2006 Atlanta Thrashers Preview

2006 Atlanta Thrashers Preview from Maddux Sports. With the NHL Hockey Season now is the time to get aquatinted with the 2006 teams and players. Remember if you are NHL hockey betting look no further, as we offer hockey picks and can help you turn a profit betting on the NHL this season.

2006 Atlanta Thrashers Hockey Season Preview

Last season Atlanta did not make the playoffs, finishing tenth in its conference. During the off-season, the Thrashers saw perhaps more activity than any other NHL team, with 10 players joining the club and 10 others departing. This bodes well for the franchise.

In 2005-06, the team finished tied fifth on offense and seventh on the power play. Left winger Ilya Kovalchuk (52 G, 46 A, 98 Pts) was a point machine, finishing eighth in the league. Teammate and center Marc Savard was ninth in the league with 97 points. Savard is gone and his point potential has not been replaced at center. But winger Marian Hossa (39 G, 53 A, 92 Pts), who joined the team last August, will certainly help and there’s hope that center Bobby Holik can come back from last year’s injury plagued season. Second line center and faceoff master Steve Rucchin, a free agent signing in July, will bring discipline to the team, taking fewer penalties.

The Thrasher defense was a work-in-progress last season and finally came around late in the year. Niclas Havelid developed into their best all-around defensive player. Although a good D-man, Andy Sutton (144 PIM—15th) took too many penalties. Greg de Vries and Garnet Exelby were both strong defenders. The club was 24th in this area; look for a better raking this year.

Perhaps no situation compromised this team’s potential more than goalie Kari Lehtonen’s (38 G, 20 W, 15 L, 0 OT, 2.94 GAA, .906 SP) tender groin. Neither backup Mike Dunham nor Michael Garnett proved to be adequate replacements. If Lehtonen is healthy expect many more wins from this team.

The Thrashers must be more disciplined in taking penalties. They were 16th in the league and often put themselves in the hole late in the game. Their penalty kill was one of the worst—25th. This team missed the playoffs by only two points. They should make it this year.

For more information on the 2006 Atlanta Hockey Club check out the Thrashers team website.