Just as the wife and I were sitting here talking about the fact that Kari did not make the trip with the team, a hour after my brother asked me what I thought was gonna happen with kari returning, I began to ponder if there was more to this with the roster freeze coming soon? I began to wonder the web and upon reaching twitter saw what may be the answer looking me right in the face. Ben Wright of the Thrashers had just posted a blog on the very topic stating (And the Official Press Release followed) …..

According to a variety of NHL journalists on Twitter, including the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore,  TSN’s Bob McKenzie and USA Today’s Kevin Allen, and this TSN report, Kari Lehtonen is on the verge of being traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for top prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. The Stars are currently in action against the Blackhawks so the deal probably won’t be finalized until the game ends.

It went on to say ….

Kari Lehtonen finishes his tenure in Atlanta as the franchise leader in wins, shutouts, save percentage and games played by a goaltender, but injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential. With Johan Hedberg on pace to break Lehtonen’s single-season marks for save percentage and Pasi Nurminen’s mark for GAA and Ondrej Pavelec sowing plenty of promise on his own, Lehtonen was the odd-man out.

The full article can be found HERE. So Now that the Kovy trade is done and the Kari trade seems to be in the books what will happen next in Blue Land? The Trade has been confirmed  by the Thrashers in a press release that reads:

The Atlanta Thrashers have acquired defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft from the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Kari Lehtonen, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.  Vishnevskiy will report to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.

Vishnevskiy, 21, was held scoreless in two games with Dallas this year and has posted 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 51 AHL games with the Texas Stars.  He also registered two assists in the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 19.

The 6-0, 195-pound defenseman was selected by Dallas in the first round, 27th overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  The Barnaul, Russia, native has earned two assists in five career NHL games with the Stars and 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) in 118 career AHL games over two seasons with Texas and Peoria.

Lehtonen, who was recalled from a conditioning stint in Chicago (AHL) on Feb. 7, posted a 1-1-2 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage in four outings with Chicago.  His stint with the Wolves marked his first game action since April 11, 2009, when he made 33 saves in a win vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Helsinki, Finland, native has posted a 94-83-17 record with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 204 NHL games, all with the Thrashers.  Lehtonen holds Thrashers franchise records by a goaltender in games played (204), wins (94), save percentage (.912) and shutouts (14).

The 6-4, 215-pound goaltender set single-season team records and career-highs during the 2006-07 season  in games played (68), starts (66), wins (34), shutouts (four), save percentage (.912), minutes (3,934), shots (2,075) and saves (1,892).

Lehtonen, 26, was selected by the Thrashers in the first round, second overall, of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Update 8:59pm: THZ is getting a report that the Stars are in talk with the Flyers about Marty Turco.

Update 8:56pm: The deal is Ivan Vishnevski and a fourth rounder in 2010 for G Kari Lehtonen. This is confirmed.

I have been tracking the Lehtonen Rumour since 6pm tonight. So far what I know is that Lehtonen got a phone call asking him to stay behind and not accompany the team to the airport.

So the buzz: A rumour surfaced earlier in the day suggesting that Kari Lehtonen was to be traded to the Stars for Ivan Vishnevskiy a Stars prospect and possibly a low draft pick. None of this is confirmed as I am slowly working on some details. With all this said: Does this pave the way out for Marty Turco? Certainly.

More updates as this develops!

It’s Official, Below is the Press release from the Thrashers Site…

The Atlanta Thrashers have placed defensemanBoris Valabik on the Injured Reserve list, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.

Valabik, 23, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Feb. 5 at Washington and will require surgery at a future date.

The 6-7, 245-pound defenseman has appeared in 23 games with the Thrashers this season, posting two assists and a plus-two rating.  He missed the first 16 games of the season with an ankle injury.
The Nitra, Slovakia, native has earned seven assists in 80 career NHL games, all with Atlanta, and 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) in 119 American Hockey League games with the Chicago Wolves.  He has also appeared in 32 AHL post-season contests, helping the Wolves capture the 2008 Calder Cup Championship.

Valabik was selected by the Thrashers in the first round, 10th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Wow! We have gotten a ton of snow here in the nation’s capital this winter. One more good snowstorm (which is forecasted to arrive tonight and continue into Wednesday) and we will set a new all-time record for snow in a season here in DC. I like the change of seasons. I even like winter…to an extent. But enough already. Bring on the sun, warmth, long days and general happiness of spring and summer.

You know, I can vividly remember selling my wife on our move from Detroit to Washington with a line about how we won’t have to deal with the snow and cold anymore…we would be moving to a “southern” part of the country. Thank goodness there are so many other reasons why our move turned out to be a good one, because winter most certainly followed us “south.”

