Season Outlook : Atlanta Thrashers Grading

[Derrick - Senators]

To gear up for the start of the season I thought it'd be neat to let everyone voice their opinions on the teams around the league. (point out strengths, weaknesses, etc.) The original "Draft Pairings" were good, but I don't feel like one single person should be the say all that ends all deciding a final "grade" for a team. This way, all angles can be discussed and an ongoing discussion can be formed. I'll put up a new thread for a different team each day until the start of the season. First up, the Atlanta Thrashers, discuss and grade away.


Roster


Center

Mats Sundin
Joe Sakic
Michael Nylander
Robert Lang

Left Wing

Ilya Kovalchuk
Martin Havlat
Brendan Shanahan
Martin Rucinsky

Right Wing

Marian Hossa
Milan Hejduk

Defensemen

Scott Niedermayer
Tomas Kaberle
Sergei Zubov
Bryan Berard

Goaltenders

Ilya Bryzgalov**
Vesa Toskala**
Evgeni Nabokov
Martin Biron




Farm Team

Jiri Tlusty*
Michael Frolik*
Chris Stewart*
Yuri Alexanderov*
Cory Emmerton*
Matt Stajan*
Kyle Wellwood*
Alexei Ponikarovsky*
Robbie Earl*
Jordan LaVallee*
Raymond Sawada*
Daniel Carcillo*
Kevin Romy*
Cody Bass*

[Nos - Sharks]

Atlanta Thrashers - GM Dave



Center - Very old but solid for this year and possibly a few upcoming years.

Left Wing - Great, can't go wrong with Kovalchuk. Havlat and Shanny round it out well to give you a very deep position.

Right Wing - Good, could use a third winger, but having Hossa there is a huge plus and him alone will likely hold down the fort and keep you in contention.

Defensemen - Great, solid throughout, I don't foresee any real problems.

Goaltenders - Super weak. Having three potential backup goaltenders isn't helping your cause. Wasted roster positions are what cost you championships. However, you could be ok if things pan out. Bryzgalov could take the starting job, although that's very unlikely given Giguere is not a backup and hasn't been traded. They'll likely split time. Having both San Jose goalies is a bonus, you've got that locked down and will hold the position for you since the Sharks are a top tier team. Again, wasted roster position, but at least you're sure. Wait and see is your option. You should do ok, but could improve.

Farm - Pretty weak, not too much of note.



Final Grade: B+

[patriot0103]

Agree with the Sharks review, although I wouldn't classify his goalie situation as "super weak"

Yea, Giguere is still around in Anaheim, but Bryzgalov could very well end up the starter and I feel he proved that last year. Personally I believe he will win that job. Although it may take up 2 spots, the Sharks are a good team, and having their goalies is far from weak as it guarentees he has the starter there. Being a Sabres fan, I can also attest to the fact that Biron may turn out to be a great goalie. No question in my mind that he has the skill to be a number one goalie, especially if you look at what he did when Miller was out last year. (13 consecutive wins). With the Sabres salary cap situation, there is a HUGE chance Biron will be moved by the deadline, and most likely well before.

[Nos - Sharks]

I say super weak because he basically has 1.5 goalies working for him while occupying 4 roster spots. He should have at least 3 starters working for him to be good and competitive. 2 starters at the very least if they're good and reliable. As I said, he'll do ok, having the Sharks goalies is what will keep him afloat, although the Sharks do let in a decent amount of goals. I don't see the Anaheim situation clearing up, they'll split, if anything I see Giguere taking the role back. As for Biron, even if he is traded at the trade deadline, that leaves what? A month of hockey to use Biron while sidelining him for 5 or 6? That's not worth it, and he's certainly not worth a keeper slot for next year unless he gets traded to Detroit or something and plays amazingly well. As of right now I think all of the NHL clubs are set on their goalies.

[Mark - Bruins]

Atlanta has some solid centers, but they're on the verge of retirement soon. They also have great wingers, but could use more depth on RW. Berard's +/- is the only question mark on an otherwise great defense.

Although the goaltending situation is shaky, it should be serviceable enough this season and only gets better in the future. Bryzgalov will probably get around 30 starts this year and will probably end up as the #1 for next year when Giguere leaves via FA. The SJ tandem is solid and chances are very high that either Nabakov or Biron will end up with a new team before the deadline. However, I think Nos neglects the fact that if either Nabakov or Biron went on the waiver wire, I'm sure many GMs with an extra roster space would love to pick either up for a playoff run, which is the most important month of the season. Keeper slot or not, he could help a team win it all. I remember getting screwed over in a fantasy league last year because Florida decided to sit Luongo at the end of the year at the exact time when I was playing my championship matchup.

[Derrick - Senators]

This is a team built for now, you know what youre getting without very many question marks. However, the problem with that is, there isnt any way this team can "improve" or exceed expectations....it can only get worse. Chucked full of veteran players, this team is solid on paper as a whole right now and should make a run in the playoffs. The only question mark is the goaltending. Though its been analyzed, im not sold on this group at all and that could really hurt.

prediction: playoff contender.

[Nos - Sharks]

Mark, any GM would pick up the player in question after a solid season of goaltending was behind him. If you don't have that throughout the season you aren't making it to the playoffs to utilize a "saved" player. Point is, he'll do alright, but on the weaker end of things (goaltending wise) and it will hurt him in the end. I'm also not sold on any of the goaltenders he has.