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Kovalchuk Would Be Leaving Through Same Door Other Top Picks Have |
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Tuesday, John Kincade…host of the afternoon drive show on the Thrashers flagship radio station 680 AM The Fan…dropped a major bomb on us. He stated on the air…and to me personally as well…that Ilya Kovalchuk’s days as a Thrasher are indeed all but over and he will be shipped by the deadline.
“I am 100% certain Ilya Kovalchuk will be leaving the Thrashers”, he told me. “I think he will be moved before the Olympic break with almost the same certainty. I can't reveal the sources, but have confirmed it from both sides of the story”.
But that wasn’t the real explosive part of his announcement.
Kincade also went on to say that Don Waddell had offered Kovy “The largest contract ever to an unrestricted free agent and that he turned it down”.
Well…isn’t that just special.
Adding to all of that, John Kincade also offered up that he's been led to believe goalie Kari Lehtonen would be dealt away before the Olympic break too.
Now…if all of that is indeed so, then that would mean each of Atlanta’s picks that were taken high in the draft during their first five seasons… will be gone. And there isn’t a whole heckuva lot to show for it.
Check this out…
1999 – Patrik Stefan: Chosen over both of the Sedin twins with the first overall pick of ‘99, Stefan was traded away to the Dallas Stars in the summer of 2006. In his days with Atlanta, he scored 59 goals, 118 assists and was a –41 in 414 games played.
In return for Stefan and Jaroslav Modry, the Thrashers received Niko Kapanen and a seventh round pick in 2007. With that pick, they selected defenseman Will O’Neill.
yeah... I know.
2000 – Dany Heatley: We don’t need to rehash in great detail the circumstances that led to this number two overall pick’s departure from Thrasherville. Basically, he chose to split town before the 2005-06 season after a terrible accident took the life of his friend and teammate. Heater was sent to Ottawa where he signed a long-term deal with a no trade clause, then just last summer…he demanded to be traded.
What Atlanta got in return from the Sens were Marian Hossa and Greg DeVries…the big name there being Hossa. Two years ago, Hossa bolted for the door after not being convinced this organization was on the right path with Don Waddell at the helm.
In return for Hossa…and Pascal Dupuis…the Thrashers got two NHL players, a prospect and a draft pick from the Penguins. One of the NHL players was traded for a prospect. The other, Colby Armstrong, very well could be traded at the deadline given his UFA status this summer. The prospect obtained from Pittsburgh, Angelo Esposito, is healing from his second ACL injury in as many years and the player selected in the draft is playing at MSU.
2001 – Ilya Kovalchuk: It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Thrashers were “heading in the right direction” with young stars like Dany Heatley and Russian phenom Ilya Kovalchuk at their disposal...Heatley a Number 2 pick, Ilya the first overall selection of '01. Now…with one having been long gone and the other one skate out the door…it looks like Waddell will once again be looking to build a team around another player.
Maybe someone like…Todd White?
2002 – Kari Lehtonen: The second overall pick in the ’02 draft…selected over some guy named Jay Bouwmeester…Lehtonen has shown flashes of why he was selected so high, but too often is out for days, no weeks...no months at a time with injuries. First it was his groin that caused the problems…more recently it’s been his back. Now, if rumors are proven correct, he too will be heading through that exit reserved for high first round picks.
Next in line for the title of “Number One Starting Goalie” in Atlanta…Ondrej Pavelec who sports a NHL career record of 18-24-4 with a 3.42 GAA and .899 SV%.
It should also be noted here that Jim Slater was a first round pick in 2002…30th overall. But I’m taking into account those selected early on.
2003 – Braydon Coburn: Ah yes…the 8th overall pick in that year’s draft. This is the one that has caused the most heartburn in Thrasherville during the team’s first ten seasons. Feeling heat to make the playoffs for the first time ever in February 2007, Don Waddell elected to ship the young defenseman off to Philadelphia for veteran Alexei Zhitnik.
sigh…shaking head
Anywhooo…the Thrashers were indeed able to qualify for post-season that year, however their excursion into post-season play lasted but four games. The next season, Zhitnik had a less-than stellar showing for the Thrashers and was sent to the press box late in the season. In the summer, he was waived…just two days after Waddell said he would “play a big part in the Thrashers future”.
The team has paid Zhitnik $1.16 million for the last two seasons to NOT play for them.
Since the ill-fated transaction went down, just about every time I’ve watched a nationally televised Flyers game, an announcer has quipped something like, “…and Coburn steals away the puck. Ya know, it’s still hard to believe Don Waddell and the Thrashers let this one go for…who was it…Alexei Zhitnik”?
There is some short muted laughter, a chuckle… then they continue with calling the game.
So, in review…that’s a first overall, second overall, first overall, second overall and eighth overall that are gone, gone, soon-to-be gone, reportedly soon-to-be gone and gone.
Hmmm…what was that Waddell said about a five-year plan to build through the draft?
Since 2003, the Thrashers have continued to be afforded high first round draft picks.
In 2005, they possessed the 8th overall…but traded it down to San Jose. Then, Waddell traded the number 12 pick down to the Rangers…who then selected Marc Staal with the pick. Who did the Thrashers eventually take with the 16th pick that year? Alex Bourret, who never played a game in Atlanta. He was traded to the Rangers in 2007 for a third round pick and Pascal Dupuis, (see above for his fate).
They had no picks in the first two rounds during the 2007 draft.
All of this means that the only four players Waddell has selected high in the draft that are still playing for the Thrashers are… Boris Valabik (10th overall in 2004)…Bryan Little, (12th overall in 2006)…Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane, who were picked third and fourth respectively in the last two drafts.
But given Don Waddell’s track record of first-round pick retention, one has to wonder how long before they are shown the exit door reserved for Thrashers high first round picks…or before they simply start looking for it themselves when they can.
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