Thrashers CYA Press Release

From Thrashers GM Don Waddell, after the team tried to sign Ilya Kovalchuk and decided to ship him to New Jersey instead for multiple prospects and a first-rounder - ensuring no playoffs this year (as the Thrashers had been sitting three points out of the final spot, and almost certainly will fall backwards from it.

Wait til next year...at least.

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After several months of negotiations toward a long-term contract with forward Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent, we were unable to reach an agreement and elected to trade Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and a first round draft pick in 2010.

We want you, our fans, to know that throughout the negotiation process, the Thrashers organization remained committed to offering Ilya a contract that exceeded those of the league’s best and highest paid players, and was commensurate to his skill level and performance history.

To that end, we offered Kovy several lucrative packages in an effort to meet his financial objectives. One offer that we extended to Ilya would have made him the highest paid NHL player on a per year average with $10 million per year for seven years. Another offer totaled more than $100 million over 12 years, and it, combined with the previous contractual commitments that were made to Kovy, would have earned him more money than any other NHL player in the history of the league.

If we had met Kovy’s ultimate demand, we would have jeopardized our ability to build a competitive team around him and retain our other young players as they became eligible for new contracts in the seasons ahead. At the end of the day, we couldn’t close that gap and simply reached a point at which we couldn’t reasonably go any higher.

We’re excited about the addition of all three players and feel that Johnny and Niclas will quickly complement our team of budding young stars, highly-skilled veterans and elite players. We also look forward to having Patrice join us in the near future. Our goals for this season have not changed—to make and advance as deep as possible in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs—and we move ahead with a new sense of purpose that is energized by our continued climb in the standings as we position ourselves to compete with the best in the NHL.

We will maintain the option of bringing in more players, in addition to the ones that we have acquired in the trade, to make sure that we are fully competitive for the remainder of the season and the postseason.

We thank Ilya and Anssi for all they have done for our organization and wish them well. And we thank you, for your continued support, and look forward to your enthusiastic presence in Blueland to help drive us into the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Braves 7, Mets 3

Tim Hudson flirts with a no-hitter for a few innings, but a solid game nonetheless.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that would make 3 of 4 so far and that I saw the Braves in first by a half-game. That could be the Jim Beam talking, though.

This is the Hudson we've been waiting to see - 3-0, 0.62 ERA. Niiiiiiiiiice.

I'd feel better if there weren't three ninth-inning runs given up by Soriano. Again, a win is a win.

And yes, I know, I haven't mentioned the Thrashers. That was a depressing series and an absolutely pitiful effort against the Rangers.

Good day for Atlanta sports

Well, let's see:

1) We had the Final Four without massive gridlock or too many shootings (a couple, but at least no NFL players were involved)

2) The Braves won their first game to re-take first place in the NL East with a mighty 1-0 record. Four scoreless innings from the bullpen is a very nice way to start by beating the Phillies on the road, 5-3.

3) Last, for the first time ever, the Atlanta Thrashers are heading to the playoffs. Thanks to a Toronto loss yesterday, the Thrashers clinched a playoff berth. They have not yet clinched the division, but are three points up on Tampa with three games left. As of right now, they would face the Rangers in the first round - who knows, it might be fun to root against the Rangers again.

The Hawks, however, can't even lose right, as they'll lose their lottery pick if it is outside the top 3 and they currently have the fourth-worst record behind Boston, Milwaukee, and Memphis. Hopefully, they can learn to suck just a little more over the last couple weeks to get a better shot at a top-3 pick and either Oden, Durant, or Joakim Noah.