Atlanta Thrashers Future Depends On "Dig Doug"
Published June 09, 2007
Even without that knowledge now, it was probably foolish for Atlanta to a) give up on Coburn so quickly and b) give him away straight up for a 34 year old rental version of him.
Tkachuk was perhaps an even bigger mistake. Yes, he was a big, strong, proven commodity in the middle, but he also had a proven lack of success in the playoffs (-16 in 81 playoff games). Keith actually played reasonably well in the playoffs, nabbing three points and a +2 during Atlanta's four games while logging roughly 16 minutes per game. As I already mentioned, Atlanta gave up three, possibly four, top three picks over the next two years to get him. That is a ridiculous sum to give up for a player with an attitude problem who missed 75 games in the previous three seasons, no matter how well he is doing at the time of the trade.
Now that Atlanta bombed in the playoffs, they face an interesting decision. Do they resign Zhitnik or Tkachuk, both of whom will be 35 next season? If they do, they are taking a big risk, since neither player is likely to be cheap, and your odds of getting injured only go up with age. Sure, they both should play well enough - IF they play like they did this year - but that doesn't solve everything. In Tkachuk's case, it is extra taxing, because resigning him means St. Louis also gets their #1 pick in 2008.
If they choose to not resign either or both, they wind up exactly where they were at the start of this past season, but with almost no high-end draft picks with which to do anything about it.
I'm not saying that hockey in Atlanta is doomed. In the current NHL, a monster line of Kovalchuk, Hossa, and Belanger or Dupius can accomplish a lot (just ask Ottawa) but it may not accomplish more than a repeat of the 05-06 season; good, but not quite good enough.
You obviously know what needs done, and seem reasonably capable of getting it accomplished. Just don't keep digging, Doug.
- Atlanta Thrashers Future Depends On "Dig Doug"
- Published: June 09, 2007
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sports
- Filed Under: Sports: Hockey
- Writer: Geeves
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Comments on this articleComments
My apologies, I think I twisted his name in my head because the title sounded neat.
I was not making generalizations about the South, I was stating what is gradually fading, but is still a widely held notion - not by myself, but by many people in the mainstream media and elsewhere - that a "northern" sport cannot survive in a "southern" city (in spite of all the various successes - Dallas, Tampa, etc.)
I think any season ticket holders who give up on a team because they haven't made the playoffs yet is one that should not be missed by the franchise. As I mentioned, the way pre-lockout hockey ran, I don't think it was reasonable for them to expect the kind of success other expansion teams had (very early success) - and the progress they have shown since the lockout had them on the right path to be contenders very soon without doing anything other than filling holes with veterans. Hence my point that they overpaid for Tkachuk.
Hotheaded and stupid. Sounds an awful lot like a guy who makes mistakes because he's 22, not because of a lack of ability - I'm sure he was a #1 pick for a reason. I think Zhitnik was a good idea, and they may well be better off in the immediate future, but I think they will eventually regret giving up on Coburn so early.
Again, I should have fleshed those ideas a little better, my apologies.
There you have it folks, Doug is right, it isn't Doug's fault.
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(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/65037)
His name is Don Waddell, not Doug.
Zhitnik is with us for two more years, there is no re-signing necessary. Coburn was a hot-head that consistently made stupid mistakes at the wrong time. He will not be missed.
Metro Atlanta is a majority of Northerners who could care less about NASCAR. Taking potshots at the South does not make you look like a hockey know-it-all, it makes you look like every other Northern sports blogger that has nothing important to imput, but another tired stereotype that is far from the truth.
Atlanta needed to make the playoffs this year or face the very real possibility of losing a ton of season ticket holders who have waited too long to see playoff hockey. Don should not even try to re-sign Walt. Missing out on first round draft picks this year is no big deal. It is a weak draft anyway. Next year may be a different story.
The talent pool is very good in our minor league system. We need some good vets to carry our young team into the next few years. DON, not Doug, got us a shot at some vets and we will see what that brings.