Aug 27 2008
Other than Kovy, who will light the lamp?
By Bud L. Ellis
thrashers.today.com
ATLANTA – It’s as inevitable as the sun rising in the east.
Ilya Kovalchuk breaks into the offensive zone, a pack of opposing defenders nipping at his heels, a nervous goaltender setting up for one of Kovy’s patented slapshots or drives to the net. The Russian scoring machine – with 50-plus goals in two of his past three seasons – feels the smothering effect of an entire defensive unit collapsing on him, and assesses his options.
There aren’t many. Shoot, or pass, and option No. 2 isn’t exactly a Thrashers’ strong suit.
When Kovy skated with fellow All-Star Marian Hossa on the top line for parts of the first half of last season, Atlanta placed two of the top offensive talents in the NHL on the ice at the same time. But now that Hossa is gone, the question looms:
Who is going to help Kovalchuk shoulder the scoring load?
Of the eight Thrashers who accounted for 30-plus points last season in an Atlanta uniform, three are no longer with the team: Hossa (56 points in 60 games before the deadline deal to Pittsburgh), Mark Recchi (48 points) and Bobby Holik (34 points). A fourth member of that group, defenseman Tobias Enstrom, only tallied five goals.
Again, who else besides Kovy – who finished with 52 goals and 87 points – will light the lamp for Atlanta this season? He’s going to need help; no player can do it alone, although Kovy tried after the Hossa trade. He may be carrying more of the weight than is fair this season, because the cupboard isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with goal scorers.
Eric Perrin was a nice surprise last season, finishing with 45 points, 12 coming on goals. Slava Kozlov endured a miserable season and, at age 36, one wonders if the veteran will be able to match his 17 goals and 41 points from a year ago. Other than Kovy, Kozzy scored more goals last season than anybody else currently on the roster.
Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen – both acquired in the Hossa deal – will have to contribute. Armstrong finished with 13 goals and 35 points last season, 11 coming in 18 games with Atlanta. Christensen only played 10 games with the Thrashers, totaling four points with Atlanta in a 24-point season (11 goals total, two with Le Thrash).
A big part of the focus falls on center Todd White, who signed a four-year contract with Atlanta entering last season, then struggled to adjust. White still finished with 37 points (14 goals), but off some of his scoring numbers from the past (20 in 2001-02, 25 in 2002-03, 19 in 2005-06).
If not White, then maybe new center Jason Williams. Signed in the offseason, Williams totaled 13 goals and 36 points for the Blackhawks last season. He scored 21 goals for Detroit three seasons ago and could at least pick up some of the slack left from the departures of Hossa and Recchi. Forward Marty Reasoner, signed from Edmonton, tied a career high with 11 goals with the Oilers last season.
We know this much: Kovy will get his goals, many of them causing jaw-dropping ah-has from the denizens at Philips Arena. But he’s going to need some help if the Thrashers intend to contend in 2008-09.
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