Make or break year for the Thrashers in Atlanta

This has already been labeled the single most important offseason in the history of Don Waddell’s reign as general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Not only hasn’t the organization won a playoff game in its nine-season history — they’ve qualified just once — but Waddell and his front-office staff realize if it can’t produce a legitimate contender in the final year of star forward Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract, the team  will likely lose the superstar forward to free agency.

Kovalchuk, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, has quietly amassed 557 points in 545 NHL games spanning seven seasons — all with the Thrashers.

Perhaps that explains why Atlanta was one of the more industrious clubs this summer when it came to wheeling, dealing and inking free agents. It’s also a reason Waddell made it a priority to target a multi-faceted forward to pair with Kovalchuk and he believes he did that with the acquisition of 6-foot-6 Nik Antropov.

Full story here