Of course, all of this snow and the challenges that come with it seem to be exacerbated by a region that just isn’t equipped to handle accumulations measured in feet rather than inches. Back in good old Michigan, we would get a foot of snow on a Sunday and the kids would be at school on time on Monday morning. This is no knock on the thousands of folks working around the clock here to clear our streets. Instead, it just speaks to how important resources (in this case equipment and chemicals) can be to a recovery process. At this rate, the kiddies may be in school until July. I can see it now…sorry kids, no fireworks for the Fourth of July this year, you have school tomorrow.

While most of us were bunkered down over the weekend, one local team continued to play, and win. The Washington Capitals winning streak now stands at 14 after victories over the Atlanta Thrashers and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps now hit the road for three games, starting on Wednesday in Montreal, before heading off for the Olympic break, which begins on Sunday. Should our hometown hockey team win in Montreal, Ottawa and St. Louis this week, the club will tie the NHL’s all-time mark for consecutive wins at 17. This mark was set by the 1992-93 Penguins. That would of course set-up an interesting situation in which Washington would attempt to the break the all-time record during the club’s first game back from the Olympic break on March 3 at Buffalo…18 days after playing in St. Louis. Stay tuned.

In closing, I think it is always important to find the positive in things. While the snow that came, and the snow that is still coming, is most certainly an inconvenience, it does provide opportunities to do things that you wouldn’t normally have time to do. In my case, this means spending all day with my wife, Tara and my daughter, Adelyn. Over the past three days we have built snowmen, covered the fine art of throwing a snow ball, learned that the big hill beside our house is great for sledding, baked cookies (Tara helped, I watched) and made countless crafts (Tara helped, but I actually participated). In short, we had a blast…all thanks to the winter weather.

Speaking of finding the positive…I also had a chance to finish Ted Leonsis’ new book, “The Business of Happiness.” I recommend picking up a copy at Amazon.com. Ted outlines how he found true happiness and provides a roadmap for how you can too. The book is an easy read filled with interesting stories and good tips.  Go get it and enjoy.

That’s it for now. Be safe, have fun and enjoy the winter weather.

Until next time,

Go Mystics!

Clean off a win on Friday evening against the Atalanta thrashers 5-2 to make it a baker’s dozen, the Caps did it again against the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in overtime!

As if beating the Pittsburgh Penguins is not good enough (even better with Knuble goal in O/T) … 14-in-a-row makes it even sweeter!

Alex Ovechkin on fire again with a hat-trick. MVP again??

I can smell 15-in-a-row …

Kari Lehtonen has been recalled by the Atlanta Thrashers today after a conditioning stint with the  AHL Chicago Wolves that he went 1-1-2 on. The Official release is below…

The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled goaltenderKari Lehtonen from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.

Lehtonen, who was assigned to the Wolves for conditioning on Jan. 22, posted a 1-1-2 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage in four outings with Chicago.  His stint with the Wolves marked his first game action since April 11, 2009, when he made 33 saves in a win vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Helsinki, Finland, native has posted a 94-83-17 record with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 204 NHL games, all with the Thrashers.  Lehtonen holds Thrashers franchise records by a goaltender in games played (204), wins (94), save percentage (.912) and shutouts (14).

The 6-4, 215-pound goaltender set single-season team records and career-highs during the 2006-07 season  in games played (68), starts (66), wins (34), shutouts (four), save percentage (.912), minutes (3,934), shots (2,075) and saves (1,892).

Lehtonen was selected by the Thrashers in the first round, second overall, of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Keith Korneluk and Chris Kaliszewski are back at it with another episode of Overtime by KingsCast, this time, after the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks on February 4.

In Episode 40 – Duck Soup, Korneluk and Kaliszewski talk about the game, the Kings’ eight- game winning streak (now up to nine) and they discuss the trade that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils.

You can watch this episode of Overtime by KingsCast here:

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Niclas Bergfors #18 of the Atlanta Thrashers scores both his first with the team and the game winner.(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Thrashers had a long trip home to meet the Panthers tonight at Philips arena after a loss to the Capitals in a well played game the team wouldn’t leave DC until the morning due to a snow storm that rolled in and it would take a bus trip and plane to get them back to Atlanta resulting in the game starting late and the Thrashers going from the airport straight to the arena with no morning skate. you would never be able to tell though as the Thrashers were on fire again tonight and it would pay off for the guys. They were welcomed home by a crowd of 16,743 that were there to see the TEAM and not a superstar, and their team would not let them down. In the  first period the Panthers would score the first goal of the game at the 6:18 mark by Radek Dvorak (10) Tip-In – Assists: J. Leopold (11) & G. Campbell (10) and would be followed up by a second goal at the 16;45 mark from Radek Dvorak (11) again on a  Backhand – Assists: K. Kreps (7) putting the panthers up 2-0 and ending the period with shots even at 12-12. The Thrashers would not give in though and continued the fight in the second period and it would pay off at the 3:49 mark scoring a power play goal from Maxim Afinogenov (18) Slap Shot – Assists: P. Kubina (24) & N. Antropov (30) then at the 8:39 mark the Thrashers would tie the game at 2-2 with a goal from Bryan Little (9) Backhand – Assists: T. Enstrom (36) & N. Antropov (31). The period would end with a score of 2-2 and the Thrashers dominating the shots by 15-5. That period would also have 36 minutes worth of penalties between both teams totaling 13 that included 4  majors for fighting. With the score tied 2-2 going into the third the Thrashers and Panthers would battle it out until the 15:34 mark where none other than our latest Thrasher Niclas Bergfors (14) would score his first as a Thrasher and the game winner on a  Slap Shot with Assists: N. Antropov (32) & P. Kubina (25). The Panthers would pull the goalie in a attempt to push the game to OT but at the 18:46 mark  Evander Kane (12) would get the empty net goal after an attempt that a Panther player threw his stick in front of resulting in an automatic goal making the final 4-2. The Panthers out shooting the Thrashers 11-8 in this period wouldn’t be enough to stop what seems to be a determined team looking to prove to the fans of Atlanta they are not done. The Thrashers deserved this win, they earned it and the support they got tonight. the goalies for the night were T. Vokoun (29) for the Panthers saving 31 of 34 shots on goal and the “Moose” J. Hedberg (1) of the Thrashers saving 26 of 28 shots. The team will now head off to colorado to start off a 3 game road trip that will end Saturday as we head into the olympic break.

