Seeing as how the Thrashers post-season hopes have ended slightly ahead of schedule, let's look back at what we thought would happen before the year even started? Optimism? Check. Hope for a decent finish? Got it. Possible playoffs, if not juuuust right outside? Natch.
All of us make goofy pre-season predictions, or predictions that really were realistic, and yet the team's found some awkward way to mess them up. For me, personally, it was Chris Mason. Suuuuure, he had an amazing year in 2008-2009, leading the St. Louis Blues to the playoffs, and posting a 27-21-7 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .916 SV%. The season afterwards, he had a 30-22-8 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .913 SV%.
"Upgrade from Moose!" we all cried. Oops. His stats this year are his career's worst (3.80 GAA, .889 SV%). He's suffered immensely from a lack of defensive play in front of him. Admit it - Nashville's a solid defensive team, and St. Louis the past few seasons had a great penalty kill (first in the league last year) behind Jay McClement and Mike Weaver. The Thrashers' PK? Since the fall of Jim Slater, it's abysmal, and that's being polite. Defense? Naaaah. In response to all of this change in scenery, Mason's failed. He's a great team guy, he was a serviceable stopgap at the start of the season, and we appreciate it. But now? Wow.
Moose? Don't even make me think of the stretch Johan Hedberg's having right now.
So, what's your favorite pre-season prediction that kind of went "poof?"
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