Artyukhin Comes to Atlanta

Waddell pulled the trigger on what I'm sure he hopes to be several moves before the trade deadline tomorrow. Evgenei Artyukhin was added to the roster, beefing up the front in exchange for Nathan Oystrick and a conditional pick.

Breaking it down

So what does this get us and what did we really give up? Was this a good move...great move...or a bad move?

Well we've certainly added bulk. Artyukhin is 6'4" and 255lbs making him the biggest active skater, in terms of weight, on the ice. He's a pretty physical guy too, he's already collected 90 hits, placing him 3rd on our team walking into the room, with many less games than the two players above him. He played last year for Tampa Bay and has seem limited ice time this season with the Ducks. If you were looking for a sniper or play maker this was not the trade for you. But if you're looking to see some extra size and grit up front well this should certainly make you happy. This could possibly open the way for Waddell to send Armstrong out the door and still not loose the grit and toughness that he brings to the ice. Artyukhin is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and I'm sure that if we do happen to re-sign him that's where the conditional pick will factor in, I would expect no higher than 3rd round at worst.

In return for Mr. Artyukhin's services the Thrashers have parted company with Nathan Oystrick. Oystrick played all season last year here in Atlanta as a 3rd pair defenseman. Oystrick had plenty of upside with the ability to play PK and good speed. The unfortunate fact for Oystrick is that the Thrashers are so deep at defense that his chances of cracking and staying in our lineup are slim to none...and I think I saw Slim leaving town.

Overall this is a good move for the Thrashers we gave up practically nothing, because of our depth, not saying Oystrick isn't a good player. What we got in return is some really good size, grit and possibly a little bit of scoring. Artyukhin will most likely see work on the 3rd or 4th line and expect his role to be that of a grinder. I expect to see him working over the opposition and making them pay for playing in the corners.

The Thrashers certainly aren't finished trading yet, expect to still see a deal for Slava Kozlov and who knows what else. Don Waddell told C-Viv though that the possibility of somebody like Kubina going is extremely low and certainly not for the type of trade that some people have been speculating. Waddell went on to say he considers us buyers but also made it clear that so is a good bit of the league because of how jammed up the standings are. This will make finding and getting good talent much harder this season.