Tonights win puts the Thrashers 25-24-8 and in 10th in the east just one point behind the 8th seed.

John Anderson Post Game
Video Highlights

Just a quick Thrashers note, no TV for the game against the Panthers tonight this will be the last home game before the break, and a video for the NHL “hockey is for everyone” Campaign this year also featuring Evanader Kane.

I think the Sabres and I need this Olympic break.  I’m pissed as hell at them and we need to regroup.  I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to watch them this week since I’m insanely ridiculously busy (last week before break, whoop whoop), but this might not be the worst thing.  I mean, they lost to Carolina last night.  The Carolina Hurricanes.  And Ryan Miller was terrible.  And he’s playing every game at the Olympics.  We’re screwed.

However, one glance at the schedule right after the Olympics proves that it’s not exactly going to get better, what with the Sabres playing Pittsburgh and Washington (I’ll be there!  I’ll be there!) back-to-back.  Yikes.

The Caps, however, continue to be SO AMAZING AND FUN AND EXCITING.  FREE CHICKEN WINGS FOR EVERYONE!!  I encourage all of you to take a gander at the league leaders stat page on NHL.com.  It is HIGHLY ENJOYABLE to do so.

Lars Nicklas and Sidney Crosby are tied for points.  Just throwing that out there.  CLEARLY Sidney is the better player, though.

My parents were at the Sabres game last night and I’ve never seen them come home from a game as pissed as they were last night.  It was a mess.  I need to stop fuming about it.

Tonight the Sabres travel to Columbus to take on my beloved Chris Clark.  I still feel a dull ache when I think of him despite how ridiculous Alex has been since he got himself the C.  I, however, will be missing the game as I will be attending a party.  Oh, Christopher.  Know that you and your classiness will be on my mind.

If I check my phone at 9:30 tonight and find that the Sabres lost to Columbus too, I might have to do something drastic.

New Atlanta Thrasher Johnny Oduya #29 played his first game with the team tonight. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Thrashers would give the Capitals number 13 in their insane winning streak but not from a lack of effort from a post kovy team. The Thrashers took the ice tonight and from the start looked good out there and were playing a strong game. It was nice to see guys shooting the puck at the net and it paid off for them as they would score the first goal of the game at the 2:46 mark from Tobias Enstrom (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Peverley (26) & V. Kozlov (16). Though it wouldn’t last long as the Thrashers had repeated PK and the Capitals would score to tie it at the 13:41 mark while on the power play from none other than Alex Ovechkin (39) Slap Shot – Assists: N. Backstrom (46) & A. Semin (32). The first period would end with the Capitals out shooting the Thrashers 11-8. going into the second period the Thrashers would continue to look good on the ice and out shoot the Capitals 22-9 but washington would score the lone goal of the period making it 2-1 at the 4:31 mark by Nicklas Backstrom (25) Wrist Shot – Assists: A. Ovechkin (43) & M. Knuble (17). The Third period is where the Capitals would seal the deal though while again being out shot 15-12 they woud manage to score three goals the first at the 3:52 mark by Alexander Semin (26) Tip-In – Assists: B. Laich (23) & S. Morrisonn (9) followed up by another at the 5:00 by Jason Chimera (12) Slap Shot – Assists: M. Bradley (11) The Thrashers would get a hint of luck that seemed to haunt them for so many goals when at the 13:15 mark Rich Peverley (18) would get credit for a short handed goal after a member of the Capitals would crash the net and pushing it in. The Thrashers in one last ditch effort would pull goal tender Ondrej Pavelec for the extra attacker and the Capitals would get goal number 5 on a empty net from Mike Green (13) Backhand – Assists: B. Gordon (4) at the 18:55 mark sealing the deal with a final score of 5-2. The totals shots on goal for the game would be in the Thrashers favor at 45-32 but Capitals goalie M. Neuvirth would keep them going saving 43 of 45 shots on goal. Thrashers goalie O. Pavelec (31) would do a great job in goal tonight as well saving 27 of 31 shots and making some great saves. While the Thrashers taking the win tonight sounded like a long shot the Thrashers gave everyone a reason to think they might be able to pull it off at some point, all the while watching to see how new thrasher’s N. Bergfors (18) and J.Oduya (29) would play with their new home. I have to say that Oduya impressed me and Berfors looked good with some shots tonight also, it should be interesting to see how they fit in once they get some practice time with the team (that they wont get tomorrow  it was cancelled secondary to the storm) as they arrived after the morning skate today and this is only the first game they were out with the rest of the guys. Given the team they played tonight I feel that the Thrashers did a great job and proved that they can play good hockey even with out the kovalchuk, I look forward to seeing the guys get more in tune with the fact that they can and will need to shoot the puck more now rather than pass it to the “superstar” and if they keep it up I Believe good things will happen. The Thrashers were set to return to Atlanta tonight to get ready to take on the Panthers at Philips Arena Saturday but due to the snow storm will not leave until the morning. The loss tonight will leave the Thrashers in 12th Place in the east with 56 points a 24-24-8 record and just 3 points out of the playoffs at this point.

