Regier happy for Cunneyworth

From John Vogl of the Buffalo News:

Cunneyworth, who has coached the Sabres’ AHL team in Rochester for the past eight seasons, was hired as an assistant coach by the Atlanta Thrashers. Cunneyworth joins the staff of new Thrashers head man John Anderson.

“I’m very happy for him,” Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said Friday. “It’s well-deserved, and he’ll do a terrific job.”

Read the entire article here.

Cunneyworth paid his dues in the AHL and will be a good addition to the Thrashers bench. Eventually, the former NHL forward should become a solid NHL head coach.

Giving thumbs up to the Jason Williams signing

From Do Thrashers Have Talons?:

So what do we have here? A player still in the peak section of his career. A guy who has demonstrated above averaging scoring ability, but is not really an elite 1st line scoring threat. A guy who probably will see more even strength ice time here in Atlanta and if he stays healthy could put up new career highs in points.

Overall I give this signing a thumbs up. Every player comes with upside and downside risks. In the case of Williams there appears to be more upside potential than risk of collapse. On the other hand, Williams is not an elite/impact sort of guy, he's more of a 2nd line NHL forward on a playoff team and you can't expect him to push the Thrashers into playoff contention by himself. If expectations are kept in check, he will likely end the season in the "pleasant surprise" category for many fans.

Read more about why The Falconer thinks Williams was a good signing here.

Williams is a solid addition to a terrible hockey team. He should see lots of ice-time and have a chance to improve on his previous season-highs if he stays healthy. If only the Thrashers entire team had as much upside...

Thrashers to offer two-for-one ticket promotion this season

From Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Two tickets for the price of one to select weekday games in certain areas.

Read about the deals the other Atlanta professional sports franchises are offering here.

Good for the Thrashers. Promotions like this should become more commonplace around the league, so as to all families who can't afford four tickets to have to pay less to see a NHL game.

Reasoner heads to Atlanta

From Jonathan at Copper & Blue:

TSN is reporting that Marty Reasoner has signed a contract with the Atlanta Thrashers. Reasoner has long been a favourite of mine, a player who entered the league as a high-scoring blue-collar prospect, and had to adapt his game to play a checking role. He's suffered various injuries over his career, and lost a step that he really couldn't afford to lose, but he's still been able to carve out a career as a 3rd/4th line forward, a face-off and PK ace, and a character guy in the dressing room.

Read Jonathan's entire post here.

Reasoner was solid in the role he played in Edmonton. But with the team being loaded with forwards, Reasoner became expendable. I'm sure MacT will miss him in Alberta.

Lehtonen wants to be a Thrasher for a while

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen agreed to a one-year contract Wednesday but said he hopes to stay with the team for more than one more season.

Lehtonen, 24, said he got "a little raise" from the $2.2 million he earned last season but declined to be more specific. The Thrashers' top goalie had been a restricted free agent, meaning the team would have had the right to match another team's offer or receive compensation if it chose to allow another team to sign him.

Read the entire story here.

Lehtonen is a talent, so it is a good sign that he wants to remain in Atlanta for the long haul considering the team appears destined for yet another non-playoff season.

Jason Williams signs with Thrashers

From TSN:

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Jason Williams to a 1-year, $2.2 million contract, reports A-Channel in London.

The unrestricted free agent spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks and scored 13 goals, with 23 assists over his 43 games.

Read the short report here.

Good pick up for the Thrashers. The team could certainly use more speed and scoring and Williams should provide just that. Additionally, he can play the point on the power play which would allow Ilya Kovalchuk and Tobias Enstrom to either get a short break (instead of playing the entire two minutes) or move down to the half boards.

Don't read too much into Kovalchuk's minus rating says Anderson

From Do Thrashers Have Talons?:

When a questioner criticized Ilya Kovalchuk for being a minus player, Anderson interjected. He said that plus/minus was very much affected by the quality of the team and that best way to interpret plus/minus is look at players at the extremes. "If someone is way ahead or behind the team average that tells you something about that particular player." He pointed that Kovalchuk was on a team were most players were minus and he was pretty close to average in that respect.

