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Search Atlanta Thrashers NEWS AND INFORMATION IN-DEPTH STATS Atlanta Thrashers Team Report Posted | | | During his time coaching the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League, John Anderson got used to leading a winning team. He might have to adjust his expectations this year in Atlanta. Even though the Thrashers are coming off a season in which they allowed a league-high 272 goals, Anderson's plan doesn't seem to be centered around improving the defense. Instead, he is falling back on an age-old adage. "The best defense is a good offense," the new coach said. "They can't score if you're in their end scoring." Sure, he's got a point. The team with the most goals always wins. But if you look at the recent Stanley Cup champions, the Cup was generally secured with a good defense first. If you can't get the puck out of your own end on a regular basis, it makes it tough to score goals at the other end. Atlanta fans have grown tired of watching the likes of Andy Sutton, Garnet Exelby and Ken Klee fire the puck around the boards over the past several years in hopes that somebody will win the battle for it along the wall and get it out of the zone. General manager Don Waddell realized this and pulled the trigger on a trade that brought Mathieu Schneider to Atlanta from Anaheim. Schneider, at 39, still might be better than Sutton, Exelby and Klee combined. Schneider brings a big salary ($5.6 million), but that's a small tradeoff for having a consistent puck-mover who can put it on Ilya Kovalchuk's stick in stride. He also brings a quiet, veteran presence to a locker room in need of more leaders. If rookie Zach Bogosian stays with the Thrashers, Schneider will also be a good mentor for the 18-year-old. With Schneider, Niclas Havelid, Tobias Enstrom and newcomer Ron Hainsey, Atlanta now boasts a legitimate, NHL-caliber Top Four on defense. As for the team's offense, Ilya Kovalchuk will score his usual 50, but where are the other goals going to come from? Slava Kozlov managed only 17 last season, Todd White had 14, and Eric Perrin had 12. Numbers like that make it hard to win games, let alone championships. Anderson said he expects more from Perrin and White this season. It's a nice thought, but neither player has ever been a 40-goal scorer. There's no reason to think they will start now. Anderson might have an AHL Calder Cup championship ring, but even with the addition of Schneider, he will be hard-pressed to get Atlanta to the playoffs this year. COACHING STAFF: Head coach — John Anderson, 1st year with Thrashers. 1st year in NHL. Spent 13 seasons in the minors and won five championships, including the 2008 Calder Cup with the AHL's Chicago Wolves. Assistants — Todd Nelson, Steve Weeks, Randy Cunneyworth. LAST SEASON, REMEMBERED: 76 points. 34-40-8 (4th in Southeast, missed playoffs). THIS SEASON, PREDICTED: The Thrashers will continue to struggle in the Southeast Division unless they figure out a way to cut down on the amount of goals they allow on a nightly basis. Newly acquired D Mathieu Schneider and rookie D Zach Bogosian are expected to make an impact on the team's defense, but they might not be enough to help out shell-shocked G Kari Lehtonen. They will also need to find somebody else besides Ilya Kovalchuk (52 goals last season) to chip in on the offensive side. POSSIBLE CHANGES, PREDICTED: If the coaching staff isn't positive that rookie D Zach Bogosian is completely ready for the prime time, expect him to get sent back the Ontario Hockey League before Game 10 of the regular season. If he does get returned to his junior team, he will keep three years of eligibility under his entry-level contract. As for the coaching staff, expect John Anderson to stay behind the bench for the entire season, even if Atlanta struggles to win. GM Don Waddell has no desire to step in for a second consecutive year, as he did after firing Bob Hartley just six games into last season. NOTES, QUOTES —D Mathieu Schneider was acquired from Anaheim in a Sept. 26 deal that sent D Ken Klee, LW Brad Larsen and minor-league LW Chad Painchaud to the Ducks. Schneider, 39, is not totally unfamiliar with his new home in Atlanta. His brother, Jean-Alain, is a lawyer in Georgia's capital city, a fact that Schneider says made his decision to join the Thrashers much easier. —D Tobias Enstrom was recently signed to a new four-year contract, keeping one of the teams' most versatile players through the 2012-13 