* Tonight Marked Marty Reasoners 600th NHL game – Congrats to him!
* Boris Valabik os reported to have left the game with a lower body injury.
* There will be no morning skate tomorrow due to the storm and delayed departure of the team.

In 2006, the Swedish defenseman, Johnny Oduya, played in his first game as a New Jersey Devil. Many doubted that Oduya would ever make it to the Devils’ roster full-time, but a successful season as Paul Martin’s defensive partner, and a reliable defenseman emerged.

Probably remembered mostly for his end-to-end goals (which earned him the nickname Orr-duya), Oduya and Martin played against the top lines every game.

In his first season as a Devil, he logged a minus 5 rating, but with Martin, he became a plus 27 (2007-2008) and a plus 21 (2008-2009).

Unfortunately for Oduya, when Martin injured his wrist in October, his play suffered. With the Devils this season, Oduya played in 40 games, and posted 2 goals, 2 assists, and a plus-two rating. Last season he recorded seven goals, twenty-two assists. In the 2007-2008 season, he potted six goals and twenty assists.

Is Oduya only good with Martin then? Well, probably not. He knows defense, and is a very strong defenseman with or without Martin. He struggled this season, but his potential will outweight his poor performance throughout this season as a Devil.

The twenty-eight year old will play for Team Sweden in the Olympics later this month, but for the time being, is a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. He, as well as Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and a first-round draft pick, were traded to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela.

Please wish Oduya luck in everything he does. He served the Devils well for four seasons, and was a large contributor to the Devils’ success. He will be truly missed.

Enjoy some video highlights through his career as a New Jersey Devil:

Oduya’s goal vs. the Philadelphia Flyers

Big Hit by the Swede:

End-to-End Orr-duya scores!

Another end-to-end Rush:

After the Kovalchuk trade, GM Don Waddell published an open letter to the Atlanta fans on the Thrashers website.

You can read it here.

Thanks to some of my secret sources who hacked Waddell’s computer,  I’m now able to disclose 3 earlier drafts of this letter. The following is a Soft European exclusivity.

Version 1:

Letter to Fans from Don Waddell

Thursday, 02.04.2010 / 8:44 PM / News

Atlanta Thrashers

Don Waddell
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Atlanta Thrashers

That first draft was deemed interesting but for some reason, Waddell was advised to try to rework it and to use more words in order to appease the fanbase and to instill confidence back into the organization.

Version 2:

Letter to Fans from Don Waddell

Thursday, 02.04.2010 / 8:44 PM / News

Atlanta Thrashers

We’re screwed.

Thank you.

Don Waddell
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Atlanta Thrashers

This second draft was short and to the point, but apparently some guy in the PR department advised Waddell to elaborate a little on his feelings. So Don had to come up with another draft.

Version 3:

Letter to Fans from Don Waddell

Thursday, 02.04.2010 / 8:44 PM / News

Atlanta Thrashers

After several months of negotiations toward a long-term contract with forward Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent, we were unable to reach an agreement and elected to trade Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and a first round draft pick in 2010.

We want you, our fans, to know that throughout the negotiation process, the Thrashers organization remained committed to offering Ilya a contract that exceeded those of the league’s best and highest paid players, and was commensurate to his skill level and performance history.

To that end, we offered that bastard $101 fucking million.

If we had satisfied Kovy’s insane greed, we would have had to play 20 AHL guys to stay under the freaking cap for the next decade. At the end of the day, we couldn’t close that gap and simply reached a point at which we couldn’t reasonably go any higher.

