Joe Soriano
O.J. Lewis4/2011 Team Scope: Atlanta Thrashers
April 17th 2011 14:01
The Thrashers finished the season with 80 points and a 10th place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Thrashers were good on the power play, but they were terrible at penalty-killing and let in far too many goals. That's surprising considering Chris Mason and Ondrej Pavelec make up a solid pairing in goal, and Dustin Byfuglien is one of the best defensemen in hockey.
Coach Craig Ramsay did a nice job this year after the Thrashers did a great job at the beginning of the season. However, they broke down as the season wore on which is a too familiar feeling for Atlanta's hockey team. They played really well during the first 40 or so games of the season, and GM Rick Dudley sees this as a sign of good things to come for the future. The Thrashers were able to sustain a high level of play for about half the season, and this shows that they will be able to improve with a solid scoring free agent acquisition.
Atlanta will have to address a few key RFAs that include star captain and their main goal-scoring threat in Andrew Ladd, the young and promising Zach Bogosian, and Blake Wheeler. Dudley is known for making big trades, and look for him to bring in at least one other guy to add to one of the top two lines. Ladd and Byfuglien are two notable players from a clever conquest by the GM that is finished with his rookie season in the front office.
Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, and Tobias Enstrom are also good players for the Thrashers. I think the Thrashers can make the playoffs if they add another goal-scoring threat. I like their defense overall, but they should add one more blue-liner for depth. Even though they made strides this year and had a few members of their team in contention for awards, they won't feel accomplished until they are in the playoffs and not sitting at home like they are now while their division mates are locked in important battles on the road to the Stanley Cup.
Coach Craig Ramsay did a nice job this year after the Thrashers did a great job at the beginning of the season. However, they broke down as the season wore on which is a too familiar feeling for Atlanta's hockey team. They played really well during the first 40 or so games of the season, and GM Rick Dudley sees this as a sign of good things to come for the future. The Thrashers were able to sustain a high level of play for about half the season, and this shows that they will be able to improve with a solid scoring free agent acquisition.
Atlanta will have to address a few key RFAs that include star captain and their main goal-scoring threat in Andrew Ladd, the young and promising Zach Bogosian, and Blake Wheeler. Dudley is known for making big trades, and look for him to bring in at least one other guy to add to one of the top two lines. Ladd and Byfuglien are two notable players from a clever conquest by the GM that is finished with his rookie season in the front office.
Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, and Tobias Enstrom are also good players for the Thrashers. I think the Thrashers can make the playoffs if they add another goal-scoring threat. I like their defense overall, but they should add one more blue-liner for depth. Even though they made strides this year and had a few members of their team in contention for awards, they won't feel accomplished until they are in the playoffs and not sitting at home like they are now while their division mates are locked in important battles on the road to the Stanley Cup.
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