TEAM PREVIEWS: THE ATLANTA THRASHERS

Introduction:

Do I really have to write this one? Draft Kovalchuk and Enstrom and maybe watch Angelo Esposito because someone has to center Kovalchuk.

(Flips to notes on the Lightning, sips coffee) What? Still here? Fine. I'll write your stupid Thrashers preview but I'm not going to enjoy it.

The Thrashers have rewarded the faith of their fans with consistently poor drafting, awful trades (Coburn for Zhitnik???? oops) and an apparent inability to sign high profile free agents. The team seems to be put together on the belief that Ilya Kovalchuk can do everything, including play goal when Lehtonen's groin acts up, and will want to continue doing so when his contract expires.

And those powder blue jersey's have got to go.

Key Departures:

Marian Hossa
Playoff Aspirations

See Above

New Faces:
Erik Chrstensen
Colby Armstrong
Angelo Esposito
Ron Hainsey


Christensen, Armstrong and Esposito was the fee that Atlanta was able to secure from Pittsburgh for the rental of Marian Hossa. Two first rounders and a center. Not bad I suppose. Armstrong in particular seemed to react well to his new environment. Christensen is kind of a career minor leaguer but will be a first or second line center on this team.


Esposito is a bit of a different story. We'll talk about him below.


Hainsey is the Thrashers lone "splash" in the free agency market. He's a good young defenseman that will eat minutes and be helpful on the powerplay.

The Offense:

Lots of questions going into the beginning of the season. Who is playing with Kovalchuk is really the main question for most fantasy players, as it should be. I'm going to make an educated guess as to his winger and then suggest some people to watch for centering duties. Atlanta does have a few prospects of the promising variety, but just not enough to build a competitive team around.

You Want to Draft:
Ilya Kovalcuk
Colby Armstrong

Kovalchuk is a threat to score 50 goals every year. At 25 he is one of the most dangerous players in the NHL. He, Ovechkin and Zetterberg are a large part of the reason that left wing, a traditionally difficult position to fill, has become less and less frightening over the last few years. Don't worry about his lack of competent teammates, Kovalchuk rarely played on the same line as Hossa during his tenure with Atlanta and Enstrom and Hainsey should do fine at feeding him on the powerplay.
FACT: Kovalchuk's best season came in 05-06 when he was centered by Marc Savard, Boston's talented and oft overlooked pivot.

I'm probably taking a bit of a risk putting Armstrong here but he reacted strongly to his arrival in Atlanta (putting up 11 points in 18 games). That's not exactly spectacular output, but someone has to play with Kovalchuk and Armstrong has more experience then most of the players on this team and he's a former first rounder.
FACT: Armstrong had 40 points in 47 games in his rookie year... the same year Sid the Kid made his debut.

You Want to Keep an Eye On:
Brett Sterling
Jason Williams
Angelo Esposito

Sterling never found his mojo last year, coming up to play with the big club several times only to fall flat. He is widely considered to be a VERY good prospect however and could see his minutes increase dramatically this season. He is someone to watch keenly.
FACT: Sterling had 97 points in 77 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

Jason Williams is fine. He was in the middle of having a pretty big year with Chicago when he and the rest of their roster got hurt. I would watch him as he has high 50 point potential and will be asked to carry a much larger load then he is used to on this team.
FACT: Williams deserves your attention if for no other reason then because he's a product of the Red Wings scouting system.

Esposito is an interesting story. Esposito has played three seasons in junior hockey. In each consecutive season his number dropped from 98 to 79 to 69. This explains, at least in part, Pittsburgh's willingness to deal the highly regarded 19 year old. This team is light on forwards, meaning that Esposito could see his moment arrive this year. His speed would help him and this team immensely. Whether he can stem or reverse the slide of his offensive number remains to be seen however.
FACT: Esposito is not related to Phil Esposito, but he does share his birthday. Weird right?

The Defense:

You Want To Draft
Tobias Enstrom
Ron Hainsey

Enstrom is still the powerplay quarterback until I see something illustrating otherwise, and if I see it I'll let you know. With 38 points in his rookie season, 26 of those coming on the man advantage, Enstrom made a very solid debut last year. Enstrom literally came out of nowhere last year. With his position established I expect him to improve on those numbers this year.
FACT: Enstrom won the Swedish Elite League Championship in 2006-2007 with Modo Hockey, Peter Forsberg's old team. He finished the playoffs first in assists.

Hainsey was given a monster contract for a guy that ultimately had two pretty good seasons. That said he's here, and he'll have no real problems getting playing time on this team. He goes from Columbus, where he was the clear number 1 defenseman, to here where he is either the number 1A or number 2 defenseman. A 35 point year is certainly within reach again.
FACT: Hainsey was drafted and ultimately waived by the Canadiens before finding a home in Columbus.

The Powerplay:
Ilya Kovalchuk
Colby Armstrong
Rotating left handed shot (for now I'll say Slava Kozlov)
Tobias Enstrom
Ron Hainsey

The powerplay will continue to be successful so long as it has Kovalchuk on it. Enstrom with another year under his belt and some of the pressure deflected by Hainsey should flourish.

The Goalie(s):

Lehtonen is the starter. His numbers more then warrant that. While is GAA is similar with the other two candidates for the job, his Sv% is significantly better at .915. Both Hedberg and Pavelec are owners of sub .900 Sv%'s. Lehtonen is one of the better goalies on bad teams. He won't get wins but his save percentage is solid. That said he is very very injury prone, so if you are drafting him, be aware that he could miss as much as half of the season.
FACT: In two years Lehtonen has suffered two groin injuries and a sprained ankle. These are important parts for a goalie.

The Verdict:
Ahhhhhhhhh! Draft Kovalchuk with confidence. Draft anyone else with your head turned away from the screen while holding your breath and crossing your toes and the fingers on your free hand.