Friday, November 14, 2008

Goalie Connundrum

From Kevin Allen @ USA Today:

The possible deal that looks more inviting would involve No. 1 goalie Kari Lehtonen. He's a very talented goaltender, a former No. 1 pick. He's big, mobile and has big game potential.

But the Thrashers also have Ondrej Pavelec, who potentially could turn out to be as accomplished as Lehtonen.

If the Thrashers decided to deal Pavelec, he hasn't been around enough to command a hefty return. But if the Thrashers trade Lehtonen, they could probably land at least two good young players.

Wouldn't Lehtonen be a good fit with the Kings' young talent in Los Angeles? He could possibly be a good fit in Ottawa or maybe Colorado or a couple of other teams.

The point is simply that there would be a market for Lehtonen and the Thrashers could land a strong return.

That's at least something to ponder, particularly because he will be a restricted free agent after this season.


I like Kevin Allen. He's never been one to trash the Thrash just cause it's cool, and he's never suggested contracting the entire Southeast Division* - just a very even, very knowledgeable hockey writer.

But I think he's wrong here.

What if we created one of those "goalie controversies" that we hear about from other, more established franchises? What if we kept Kari, but mixed it up occasionally with Pavs? Is the Pony ready for that kind of gig? What would we then do with Moose? Hmmm....

I'm not sayin... I'm just sayin....

*I know he was just joshin.... still rankled some folks.... wasn't very nice...

Kovy Waxes Philosophic

From Puck Daddy.

My favorite bits:

"I am not used to paying attention to world crises. If you start worrying about every cent you lose, you won't have enough nerves to handle it. We have to thing about something different. Our children are healthy, we wake up in the morning, the sun is shining... This is what happiness is."

"Money is money, but everyone wants to play for a serious contender. I am still hoping for better times. The times when not only Atlanta players but the entire NHL will consider the Thrashers to be a serious contender for the Cup."

"Players should know their role and what to do on the ice.Players should know their role and what to do on the ice."

"Money is money, but everyone wants to play for a serious contender. I am still hoping for better times. The times when not only Atlanta players but the entire NHL will consider the Thrashers to be a serious contender for the Cup."


Me too, Kovy....

Thrashers v Hurricanes

As if there aren't already enough hockey blogs out there, here I go starting another one. With apologies to the Thrashers' official newsletter, I give you the "Blueland Outsider." I could fill this space with the usual stuff about hockey being the greatest sport in the world, the Thrashers being a much maligned team, blah blah blah... point is, I like hockey, I like the Thrashers, I like talking, and I have a job that allows me to waste time by writing blog entries. That's all. Nothing special, really. So, on with it.

Things To Mention For Today

- Re: Brian Burke. Attention ASG, here's your chance to fix a decade-old mistake. History doesn't often allow for this kind of mulligan. Do it.

- Re: The Carolina Hurricanes. They'll be visiting Phillips tonight, and our guests look pissed. They have one win in the last four games, all three losses at the hands of the Thrashers and Caps, two suprisingly ineffective goalies (as of late, anyway) - I'm guessing we drop this one. In spectacular fashion.

Kidding.

So what do we need to do?

- Keep it even-strength. Carolina has scored fewer goals than we have 5 on 5. According to the Falconer, we're starting to cash in on more of our shots taken. Let's hope that trend keeps up.

- Continue the Awakening of Kovy. Ilya Kovalchuk has quietly posted 14 points while we've all been singing the praises of the Kozlov-White-Little line. Eight of those points have come in the last 4 games. This is exciting. Let's hope his point production continues to snowball.

Prediction - Canes take this one 5-4 in OT. Carolina's not big on losing streaks (six streaks of three or more regulation losses in the almost 4 years of the Laviolette era), but I think our boys have enough fight in them to get the pity-point.