We move on to Atlanta, a team that would be looking a whole lot better if star forward Ilya Kovalchuk weren't playing in the Russian league at this very moment.  Nevertheless, Atlanta has made some interesting moves this off-season and could be worth watching even without Kovalchuk in 2005-06.  Whether or not they can make the playoffs without him, however, is another question entirely...

As usual, these previews will appear, two a day (hopefully), until the season starts on October 5th.  They will be put on-site by division, roughly in order of predicted finish.  Note that the rookies listed are only those most likely to make the team, not necessarily ones who have already sewn up a spot, and surprises always occur in training camp.  The In/Out portion represents significant players added and lost since the end of the 2003-04 season.  And now, on with the show...

In: Peter Bondra, Marian Hossa, Bobby Holik, Niclas Havelid, Jaroslav Modry, Ramzi Abid, Greg de Vries, Scott Barney, Mike Dunham, Eric Boulton, Shane Hnidy, Scott Mellanby

Out: Dany Heatley, Pasi Nurminen, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Yanick Tremblay, Ivan Majesky, Randy Robitaille, Shawn McEachern, Frantisek Kaberle

Rookies: Kari Lehtonen, Braydon Coburn, Derek McKenzie, Mark Popovic, Jim Slater

The Thrashers enter 2005-06 with a ton of optimism but one huge question facing them as training camps come to a close: will Ilya Kovalchuk play in Russia?  As yet, the team has yet to get Kovalchuk’s name to a contract, and while there is still time before the season starts, Kovalchuk has a contract to play in his home country this season, and if he’s doing so when the Thrashers start their season, he won’t be returning for all of 2005-06.  With so much of the team’s hope for the future generated by Kovalchuk and fellow young star Dany Heatley, it will be strange if the Thrashers star the season without either one.  Heatley was dealt to Ottawa in the off-season after requesting a trade.

Strengths: 1. One of the Thrashers biggest deficiencies in years past has been their depth on defense.  This season, a completely revamped group will be led by 2004 free agent signing Modry, formerly of the LA Kings, de Vries, one of the players the team received in the Heatley trade, Havelid, an Anaheim castoff who plays an offensive game, and Hnidy and returning defenders Sutton and Exelby, all of whom play a hard, physical game.  Also in the mix is prospect Braydon Coburn, who at 6’5 and 220 pounds has NHL level size, but is straight out of Canadian junior hockey, so the team will try and work him in slowly.  With ex-Ducks prospect Popovic and minor-league power play wizard Travis Roche around as well, the Thrashers defensive depth is finally looking sound.

2. If Kovalchuk signs, the Thrashers top two lines will have the talent to compete with almost anyone’s.  Just 22, Kovalchuk is already an elite-level talent with the potential to score 50 goals.  Over the last five NHL seasons Hossa, the other part of the Heatley trade, has as many goals as almost anyone else in the league over that span.  Center Marc Savard’s points-per-game average in 2003-04 was as good as almost anyone’s; now all he needs is to stay in the lineup for more than 45 games.  Slava Kozlov, who’s career has been revitalized in Atlanta, and free agent signings Holik, who gives the Thrashers as good a two-way center as they’ve ever had, and Bondra, still a reliable scorer, give the team some solid veteran talent for their top two lines.

Weaknesses: 1. While their top two lines look great, Atlanta has a lot of unproven players filling out the rest of their forward ranks.  Veteran Scott Mellanby is a good third-liner, but at 39 years of age he’ll be out of his depth if he’s forced into second-line duty due to Kovalchuk’s absence.  Center Patrik Stefan has yet to really find his identity in the NHL; taken 1^st overall in the 1999 entry draft and billed once as the team’s savior, he may end up as nothing more than a third liner.  Outside of Mellanby and Stefan, the third and fourth lines will feature a lot of castoffs from other teams that couldn’t really cut it anywhere else, players like Ronald Petrovicky, Brad Larsen, Ramzi Abid, Scott Barney, Serge Aubin and enforcers Eric Boulton and Francis Lessard.  This is not the kind of group that can provide the support necessary for a long playoff run, and maybe not even enough for a shot at a playoff spot.

2. Kari Lehtonen is one of the best prospects an NHL team has right now.  His technique is sound, he’s adjusted well to the North American game the last two seasons, and last season very nearly took a very unimpressive Chicago Wolves team to an American League title.  That said, Lehtonen is still unproven at the NHL level, with a four game audition late in 2003-04 his only experience.  Fellow Finn Pasi Nurminen, Atlanta’s number one goaltender in 2003-04, was set to be Lehtonen’s mentor; they already had a good relationship, and Nurminen would’ve been comfortable teaching Lehtonen the NHL game from the bench or the ice.  Nurminen, sadly, suffered a severe knee injury while training this off-season in Finland, one that many suggest will force him to retire.  As a replacement the team signed former Ranger Mike Dunham, but at 33, Dunham’s best days appear to be behind him.  While there is no reason to think Lehtonen isn’t ready to carry the load in Atlanta’s goal, if he isn’t there is some question as to whether Dunham is really a viable alternative.

Don’t be Surprised If: Atlanta starts strong and fades towards the end of the season.  Head coach Bob Hartley has, so far in his tenure as Thrashers coach, tended to ride his top players hard rather than rely heavily on his lower-end players for a contribution.  If Kovalchuk doesn’t sign – and at this point that looks like a distinct possibility – the pressure will be even greater on Hossa, Savard, Holik, Mellanby, Bondra and Kozlov to score, and by the end of the season they could easily be too worn down to give the Thrashers that extra push into the playoffs.

Centres: 1. Marc Savard  2. Bobby Holik  3. Patrik Stefan  4. Serge Aubin  5. Jim Slater  6. Derek McKenzie

Wingers: 1. Marian Hossa  2. Vyacheslav Kozlov  3. Peter Bondra  4. Scott Mellanby  5. Ronald Petrovicky  6. J.P.Vigier  7. Brad Larsen  8. Eric Boulton  9. Francis Lessard  10. Scott Barney  11. Ramzi Abid

Defensemen: 1. Jaroslav Modry  2. Greg de Vries  3. Andy Sutton  4. Niclas Havelid  5. Garnet Exelby  6. Shane Hnidy  7. Braydon Coburn  8. Tomas Kloucek  9. Mark Popovic  10. Travis Roche

Goalies: 1. Kari Lehtonen  2. Mike Dunham

Restricted Free Agents: Ilya Kovalchuk (W), Tommi Santala (C)