Just like you, we have no idea who the three guys we got are. We hope that Johnny and Niclas will quickly complement our team of budding young stars, highly-skilled veterans and elite players. We also look forward to having Patrice join us, as soon as he’s released from jail. Our goals for this season have not changed—to make and advance as deep as possible in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs—and we move ahead with a new sense of purpose that is energized by our continued climb in the standings as we position ourselves to compete with the best in the NHL.

Just kidding. We’re doomed.

We will maintain the option of bringing in more players that you don’t know, in addition to the ones that we have acquired in the trade, to make sure that we are fully unnoticeable for the remainder of the season and the postseason.

Fuck you Ilya. Break a leg at the Olympics. Literally. And we thank you, for your continued support, and look forward to your enthusiastic presence in Blueland to help drive us into the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

(Just kidding again.)

Don Waddell
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Atlanta Thrashers

Apparently, by this time, the PR department told Don it was perfect, and they would just “edit some typos” out of the text before publishing it. This is clearly what they did.

I think it’s always interesting to get a behind the scenes look at how NHL teams communicate with their fans. I’m glad we had that opportunity today.

A young franchise, just two-years old, had a huge opportunity. In the 2001 NHL draft, slotted to draft first over, the Atlanta Thrashers chose Ilya Kovalchuk, a young Russian, over the Canadian, Jason Spezza.

But, it really began fifteen years before the Thrashers drafted Kovalchuk. At the age of the three, Valeri Kovalchuk (Ilya’s father and a basketball player on the Soviet national team) brought his young son to the gym.

Not long after, the young Kovalchuk developed a strong affinity towards sports. He played his fair share: soccer, basketball, and street hockey. Then one day, his father witnessed a particular talent during a street hockey game, and promptly bought Ilya a pair of skates.

Kovalchuk’s hockey ability soared, and he quickly became one of the best Russian players. Though he outdid others with his skill, he never dreamed of making it the NHL. At least not until the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, when he saw a fellow Russian (Pavel Bure) play.

Regardless of his play in Russia, North American scouts had yet to see the young star play. At the age of 15, he played in a Junior tournament in Canada. Kovalchuk impressed the scouts, even though he inspired a huge brawl.

Kovalchuk quickly became known throughout the hockey world for his offensive prowess, his lack of defense, and his temper.

Nevertheless, Atlanta saw Kovalchuk as a unique player that could be the ultimate franchise player.

After the 2001 draft, Kovalchuk’s career in Atlanta took off, with the help of fellow rookie teammate, Dany Heatley. Heatley and Kovalchuk provided a great one-two punch for the offense. Both nominated for the Calder Trophy, Heatley walked away with the trophy, but a hard future lay in front of him.

After the Dan Snyder car accident (in 2003), where Heatley drove the car that crashed and ended Snyder’s life, Heatley became a headcase, and his days with Atlanta became limited.

Heatley’s departure did not deter the successful Russian. Kovalchuk posted two fifty-two goal seasons, as well as three seasons with forty or more goals.

With Kovalchuk, the Thrashers only made the playoffs once (losing in four games to the Rangers), but Kovalchuk’s skill warranted national attention.

Then, with his contract nearing an end, the Thrashers began to attempt to resign Kovalchuk in 2009. Resigning appeared problematic for both sides(later the Thrashers announced Kovalchuk declined a 12-year, $101 million deal).

Talks of a trade dominated the hockey world news for a while. Then, finally, on Thursday, February 4, 2010, the Atlanta Thrashers traded Kovalchuk (and Anssi Salmela) to the New Jersey Devils. In return, the Devils sent defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier, and their first-round draft pick in 2010 to Atlanta.

With the addition of Kovalchuk, the Devils seem potent and potentially destructive to all other teams. Teams no longer only have Zach Parise and Travis Zajac to worry about offensively. Now, Kovalchuk becomes the much-needed second offensive threat for the Devils (yet he now overtakes Parise for team lead in points).

This morning, Kovalchuk stepped onto the ice for the first time as a member of the New Jersey Devils. He will make his debut tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the morning skate, Kovalchuk played on a line with Jamie Langenbrunner and Dainius Zubrus. Whether or not that line remains intact remains unknown; however, one thing is for sure, for now, Kovalchuk is a member of the red and black.

His contract up at the end of the season, Kovalchuk at the moment is a rental player, one that may or may not remain a Devil next season. The biggest worry will be his ability to perform in the playoffs. In his four post-season games, he has one goal and one assist (decent for four games), but will his lack of playoff experience hinder his offensive ability?

Tonight’s game will be an exciting one for the newest Devil, but he will don the number 17 (in honor of Valeri Kharlamov, the ex-Soviet star from the 1970s that never made it to the NHL due to restrictions on leaving the Soviet Union).  At least the Devils don’t need to worry about Kovalchuk scoring against them, as they now have that powerful slapshot on their side.

