Waddell Getting Desperate?
The Atlanta Thrashers have made several moves in the past 24 hours, acquiring both Alexei Zhitnik and Keith Tkachuk, though they’ve paid a heavy price for both.
A first, second and third round draft pick seems a heavy price to pay for a power forward who has managed 43 points in 63 games this season. Not to mention that the Thrashers will have to give up a second first round pick if they manage to re-sign Tkachuk this summer. They also sent Glen Metropolit, though that’s likely the cheapest piece of the deal.
I’m also surprised they were willing to part with Braydon Coburn at such a young age. Alexei Zhitnik is certainly an immediate upgrade but they might regret this one in a few years.
It seems to me that GM Don Waddell may be feeling some heat with his team’s slide over the past few months. For a team that started out so hot, they’ve stumbled enough to be fighting for a playoff spot rather than the divisional lead.
Or maybe he’s remembering his playoff guarantee from a year ago. Waddell was the first GM I’ve ever heard who was willing to guarantee a playoff spot for his team. Not that it cost him anything to say it, and it never hurts to show confidence in your team, but it certainly doesn’t look good.
So perhaps the memory of that egg-on-the-face, coupled with the slide of the Thrashers, has given Waddell the needed push to pay the big price for some veteran leadership for the playoff push.
This definitely was the trade that really showed me how steep the few sellers are setting their prices. Forsberg was a risk but if he stays healthy he’s a known playoff monster (162 pts in 139 playoff games). Tkachuk has never scored more than 10 points in the playoffs, and that was back in 2001-02.
But maybe I’m wrong. The Thrashers have definitely needed a first line center and Tkachuk will fill that role better than anyone else the Thrashers have available. And at least Waddell has shown that he has some balls.