Read the entire post here.

This interview of Anderson makes you think Atlanta made the right decision when it decided to hire the veteran AHL coach.

Esposito has chance to start fresh

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The most important part of prospect camp for Esposito might be the conversations he had Tuesday with Thrashers coach John Anderson and director of amateur scouting and player development Dan Marr.

"We just told him, 'Look, the slate's clean here. Don't worry about what everybody else says you're supposed to do. Just play, and let your hockey do the talking,' " Anderson said.

Esposito got a similar pep talk from Thrashersgeneral manager Don Waddell after the trade.

Read the entire story here.

While his game has been questioned by many, Esposito certainly has the potential to be a scorer at the NHL level. For now, he needs to focus on the little things and proving himself at the AHL level.

Atlanta isn't as bad as it may seem

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Don't tell Eric Boulton Atlanta isn't a good place for a hockey player. Boulton, a 31-year-old left wing who lives here year-round, re-signed with the Thrashers on Wednesday eight days after becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The two-year, $1.2 million contract is a $75,000-a-year raise and his first multi-year deal with the team he joined in 2005.

"It's nice. We like it here. We wanted to stay here," Boulton said. "I think Atlanta is getting a bad rap right now [from other NHL players]. Our fans are fantastic. You can't ask for a better city to raise a family in."

Read the entire article here.

I don't think the issue is raising children in Atlanta, the issue is the isn't very good. As a result, no one wants to play in Atlanta and I can understand that rationale.

Bogosian already impressing Thrashers brass

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

They could use instant help from their top draft pick, the third overall selection in the NHL entry draft less than three weeks ago. They were far from disappointed with what he showed them Tuesday, one week to the day before his 18th birthday.

"I think he was the best player out there today, so we're really happy with that," said John Anderson, who became the Thrashers' coach the day they drafted Bogosian. "He had a really good stick. He was poke checking very, very well, very strong on the body. There was not a lot of hitting obviously today, but he knocked a few guys around just because of his size and strength."

Read the entire story here.

By all accounts, Bogosian is going to be one of the NHL's most dominant defensemen over the next 15-20 years.

Not so hot-Lanta

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Boyle’s reaction, from a story in the St. Petersburg Times: “I’ve given this franchise everything I had. I love the area. I love the fans. But at the end of the day, I was misled and lied to and completely disrespected. When you threaten to be put on waivers and end up in Atlanta, it was an eye-opening situation for me.”

So, the prospect of ending up in Atlanta is the NHL equivalent of your worst nightmare?

Read the entire story here.

The fact is, with their current roster, not many players are going to want to end up in Atlanta unless they are significantly overpaid. The cure for this problem is, of course, winning. But after looking at the team's roster, that could be a long, long ways away.

John Anderson hired in Atlanta

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

I’m glad this one didn’t drag out any longer. John Anderson is officially the Thrashers’ new coach.

Read his short entry about the hiring here.

I am happy to see Anderson get a chance at the NHL level. This guy has been a consistent winner at the AHL level and will now get a chance to try and achieve the same success his best friend Bruce Boudreau did in Washington. However, the catch is that he has to try and do so with a far less talented roster than his best buddy had to work with.

Most Atlanta fans have been happy about this hire, but The Falconer at Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons? has his reservations. Read his take here.

Kari Lehtonen not worried about his contract situation

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

He becomes a restricted free agent July 1 after making $2.2 million last season, but he spoke as if there's no doubt he'll stay with the Thrashers, with whom he has played three full seasons.

"That's the plan," he said. "This is where I want to play. It feels like home."

He added that his agent would speak with Thrashers general manager Don Waddell at the appropriate time.

Read the entire article here.

Something has to give. The team already has re-signed Johan Hedberg to a two-year deal, so if the Thrashers re-sign Kari Lehtonen then Ondrej Pavelec would probably be trade bait. However, don't overlook the possibility that Lehtonen could be the one on the move.

