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.

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.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek takes a look at the difference between coaching in the regular season and in the playoffs.
• William Houston provides readers with all they need to know about television and the NHL playoffs.
• Cam Cole of the National Post wonders where the Canucks can go from here.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers would have liked to defeat the Islanders last night, however, the team still controls its own fate in the standings, writes Larry Brooks.
• The Flyers defeated their arch-rival Devils and, in turn, clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was an extremely exciting night on the Philadelphia sports landscape, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Shelly Anderson has an interesting story about Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Meanwhile, the Penguins could be getting rugged winger Gary Roberts back for the regular season finale on Sunday.
• Greg Logan of Newsday recaps why the Islanders had such a tough year in the standings.
• Devils coach Brent Sutter thinks the Devils currently "lack professionalism."

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes may have given away the Southeast Division title last night, writes Luke Decock. The writers surrounding the Hurricanes selected Eric Staal as the team's MVP this season.
• With just one point tonight against the Florida Panthers, the Capitals will walk away with the Southeast Division title.
• Kari Lehtonen says the Thrashers are not tanking it to improve their chances at getting a better selection in the upcoming draft. (Writer's note: Apparently he hasn't seen this team play the last three weeks)
• The Panthers are shooting to ruin the Capitals season tonight with a victory over Ovechkin and friends.
• The Lightning will play tonight's game against Atlanta without superstar Vincent Lecavalier.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Senators backed into a playoff spot last night, with a 2-1 home loss to the Bruins, writes Bruce Garrioch. Both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are out of the Senators line up for weeks.
• Forget a possible suspension for the Daniel Alfredsson hit, Mark Bell is going to jail after the season.
• Dave Stubbs profiles Mathieu Dandenault in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Dandenault's teammate Alexei Kovalev has his eyes on the Cup.
• Both Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek are having trouble accepting the Sabres' non-playoff season. In great news, the Sabres will welcome Teppo Numminen back to their line up for the season finale.
• Most people didn't predict this prior to the season, but the Bruins are heading to the playoffs after last night's win at Ottawa. Clinching a playoff spot last night allows for Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron to gear towards a return.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Pre-Game Report

Here are some news and notes heading into tonight's eight game slate:

• Chuck Kobasew (leg) will be out of the Bruins line up for 4-8 weeks.
• Marc Savard (back) is out for tonight's game versus Toronto, and both his team's game over the weekend.
• Andrew Ference (knee) is out tonight.
• Scott Gomez (ribs) will surprisingly be a game-time decision tonight.
• Wade Redden (knee) is out for tonight.
• Martin Gerber gets the start in net for Ottawa.
• Alexei Zhitnik (healthy scratch) is not playing tonight for Atlanta.
• Kari Lehtonen gets the start in net versus the Panthers.
• Mike Smith (knee) is out of the lineup tonight for Tampa.
• Karri Ramo gets the start for the Bolts tonight.
• Jonathan Cheechoo (head, neck) is out again for the Sharks.
• Craig Rivet (upper-body) returns to the line up tonight.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail tells readers about the rare occasions when broadcasters work two different games in the same day.
• The Leafs' playoff dreams are no more, writes Bruce Arthur of the National Post.
• In light of the Jonathan Roy brawl, Mark Spector of the National Post explains that our culture is still enamoured with fighting and rough play.
• Kevin Allen says the Predators need better goaltending if they want to make the playoffs.
• Ted Montgomery takes a look at a number of draft-day busts in this morning's USA Today.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes would have liked to have recorded two points last night, but the one point they earned versus the Capitals is still valuable, writes Luke Decock. With Cam Ward having carried the workload for the past fifteen games, you would think the netminder would be tired, but he is not.
• Alexander Ovechkin set the franchise record for goals last night, and his team pulled out an important shootout victory, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• Craig Custance discusses Kari Lehtonen's post-game fit with Thrashers analyst Darren Eliot.
• "I make no bones about it, I'm not crazy about [the Panthers'] organization, so I don't mind that at all," said Lightning coach John Tortorella after his team's 3-1 victory over the Panthers. Goalie Mike Smith missed last night's game with a knee injury, however, the injury is not thought to be serious.
• "Some people weren't good enough — that's the bottom line," said Panthers coach Jacques Martin after his team's difficult loss to the Lightning last night. Last night's game was the Panthers' first away from Sunrise in three weeks.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Devils have now scored three goals in their last four games, after last night's 2-0 loss to the Penguins on home-ice. Andy Greene was a healthy scratch for last night's game.
• The Flyers came back and recorded an important character victory last night at MSG, writes Ed Moran. If the Flyers could only get production from all three assets of the game (offense, defense, goaltending) at the same time, they would be scary.
• The Penguins rebounded from a terrible loss at the Islanders with a playoff-clinching victory over the Devils last night.
• "I let my team down. What else is there to say? It's pretty easy to see," said Rangers agitator Sean Avery after making a bad turnover in overtime. If the Rangers are playing a seventh game on the road in the playoffs, they will most likely look back to games like last night, writes John Dellapina.

**There were no NY Islanders articles this morning**

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Sabres somehow blew a 3-1 third period lead and were defeated by the rival Senators 6-3. A number of the Sabres veterans made some important mistakes last night, writes Mike Harrington.
• The Bruins found a way to score six goals last night in the team's most important game of the season, as they defeated the Leafs 6-2. Chuck Kobasew went down last night with an ankle injury after being struck by a Zdeno Chara shot.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette provides readers with ten reasons for the Canadiens' unexpected success this season.
• The Senators rode a tremendous performance from Daniel Alfredsson to an important comeback victory over the Sabres last night. The Senators' problem this season has been goaltending, writes Chris Stevenson.
• After last night's loss, it is fair to say time has basically run out on the Maple Leafs. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star calls out the Leafs veterans for a terrible performance last night.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted around 11:15 CST.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Pre-Game Report

Here are some news and notes for you prior to tonight's games:

• Kari Lehtonen will start in goal tonight for the Thrashers.
• It looks like Brian Boucher will get the nod for the Sharks tonight when they visit L.A.
• Wade Dubielewicz is in net tonight for the Islanders.
• Alex Tanguay is a game-time decision for tonight's game versus the Blue Jackets.
• Manny Legace will start for the Blues tonight against the Habs.
• Fredrik Modin (flu) is out tonight for Columbus.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.