With Kari Lehtonen back to playing hockey and soon to end his conditioning stint in Chicago he will be on the move back to Atlanta. When he arrives that will put three net minders on the roster, for those of you math scholars that's one too many according to the latest C-Viv blog entry. So what's a GM to do? Well one of them has to go, so you're looking at somebody about to exit stage right.
My question to you..and one I will attempt to answer by giving the magic eight ball a shake is to figure out who it may be. There of course, are several choices that could be made and I'll try to take a look at some of them but in my humble opinion I think there's really only one viable one if you're sitting in the big chair at Thrasher headquarters.
Without further adieu here it is...I think that the Moose may be set loose. I preface this all with saying this isn't, as a fan, what I would want. Let it be known for here ever after that I am a huge Moose fan. With that said...I think he'll be the one sent to parts unknown and here's why.
Kari has just come back from a conditioning stint and has yet to play a minute of NHL hockey thus far this season. Though he is a veteran and plenty of teams know what he's "capable" of he's yet to do anything this season, and the NHL is all about "What have you done for me lately?" Kari's persistent injury problems have made him what most GMs would consider a liability and coupled with no NHL history for this season and I don't see where anybody is going to give up anything that would interest the Thrashers enough to part with the Finn.
That leads us to Ondrej Pavelec, the young Czech goalie has proven with his minutes this season that he has the potential to carry the starting job..SOME DAY. That day hasn't arrived yet..but I think it's on the horizon. He's certainly proved thus far to be more durable than Kari and he's playing for the most part on par with Lehtonen's past numbers. Yes he struggled in December and the early part of January and he's had games that were terrible...but he's also had some real stunners and stolen several points thus far for this club. The Thrashers see long term potential in the youngster and they won't give that up.
Then there is the Moose, the player's choice award winner for several years, the locker room favorite, a huge fan favorite (I dare say right behind Kovy in popularity). Though he has had a few struggles this season he's playing out of his mind this year, the way he's playing begs for us to keep him. I wish with all in my heart that business said to keep him...but in terms of business this is what makes him the ripest fruit on the tree. As the NHL season begins to kick into the playoff run goaltending will become a premium and teams that have had less than stellar backup goaltending will be looking for somebody as solid as Hedberg to be there for their starter. He's a UFA at the end of this season and he's on the downside of his career as far as age is concerned. In the coldest business sense he's the most expendable with the highest value on the trade market at this time.
So where does this leave the Thrashers? It leaves them with Kari and Ondrej. I'm sure the Thrashers are betting on the success of Kari's surgery and the fact he's stated that he's lived with that pain for quite some time and as soon as the second surgery was completed his pain went away and he's felt great since then. Perhaps by chance the back pain led to the groin injuries by way of his playing to compensate for the back and then injuring that instead (I know it may be a reach). With Kari now healthy and completely pain free, I'm sure the hope is that he will be free to live up to the potential that the club saw in him from the day he was drafted. Then there is Ondrej Pavelec as the backup, a position he craves not but one that will most likely be his at least until the club has a good opportunity to really evaluate what shape Kari is really in.
So do you agree with my assessment or do you think somebody else is headed off? You could make an argument for just about any of the three being sent away, but as I see it I think that's the most logical way to do it. Then again if that's the most logical I'm sure Moose may be safe after all.
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3 comments:
At the moment, I think Moose may be the one moved. I asked Waddell at a function earlier this year if he could elaborate on his talks last offseason about trading a goalie. He basically said he was VERY close to trading Pavs (without actually naming him).
Kari doesn't have a whole lot of trade value now, and if we end up trading him for a 3rd rounder and he manages to stay healthy we would be screwed. Pavs has potential. Moose is great at what he is, but he is also 37 (?). Like you said, you can make arguments for all three. If it's me, I think I trade Moose and keep my two young goalies (unless someone knocks me out of the water with a trade for Pavs, which I doubt will happen).
Regardless, with the possible Kovy trade and now this, the Thrashers will look very different come early March.
I'm personally hoping that Kari goes. I understand that Moose is getting older, and that could affect his play. And I know that Pavs has had some very rough nights, but I think he really has the potential. He knows when he plays like crap and he doesn't try to blame anyone for that.
However, in my opinion Kari has been a huge, and costly, liability to the team. He's been with the team since 2002 and has yet to play a full season. Maybe his surgery helped, and I don't wish for anyone to be in chronic pain, but it feels like he could break again at any moment.
Lacy - Yes he's been a injury liability and I agree that is who I would love to see shipped out. The biggest down side to him right now is that he hasn't played yet this year and a GM that needs a push into the post season isn't going to take a chance on that.
Moose, actually, would be my last choice to see leave as far as my fan's heart is concerned. Next to Slava he's my favorite player on the team. Though Mad Max is quickly moving up the charts for me.
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