Thrashers coaching candidates

From Mike Knobler of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Todd McLellan, John Anderson and Brad McCrimmon are candidates to become the Thrashers' coach. One of them could have the job by next week. But, Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said Monday, he might hire someone else.

Waddell said he will begin interviewing three or four candidates later this week and that two of them will be Anderson, coach of the Thrashers' top minor-league affiliate, and McCrimmon, the Thrashers' associate coach. McLellan, an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, was in San Jose on Monday interviewing for the Sharks job and will interview for the Thrashers job, too, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said.

"He's one of several people we've reached out to talk to," Waddell said of McLellan, but there's no guarantee he's one of the ones who will have a face-to-face interview.

A coach will be in place before the NHL draft June 20-21, Waddell said.

Read more on the Atlanta coaching situation here.

After the success of Bruce Boudreau in Washington, you have to think that long-time minor league coach John Anderson would be the favorite in Atlanta. Anderson has certainly paid his dues and has been one of the best AHL coaches for a long time. His Chicago Wolves teams are always in the mix for the Calder Cup. It would be nice to see the veteran coach get a chance in the NHL.

NHL Morning Papers: Non-Playoff Teams (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the teams that did not qualify for the playoffs:

• Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if Thrashers ownership could learn a thing or two from the Canucks.
• The Hurricanes have signed both Stefan Chaput and Nick Dodge to entry-level contracts.
• Jacques Martin has decided to stay on as the Panthers' GM, writes Steve Gorten. Martin's first order of business will be to hire a head coach to replace himself.
• Radim Vrbata wants to remain a Coyote and is hoping to sign a contract extension with the club.
• In Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier's surgery was deemed a success.
• Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star tries to help Brian Burke with some decision-making. (Writer's note: Burke is a stand-up guy, he is not going to go to Vancouver and take the job his best friend just lost.)
• Francesco Aquilini held one of the more awkward press conferences on Tuesday, writes Jason Botchford. Dave Nonis needed to be more assertive during his tenure as GM, opines Tony Gallagher. Meanwhile, Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province wonders what's next for the Canucks?

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Cold Hard Rants presents Positive Thinking

For the past number of months I have been (sporadically) regaling my loyal reading audience with my rants, usually of the angry variety, as rantings are wont to be, as it relates to the NHL. Well, in an effort to prevent the pre-conceived notion from developing that I am nothing but a critic (and as we all know, it is easier to be a critic), this column will be nothing but positive things relating to the NHL. Perhaps it’s the beautiful lunar eclipse occurring outside, or maybe the cold weather has frozen me in a positive feeling, but whatever its reason, here is a list of positive things relating to the NHL:

1) I’m thankful to the NHL for putting teams in outposts like Atlanta, Carolina, Nashville, Miami and Tampa Bay. Without doing so, these cities would be woefully unprepared in case home freezers could no longer perform their complicated duties
2) I’m thankful to Gary Bettman for performing his job so woefully, as without his incompetence, hockey’s popularity would have increased and there would be even more hockey on TV thus preventing me from maximizing my usefulness
3) I’m thankful Bettman did everything in his power to remove a team from Winnipeg, thus ensuring I can not spend recklessly on Jets tickets and assorted paraphernalia
4) I’m thankful the CBC still employs Don Cherry. In society, when we are doing everything in our power to eliminate xenophobia, it’s refreshing that the CBC still employs someone not afraid to appeal to everyone’s base prejudices and pre-conceived notions of people
5) I’m thankful the NHL hasn’t clearly established rules for the shoot-out. It’s only been 3 years already. Controversy puts butts in the seats.
6) I’m thankful that hockey, a game best appreciated for it’s speed, has now slowed to a crawl thanks to all the stoppages for TV timeouts, radio timeouts, web-cast timeouts, and live-blog timeouts. It’s nice that the NHL is stretching games out over a longer time period so paying customers feel they are getting their money’s worth. Considerate, really.