season. Enstrom's current deal, which pays him $750,000, expires after this season. Financial terms of his new contract weren't known. —C Erik Christensen, who is expected to center Atlanta's top line, injured his shoulder during a recent intrasquad game. The injury isn't considered serious, and results of an MRI were negative. MAIN REASON THRASHERS CAN WIN: New coach John Anderson expects G Kari Lehtonen to start at least 60 games this season. If he performs, on a consistent basis, the way he is capable, Atlanta has a legitimate chance of winning every night he is between the pipes. The addition of D Mathieu Schneider, a 19-year NHL veteran, should also help Atlanta's weak defense. MAIN REASON THRASHERS CAN LOSE: A lack of scoring beyond LW Ilya Kovalchuk, who netted a team-high 52 last season, will plague Atlanta all season. Unless C Erik Christensen can find a way to add 20-25 goals and Todd White, Eric Perrin or Marty Reasoner can pop in at least 20 each, the Thrashers stand little chance of making the playoffs. QUOTE TO NOTE: "If people look at our team on paper, I think they're not exactly sure what they're going to get. But I think we're going to surprise a lot of teams." — New Thrashers coach John Anderson on his expectations for the season. ROSTER REPORT ANALYZING THE GOALIES: Expect G Kari Lehtonen to carry the bulk of the workload. Coach John Anderson said he wants Lehtonen to start at least 60 games. If not, Johan Hedberg has proved himself to be more than capable of handling the starting role. Goaltending remains one of Atlanta's bright spots. —G Kari Lehtonen appeared in 48 games last season, posting a mediocre 17-22 record with a 2.90 GAA and four shutouts. —G Johan Hedberg played in 36 games with 32 starts last season and had a 3.46 GAA and one shutout. ANALYZING THE DEFENSEMEN: With the addition of D Mathieu Schneider and D Ron Hainsey, and the expected emergence of D Boris Valabik and rookie D Zach Bogosian, Atlanta's back line has a chance of making a slight improvement over last season. It can't get any worse after the Thrashers allowed the most shots and most goals of any team a year ago. —D Mathieu Schneider should be the leader of the team's defense. Along with 19 years of experience, Schneider remains one of the league's best puck-handling defensemen, something the Thrashers have been in desperate need of in recent years. —D Ron Hainsey joined Atlanta as a free agent during the offseason after three years with the Columbus Blue Jackets. —D Boris Valabik, a 6-foot-7 Czech who was drafted 10th overall in 2004, is expected to earn a roster spot this year after appearing in just seven games with Atlanta last season. —D Zach Bogosian, at 18, already appears ready for the NHL and will get every chance to shine with the Thrashers. If there ever was a team where a rookie could crack the lineup, Atlanta is it. ANALYZING THE LINES: The majority of Atlanta's scoring is expected to come from the top line of C Erik Christensen, LW Ilya Kovalchuk and RW Colby Armstrong. Beyond that, look for Eric Perrin and Todd White to contribute more to the scoring and hope that LW Slava Kozlov can find a way to net more than the 17 goals he had last season. Atlanta's biggest issue will be trying to find somebody to fill the scoring void left by the departure of Marian Hossa. —C Erik Christensen, who joined Atlanta in the trade-deadline deal that sent Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh, will get a chance to show what he is capable of while centering the team's top line with LW Ilya Kovalchuk. —C Marty Reasoner, 31, should add some veteran leadership to Atlanta's locker room, which is now without Bobby Holik, its most vocal presence for the last three seasons. —LW Ilya Kovalchuk led Atlanta with 52 goals last season and is expected to do the same once again. Eventually, the Russian superstar will get some offensive help. —RW Jason Williams joined Atlanta during the offseason after netting 13 goals in just 43 games with Chicago last season. If he can remain healthy (he missed 39 games with a groin injury), expect the 27-year-old to add some offensive punch. —LW Slava Kozlov scored a career-low 17 goals last season. If Atlanta has any chance of posting a winning record, they will need Kozlov to contribute more. Posted | | | To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. • • • • • • • About USATODAY.com: | | | | | | | | News Your Way: | | | | | Partners: | | | Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of