So, Ilya Kovalchuk is a New Jersey Devil. Does this make them a Stanley Cup contender now? Do Kovalchuk and Jacques Lemaire get along? Will this bring people out to Devils games? We’ll get an early look at these things this weekend. The Devils host the Maple Leafs on Friday before traveling through the tunnel to take on the New York Rangers on Saturday night at MSG.

It’s easy to look at this trade and wonder how the Devils defence-first game plan will mesh with Kovalchuk, whose defensive zone demeanor is most often described as “loafing around”, or wonder how it will effect Kovalchuk’s numbers. One thing to keep in mind, in eight seasons with the Minnesota Wild under Lemaire, Marian Gaborik averaged 0.44 goals per game. So far in his NHL career under a less stifling defensive system, Kovalchuk has averaged 0.55 goals per game, a difference of about nine goals for an 82-game season. As much as Lemaire did put the reins on Gaborik, it didn’t stifle him as much as you might think. (Though Gaborik, through a healthy 56 games this season, has 34 goals, an average of 0.60 per game.) Gaborik also never played with a player as talented as Zach Parise.

Friday, February 5, 2010 (all times MST)
Atlanta Thrashers at Washington Capitals, 5 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at New Jersey Devils, 5 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres, 5:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Florida Panthers, 5:30 p.m.
Phoenix Coyotes at Chicago Blackhawks, 6:30 p.m.

The Thrashers start the post-Ilya era, which should probably be called the countdown to Oklahoma City. As much as people talked about how losing Kovalchuk killed the Thrashers organization, it’s probably more true that the two trades Don Waddell made for their one playoff series in 2006-07 and the Marian Hossa deal murdered their franchise more than anything else. He traded Glen Metropolit, a first round pick in 2007, a third round pick in 2007 and a second round pick in 2008 for Keith Tkachuk and Braydon Coburn for Alexei Zhitnik in separate deals. The team then failed to win a playoff game. Those deals sucked so much, that it basically caused other teams to want to pay less for Kovalchuk as a rental player. If they do leave town, the question has to be how Waddell drafted two top-10 talents in the NHL in Ilya Kovalchuk and Dany Heatley, yet managed to not win a single playoff game. Sure, the Patrik Stefan pick hurts (1st overall, 1999, 188 pts in 455 career NHL games), but that was a weak draft class. As Ken Campbell of the Hockey News writes, “there isn’t a financial system or enforced curbs on spending that can overcome incompetent management and ownership.”

Calgary starts its Florida road trip with a date against the Panthers, who sit in ninth in the east at the moment. Jay Bouwmeester returns to the city where he started his NHL career for the first time since being the latest Panther to jump ship in the off season. The Panthers have no player averaging more than a point per game, but have six players with more than 10 goals and so far this season, they are a marginally better offensive team (by 0.04 goals per game) than the Flames. The last time the Flames made this road swing was in ‘07-08. They won both games, beating the Panthers 2-1 in a shootout and then beating the Lightning 9-6 in a different sort of shootout.

Saturday, February 6, 2010 (* denotes Hockey Night in Canada game)
Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins, 11 a.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens, 12 p.m.*
Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings, 2 p.m.
Phoenix Coyotes at Dallas Stars, 4 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs, 5 p.m.*
Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets, 5 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Atlanta Thrashers, 5 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders, 5 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Tampa Bay Lightning, 5 p.m.*
New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 5 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Minnesota Wild, 6 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Nashville Predators, 6 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues, 6 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche, 8 p.m.*

Saturday, the Thrashers return home to face the wrath of the ten people that might still be following the team after the Kovalchuk trade. While the Senators travel to Toronto for the Battle of Ontario. The Sens recent 11-game winning streak has put them within striking distance of the Sabres for the division lead. Sure, the Sabres have three games in hand, but they’ve also lost eight of their last 12 games, including a game to the Senators on Wednesday. The Sabres should be able to turn that ship around, since they do play the Hurricanes on Friday and then the Blue Jackets on Saturday, but after Boston dropped in the standings, they looked like they would walk to the division title. That doesn’t seem so sure now.
Dion Phaneuf will get his first look at the Battle of Ontario. I don’t know what was more ridiculous about Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere’s Leafs debut on Tuesday, the fact that Phaneuf was named the second star of the game, though he didn’t record a single point in a 3-0 win, or the fact that it prompted this article by Christopher Botta on Fanhouse suggesting the Leafs had a hope at making the playoffs (a dream echoed by Phaneuf). With so many teams in between them and a playoff spot, the Leafs would need to go on an incredible run to even have a shot at the playoffs. They’ll need to do this without most of their top line from the beginning of the season and without Mike Komisarek on a questionable defence. But if they weren’t filled with delusional amounts of optimism (which is usually followed by the lowest possible gutter of pessimism), they wouldn’t be Maple Leafs fans.

Sunday, February 6, 2010
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals, 10 a.m.
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens, 1 p.m.