So, as you can see there are many things to be thankful for as a hockey fan. And next time someone accuses me of being a jaded, bitter hockey fan this article will prove differently. What are some of the things in the NHL you are positive about/thankful for? Feel free to comment below, and broaden my horizons.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew M.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. An interesting article from the Stars' website chronicling the origin of NHL team names.
2. Pensblog does a pretty humorous run-down of last weekend's outdoor game.
3. TSN has the story about tomorrow's Canada-USA world junior semi-final.
4. The NCAA rankings from Inside College Hockey.
5. Ryan Smyth is out for 8 weeks with an ankle injury.
6. Jonathan Toews will not require surgery on his knee.
7. The Globe and Mail is reporting that Kyle Wellwood will be again be a healthy scratch.
8. Tim Wharsby notes that USA Hockey could use a little PR refresher, after making only 3 players and the coach available to the media.
9. The Senators have assigned Nick Foligno to Binghamton.
10. Sheldon Souray is injured again, but Ales Hemsky is back skating.
11. Peter Loubardias details that well kept secret that is the World Under-17 Championships.
12. The SJHL announces its All-Star rosters.
13. Jim Matheson answers reader questions.
14. The NHL celebrates Willie O'Ree's 50th Anniversary.
15. Musings from the desk of Michael Farber.
16. The Flyers have put Jim Dowd and Rory Fitzpatrick on waivers.
17. Hockey has taken root in Atlanta.
18. Alan Muir of SI notes some changes that Canada should make in preparation of tomorrow's semi-final.
19. The Kings have told Manchester Monarch Brian Boyle that he is moving back to center from defense as the team searches for production.
20. Bob Snow takes a look around the NCAA Divsion 1 hockey programs.
21. Wisconsin Badger teammates are now rivals at the World Junior championships.
22. Jonathan Bernier is not happy with Team Canada's coaching staff.
23. The weekly release from the USHL.
24. Teppo Numminen's heart seems to be a-ok.
25. Former Flames' goalie Jamie McLennan tells us about playing hockey in Japan.

Recchi claimed by Thrashers

***** BREAKING NEWS

According to several sources, including The Sports Network, The Atlanta Thrashers have claimed right winger Mark Recchi off waivers. Several teams were apparently interested, including Carolina and Philadelphia, but the multiple-Stanley Cup winner was snapped up by Hotlanta. Recchi was put on re-entry waivers Friday and sent down to Wilkes-Barre Scranton of the Amerian Hockey League after stuggling with the Pens this season, putting up eight points in 19 games ( 2 goals, 6 assists).

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg

Nightly Recap: Kovalchuk Carries the Thrashers to Victory

Atlanta 3 - Florida 2 (OT) - Ilya Kovalchuk continues to rake, he had three points tonight, including the overtime winner 25 seconds into the period. Marian Hossa and Todd White each collected a goal and an assist. Kovalchuk is on fire with 16 points in his last 6 games, and after a slow start Marian Hossa is heating up with 9 points in his last six.

St Louis 4 - Detroit 3 : After losing to Chicago on Sunday, this was Detroit's second straight loss to a division rival. The Blues scored all four goals in the second period, including two by David Perron. Former Winnipeg Jet Keith Tkachuk had two points for St. Louis. Henrik Zetterberg went pointless for the first time this year, snapping his 17 game point streak.

Montreal 4 - Toronto 3 (OT) - Rookie phenom Carey Price stopped 37 shots and Mike Komisarek scored the overtime winner, his second goal of the year. Alex Kovalev had three points for the Habs, and Kyle Wellwood and Ian White put in two points each for the Leafs.

Calgary 3 - Minnesota 2 - Calgary defeats their division rivals, snapping a five game losing skid. Kristian Huselius scored the winning goal with 53 seconds remaining, it was his second point of the night. Mikko Koivu scored both goals for the Wild, Daymond Langkow had an assist for the Flames in his first game back after missing one game from a concussion.

Anaheim 4 - Los Angeles 3 (SO) - Andy MacDonald scored the shootout winner for the Ducks, while Ryan Getzlaf chipped in with two points in regulation. Alex Frolov had three assists for the Kings and Mike Cammalleri scored his 12th of the year. It was the Kings second game since November 3rd, they had a week off playing no games between November 4 and November 9. Who were the ad wizards who came up with that one?

