Thrashers re-sign Brad Larsen and Steve McCarthy

I have to say this is a good move in my opinion, and I was really expecting to lose one or both of these guys. Larsen was a huge deal on the penalty kill this year and Steve McCarthy has been getting better every season and it is obvious we need any help on defense we can get.

Atlanta, GA (June 22, 2007) — The Atlanta Thrashers have re-signed forward Brad Larsen and defenseman Steve McCarthy, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. (more…)

Back in Society / Thrashers Trade

Well, I (George) just got back today from spending a month in Alaska backpacking and sea kayaking. Absolutely incredible trip — trying to catch up on everything I have missed.

It is hard to really be interested in the draft when the Thrashers don’t have a pick until part way through the day tomorrow. The top two picks were American kids which is good to see.

The Hamilton Preds? Damn, I have been gone a while.

Lastly, the Thrashers traded away another draft pick for this year to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Chris Thorburn.

Getting ready for the Draft

I guess I can no longer deny the fact that the Ducks won the Stanley Cup. As much as I wanted them to lose, they definitely deserved to win. Now, I just need to mentally prepare myself for next year and the draft. I am really hoping Don Wadell can work his magic again.

Ducks take Control

The Ducks responded in force to the suspension one of their star players with a convincing 3-2 victory over Ottawa last night. They now lead the series 3-1, and history is on their side. Only one team in NHL history has blown a 3-1 lead in the Finals, and it happened over 60 years ago (the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. The 1975 Islanders did it in a 2nd and 3rd round, but not in the finals).

Dany Heatley did score in the loss (and could have had 2 goals if it weren’t for 2 amazing stops by Giguere). The game started to get pretty chippy in the 2nd, with Alfredsson slapshotting a puck at Scott Niedermayer as the clock wound down in the 2nd (though apparently Alfie denies this). Ottawa has painted themselves into a corner and will have to fight for their playoff lives on Wednesday to bring the Finals back to their home ice.

Special shout out to former Rochester Amerk Sean O’Donnell, who played more than 23 minutes in place of the suspended Chris Pronger. The Amerks were my hometown team, and Sean and I both had knee surgery at the same time and worked out in the same sports medicine place. I’ve followed his career since–he really stepped it up in the absence of Pronger.

It will be interesting to see how Ottawa responds tomorrow–none of these games have been blowouts, by any means, so it seems that the team with the least mistakes will end up being the winner. Good hockey all around.

Sens making a Series of it

Whew! I was worried there for a second that the Cup finals would end in a sweep. That is never fun for the fans. Ottawa got on the board last night with a tumultuous 5-3 win over Anaheim. The game was not without controversy, with a no-goal changed to a goal after the refs in Toronto deemed there was “no distinct kicking motion” (a phrase all Thrash fans cringe when they hear) by Alfredsson. Chris Pronger went and got himself suspended for Game 4 by elbowing McAmmond and briefly knocking him unconscious. Game 4 should be an interesting one, for sure. Home ice advantage is proving to be just that.

(And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me smile just a little bit that Heatley hasn’t done a whole heck of a lot in this series. Once he does some community service, I’m all about forgiveness).

In other news, the Thrash have announced that they are not going to be resigning Tkachuk before the July 1 deadline. They are not ruling out making him an offer after July 1, but it seems like those KT jerseys and t-shirts are going to be collectors items very soon.

We HAVE done some signing in the offseason. The team sent out a press release on 5/31, noting the signing of Pavalec, Denny, Pospisil, and Stoesz. With the addition of Tobias Enstrom, it looks like the team is indeed going the route of bringing in some new blood. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out as we get closer to the signing deadlines. While it is likely we won’t see Pavelec much next year unless we have an injury, we seem to be solidifying some needs in both defense and offense here in the offseason. With so many guys from this year still unsigned, it is anyone’s guess what next year’s team will look like when it all shakes out.

(Also, I’ve been absent for a while–had to take a bit of a break to get over the sweep, finish the semester, all of that good stuff. Plus, I’ve started getting into the baseball season (which doesn’t start until the Thrashers season ends), and my Red Sox are sitting pretty in first place, 13 1/2 up on the Yankees. So, spring hasn’t been too horrible for me!)

More Good News

The Thrashers signed defensive prospect Tobias Enstrom.

Enstrom, 22, helped MODO capture the Swedish Elite League championships this season, recording 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists) in 55 games. The 5-10, 175-pound defenseman ranked third on the team in assists and tied for fourth in points while leading team defensemen in goals, assists and points. He also finished the season tied for eighth among league defensemen in points. In 20 playoff games, he led the league with 11 assists and finished first among defensemen and sixth overall with 12 points. (more…)