The Penguins travel to the Capitals in the second Ovechkin/Crosby showdown of the year. Last night, Ovechkin leapfrogged Henrik Sedin to take his rightful place on top of the scoring race. He had been running with a better points per game and goals per game rate for a long time, but hadn’t played enough games to catch up. NBC is hoping people tune in to this match-up before the Superbowl between the Colts and Saints. Of course, it would help if they got the logo correct. The Capitals, much like the Sens, have been on a tear of late and look to be running away with the top seed in the east (as well as having a shot at the President’s Trophy). Their goal differential (+69) is 48 better than the next highest in the conference and they’ve scored 224 goals so far, 31 more than the San Jose Sharks. All this is good news for my fantasy team, which features five Capitals players and is taking me straight to the top of the league. Like you care.

What does this weekend mean for the Flames?
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Flames now. They have a couple games against some Southeast division opponents. The Avalanche have started slowing down a bit. The Canucks are on a ridiculously long road trip and have lost two in a row. But I’m not going to pretend that a win over the Carolina Hurricanes means anything unless you’re the Edmonton Oilers. A couple wins on the road, where the Flames have been a much better team, and the alarm bells that were ringing in Darryl Sutter’s head should stop blaring so loudly. Also, now that the Kovalchuk sweepstakes have been decided, Flames fans can awaken to the fact that we now have Ales Kotalik for two more years after this one at $3 million per. Yep.

What does the weekend mean for the Oilers? by Garth Paulson
A win against the Hurricanes doesn’t matter if you’re the Oilers either, Jon. Talking heads with nothing to talk about and vacant head players and coaches might say that it does, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing. Honestly, all that’s left to do this season is to sit back and ignore Pat Quinn’s rotating healthy scratch parade that has included Zack Stortini, Fernando Pisani, Patrick O’Sullivan, Mike Comrie, Robert Nilsson, Ryan Stone, Gilbert Brule and probably others who escape me, yet JF Jacques and Ethan Moreau continue to lace ‘em up ineffectually. Not that it matters. Just continue to pray for a not completely disastrous trade deadline, Oilers fans.

Kovalchuk is a New Jersey Devil. I don’t care what anyone says, they are for sure the favourite to win the East now. How do you combat a team with two 100-point threats, which still stinks of Cup sweat? Add one 100-point prospect to a club with the most prolific puck-stopper the frozen pond has ever seen.

But just for the record, if fair is truly meant to be fair, when Brodeur finally retires the Devils have to go the next two decades with net-minders related to Greg Millen.

It’s only right.

Incidentally, Atlanta gets back a pretty good puck-moving defensemen (Oduya), a who-the-hell-knows-what-he’ll-be first rounder (Bergfors) and a mediocre, couldn’t-control-his-flapping-elbows-and-is-now-suspended-for-the-rest-of-the-year-because-of-it moron (Cormier).

Great work Don Waddell, thanks for keeping us in suspense.

Did everyone see that save Minnesota’s Josh Harding made last night versus the Oilers? Save of the year candidate for sure. That’s the kind of play that makes us couch potatoes really respect the flexibility of elite athletes.

By the way, he completely wrecked his hip on the play and needed two guys to carry him off after. Big save Josh! You’re probably done for the year.

Every day I read somewhere about how lucky Habs GM Bob Gainey is to have two goaltenders that could be No. 1s. Really? Lucky?

Let’s see, if he trades Carey Price, the fans are happy right now but they give up on a budding superstar, who’s only 22 and who probably wins 300 career games in his sleep with a new team. If he trades Halak the fans possibly lynch him because he just dealt a guy who is 7-0 when facing more than 40 shots and is possibly the only reason they aren’t worse than Toronto. If he does nothing, he’s the dummy that sat on two insanely tradable assets, while the season past them by and is more than likely finished in Montreal as GM for being too complacent.

If I had that kind of luck, I’d pad my room and never leave the house.

Switching gears…

I’ll make my official Super Bowl pick tomorrow but to give you a sneak preview into how I might be feeling about this one:

The New Orleans’ defense says they plan to incorporate some crazy tactics in order to confuse Peyton Manning. I don’t want to say a lot of football players are too dumb to pull this off but Manning is to the rest of the NFL what Einstein is to Alabama.

The only way the Saints confuse him is if they slip him Rohypnol before the game. I suggest a new strategy, boys.

Lastly…

Anyone not happy for Jesse Lumsden to see him all of a sudden competing in the Olympics with Pierre Lueders, after watching his football career go down to injury, either hasn’t heard about it or is an even bigger d!c# than me…

But seriously, is there bigger proof out there that after four seconds, everyone in a bobsled but the driver is getting a free medal?

Talk to you soon.

Last night the Caps won their twelfth straight game. I’m starting to feel like they’ll never lose again after coming from behind the way they did last night. That wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.