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm NYR@NJ, CHI@CLB,
7:30pm CAR@TB,
8:30pm SJ@DAL
10:00pm EDM@VAN (TSN)

Saturday Night Recap: Kovalchuk Beasts on the Lightning

-Mike Fisher scored two goals including the game winner. Ottawa 3 - Boston 2. Tim Thomas made an amazing 42 saves for the Bruins and Chuck Kobasew added two goals in the loss.

-With two powerplay points Matt Cullen was Carolina's first star. Roddy Brind'Amour and Jeff Hamilton were stars two and three with two assists each. Richard Zednik scored for Florida, he now has 5 points in his past three games. Carolina 4 - Florida 2.

-Rangers 2 - Devils 1 (SO) Who says 1-1 games can't be exciting? Henrik Lundvquist continues to play phenomenal stopping 28 for the Rangers and Marty Brodeur was no slouch keeping 26 out of the net. The Rangers have had major offensive problems this year only scoring more than 3 goals in a game once, but King Henrik has been their MVP and has now allowed 6 goals in his past 7 games. Petr Prucha scored the shootout winner for the Rangers. Game Notes: Sean Avery returned from injury this game and was a a complete ball of energy on the ice. Jaromir Jagr played sparingly in overtime, he came on for one rush and then went off immediately, I'd keep an eye on him.

-Miroslav Satan scored two goals for the Isles including the game winner. Islanders 3 - Penguins 2. Rick DiPietro had to leave during the game for an injury that the team says "wasn't serious". Wade Dublewicz came off the bench and stopped 7 of 7. Al Arbour returned to the bench tonight to coach his 1,500th game. Game Notes: This game had a very unusual play; It appeared Tyler Kennedy of the Penguins had scored, all of the Penguins on the ice began to celebrate, but the referee did not count it as a goal. The teams played it out for 4 minutes until a whistle and then there was a review. It was counted a goal and the clock had to be reset to the time of the goal and then the puck was dropped. But, If the Islanders had scored during those 4 minutes, their goal would not have counted because of the Kennedy goal. My question is, what would have happened if the Penguins scored again after that play? Also just one goal?

-It's always exciting when the Habs and the Leafs get together, Matt Stajan scored with 1:34 left in the 3rd to give Toronto the win. Toronto 3 - Montreal 2.

-BEAST of the night Ilya Kovalchuk, so hot right now. He scored 4 points and now has 7 in his past two games. Marian Hossa also got on the board with two points. Atlanta 6 - Tampa Bay 4. Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier had 3 assists each in a losing cause.

-Calgary has now lost three of their past four. Minnesota 4 - Calgary 1. Marian Gaborik had 3 points with two goals and one assist.

-Jonathan Toews had his 10 game point streak snapped, but Patrick Sharp's two shorthanded goals help the Blackhawks defeat the Blues. It was the first time a Chicago player had scored 2 shorthanded goals in a game since Steve Sullivan in '01. Chicago 3 - St. Louis 2.

-Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Pronger had 3 points each for the Ducks and J.S. Giguere stopped 30. Ducks 5 - Coyotes 2. Coyotes' Alex Auld stopped 34 in the loss.

-Vancouver 4 - Colorado 3. Colorado loses for their first time at home, and how have a 6 - 1 record at the Pepsi Center. After being called out by Coach Alain Vigneault, the Sedins combined for 6 points.

-The Sharks split their home and home with the Kings winning tonights game in Los Angeles. Jeremy Roenick scored his 4th goal of the year for San Jose and is now only one goal away from 500 for his career. Joe Thornton added two points in the win. Jason LaBarbera started in goal tonight for Los Angeles and made 25 saves in the losing effort. San Jose 3 - Los Angeles 1.

Tomorrow's Games (All Times Eastern)
5:00pm STL@CLB
7:00pm OTT@BOS, NSH@CHI