Well, it wasn’t the most interesting trade deadline in recent memory… especially for the Thrashers.
The good news is that things picked up *after* the 3:00pm deadline. The bad news is that barely anything interesting happened before then. It looks like Calgary may have made the biggest splash by acquiring Olli Jokinen. Jay Bouwmeester is staying in Florida.
Let’s look at things from a Thrashers perspective.
There was only one move today, Erik Christensen for prospect Eric O’Dell. It’s no secret that Christensen, nickname Crusher, has underperformed in his time as a Thrasher. He has 5G 14A in 47GP this season. While not spectacular, I am one of the few who has retained hope in Erik. Here’s why:
Crusher has the tools to be a good hockey player. He’s got good hands, decent skating abilities, and the ability to win faceoffs. He’s not physical, but he’s athletic enough to play in the NHL. His problems are two fold:
- He has some mental issues. It seems like he hasn’t yet found a way to slow down the NHL game. “Slowing the game” is a phrase that used in hockey to mean the same thing that “in the zone” means in other sports. Let’s face it: there’s a lot going on during a hockey game. It’s necessary to be able to see plays develop and position yourself appropriately considerably before it actually happens. Erik can’t win a spot through muscle, so he’s got to win a spot through smarts. Now, when Erik is in full control of the game’s speed – the shootout – he excels. For him, it’s a matter of being that comfortable during regular play.
- Because of these mental issues, he hasn’t been able to remain in the top-6. For a young player who is not particularly physical, a checking/energy line assignment is often a ticket to Fail Town. Whereas Jimmy Slater (in large part with the help of Bobby Holik) has been able to push up his physical play in order to carve a role for himself, Erik hasn’t. He will typically avoid physical play and doesn’t seem as willing to “grease it up” like bottom-6 forwards are supposed to.
I think Christensen’s failures on the Thrashers are similar to Peverley’s failures in Nashville. We haven’t allowed him the right spot in the lineup for a long enough period of time to succeed. He’s played 200 NHL games over 4 seasons, but again, much of that time has been on the Penguins’ fourth line and our third line. Will he ever be a 30-goal scorer? Probably not. I think with some patience, luck, and solid work ethic, though, Crusher can be a 20-goal scorer in this league. Then again, I could be totally wrong.
In return for Christensen, we’ve received Eric O’Dell, a prospect from the Ducks. There’s not a lot of information out there on O’Dell, but here’s the important stuff:
- 6′0″, 174lbs
- Drafted 2nd round, 39th overall by Anaheim in 2008
- Born June 21, 1990 in Ottawa
- He’s a top scorer on his OHL team, the Sudbury Wolves, with 30G 29A in 59GP this season, good enough to lead the Wolves in goals and T-4th in assists
Scouting reports claim he’s a solid player with a good shot, but question his skating.
Since he was drafted before this season, he has at least one more season of junior eligibility. This means that he can only play for 1) the Thrashers or 2) the Sudbury Wolves until his junior team is eliminated from playoff contention. At that point, he can join the Chicago Wolves as an amateur try-out (ATO). The Sudbury Wolves are currently holding the 7th place spot in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, good enough for playoffs. (The top 8, of 10, teams in each conference make the playoffs). The regular season ends for Sudbury in 11 days and each round of playoffs runs about 2 weeks, so there is a chance we’ll see O’Dell in Chicago this year.
That is, of course, unless there is some other obscure provision of the CBA that prevents it. Have you ever tried to read that thing? What a mess…
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