Excuse me for a minute, but ALEX GOT HIS 500TH CAREER POINT!! AND HE’S STORMING BACK TO TAKE THE LEAD LEAGUE!! Did you SEE his second goal? He’s insane. He’s so good at hockey. I don’t know why I’m still surprised when he does stuff like that.

Not to be lost in all of that is Nicki’s five-point night. He’s not too bad. Maybe we should keep him around, George?

The Sabres are playing the Hurricanes in what could be the most painful game ever tonight. If they lose I’m officialy pronouncing them dead.

The Thrashers finally ended the Kovalchuk saga and sent him to New Jersey. I always liked Kovy but I’m starting to change my opinion a little after the way things went down. He’s a great player and he was that franchise, but he was asking for so much money when he doesn’t even know what defense is. It’s clear he wanted out of Atlanta. I just feel bad for the Thrashers fans of the world.

And Ilya does realize the Devils play a trap, right? That never really seemed like his thing.

Yes, I see, they’re still in 3rd place. I can read.

But last night’s blockbuster deal sending Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey isn’t going to put the Sabres any higher on the list of Cup contenders in the East.

The Sabres have been struggling of late. Just 3-5-2 in their last ten, and 2-2 since they returned from their recent trip out west. Ryan Miller has been good, but not great. Thomas Vanek has been hitting the scoresheet, but Derek Roy hasn’t. The defense has not been very good, with the third pairing being anything but set-in-stone.

Ok, it seems like the Sabres are kind of a mess. Right now, anyways. That comfortable division lead is now a single point, thanks to Ottawa deciding not to lose any game they play.

It’s just hard to call the Sabres contenders in the East at this point. With New Jersey, who I considered the weakest of the top five because of their offense, picking up a superstar for the stretch run, it’s now hard to argue that Buffalo is ahead of anyone right now.

Washington has won 12 in a row, and is going to run away with the Southeast. Ottawa has won ten in a row, and they play Toronto tomorrow, which should turn that into 11. And Pittsburgh, the defending champions, are right on the Devils’ back for the Atlantic lead.

What acquisition could the Sabres make to jump ahead of any of those teams? I don’t know. There isn’t much on the market right now with so many teams still in the playoff race. Before the Devils swung the deal last night, I figured it’d only take a couple of bottom six forwards to solidify the lineup. I mean, you don’t expect to win with Matt Ellis or Adam Mair in the lineup, do you?

Now it seems like it might not even be worth it if the prices are too steep. The Sabres are well-stocked in young talent, but there’s hardly a surplus. Giving up prospects or high picks for a futile run might do more harm on the franchise than good.

It’s just a tough decision to make with the team’s recent performance. When they were streaking after Christmas, they were playing as good as anyone in the league. Where did that team go? Are they going to make it back to the ice before April? If they don’t, I don’t have too much hope for more than a couple rounds of postseason hockey.

If the Sabres don’t win the division, it would be hard to say they’ll make it out of the first round. It’d be a likely matchup against either New Jersey or Pittsburgh in the 4/5 series. Even if they do, it’d be an uphill battle winning any other series against a top seed. That top 3 seed is huge. The Eastern Conference has a huge dropoff after the top five teams. Division winners should have an easy run to the second round. But whoever is in that 4/5 matchup is gonna have a dogfight.

Would they survive a dogfight? Maybe.

Maybe it’d be a good idea to just let this season play out and run at it next year.

Huge win last night over the New York Rangers … 6-5 for a 12-in-row record. Alex Ovechkin on fire breaking through 500 points in less than five years … hall-of-fame material!

Entire team was on fire last night – Gordon, Knuble, Ovechkin(2), Poti, Backstrom all scoring.

Theodore also on a nine game winning streak … great to watch in goal.

With Ilya Kovalchuk being traded by the Atlanta Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils, they’re sniper-less for tonight’s game.

Looking for 13-in-a-row tonight at the Verizon Center … Friday the 13th! Caps! Caps! Caps!

Ilya Kovalchuk, the captain and face of the Atlanta Thrashers franchise, was dealt last night to the New Jersey Devils.  New Jersey sent defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Niclas Bergfors,  prospect Patrice Cormier, and a 2010 first round draft pick to Atlanta.

Atlanta also sent Anssi Salmela to the Devils.  Salmela was traded to the Thrashers last season in a deal that sent Niclas Havelid to New Jersey.  The teams will also swap second round draft picks.

The addition of Kovalchuk to the Devil’s lineup should bolster their offense, which has staggered of late.  The Devils are 3-6-1 in their last ten.  Kovalchuk will play tonight for the Devils at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Thrashers received an olympian (Sweden) in Johnny Oduya, who should be a huge help for a Thrashers team that is 4th in the Southeast Division.  Oduya is a good puck-handling defenseman who should bolster the team’s powerplay (21st) and penalty kill (18th).  Niclas Bergfors, also Swedish, has represented his country in World Junior Championships and has a lot of potential.  Drafted in 1st round in 2005 (23rd overall), he made the leap onto the Devils club this season as a rookie.