim Stapleton.
But yeah, by “move contracts,” I believe he means trade, not Chicago.
Good to know. Wondering if he considers Pettersson or Kulda as one of the three? (Kulda is technically still an NHL rookie and Fredrick is older but never played in the NHL.) Burmistrov and Cormier would be other options.
by timmyf on Jul 15, 2010 2:45 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
If he's a free man...
If Cormier isn’t in jail, I have to believe he’ll make the opening day roster. He can fill the same role that Evander did last year while gaining valuable experience.
by SilverRubicon on Jul 15, 2010 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, of course he means trade by “move contracts”, but is he REALLY going to find any takers for garbage like White, Stewart, etc.? If he can, then more power to him, but I suspect they’ll just end up being dumped down to the Wolves.
I believe that Burmistrov will make the roster as a 3rd line center.
You and I disagree on Stapleton and have for a long time, so I understand your concerns. But Stewart is a joke. Stapleton is not a joke. I remain skeptical that a larger team is necessarily a better team, but we’ll see. If Dudley is wrong in his assessments of talent, this season will be a gigantic disaster and the team will be fighting for the top pick in next year’s draft. I admire the optimism of so many fans but I remain very concerned that this could all go very wrong.
White’s not very likely. Stewart won’t be taking up an NHL spot one way or another. He’s a depth signing, that’s it.
Honestly, the guys I see as potential trades are Peverley, Slater, MacArthur, and perhaps Little. I don’t see us moving Antro, Kane, Bergfors, or any of the Chicago guys. (Perhaps Eager, but that seems unlikely.)
Obviously, if it’s a center that makes the team (Burmistrov, Cormier) it’s a center that is more likely to be moved (Peverley, Slater, though either could be moved to the wing.) It’s a tough nut to crack.
Damn Z, why you be hatin' on Whitey?
If Whitey stays up in here and puts up 40+ points and plays responsible defensive hockey in the plus—will you eat your hat? Look Z, he broke into the league with Ottawa (I know he had a cup of coffee in Chicago, but he broke in with the Sens) in 01-02 and scored 20G w/ 30A. Next year he improved those numbers by 10 pts. He was injured for most of 03-04, sat during the lockout, put in two 40+ point seasons in Minnesotta and then came here where he’s had one average season, one break out season and a stinker. I really don’t want to keep him around either because I’d prefer youth getting experience, but he’s a true-tested, capable vet—he could be shopped as such. Just sayin’, I don’t think he’s “Garbage” and I think we all should look at him as an assett whether he plays here or we shop him.
You don't think he is garbage???
He certainly was garbage last year at 34 year old, what makes you think he will be any different at 35? He’s a tested vet? He has 43 playoffs game, most of them pre-lockout. Oh and he has an horrible contract to top this off, with 2 more years at 2.5M$. How is this an asset? He can’t even be a play-off rental if he makes it to March…
by FrenchKheldar on Jul 17, 2010 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
One more year.
And you’ve seen the contracts guys are getting nowadays. He’s not as overpaid as he would seem.
garbage???
Then you better hope he has a good year, which I predict he will. He may have had an off year—many players have off years. ALso, did you know 35 is the new 30? He’s smart, (Clarkson all-american/academic) and I think he can play to Ramsay’s style.
From a profile written about him on NHL Dot Com:
“In all my stops in the minors,” he said, "the last year and a half I really tried to learn the other parts of the game. When I got to Ottawa I changed my game so I wasn’t a prolific scorer, but be a responsible two-way centerman. I think that’s my strength at this level. I tried to prove right away that I could be trusted and responsible as a player. “If there’s a fault, I care too much about trying to stop a goal rather than going on offense. Maybe I play a little too cautious at times.”
So we have a 35 year old who want’s to play responsible defensive hockey under a coach who preaches defensive, responsible hockey. What if he excells under Ramsay, puts up 30-40 points and playing a strong special teams game. What if?
My guess is that the three kids include Kulda, Cormier and Petterson or Machacek in that order. I did ask Dudley if he counts Kulda among the “kids” and he said yes.
All things Thrashers + stats: www.birdwatchersanonymous.com
Prospect Camp Re Cap- Whens it going up?
Falconer, man when are you going to post your detailed impressions from Prospect Camp? lookin forward to reading it.
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