It’s always encouraging when fans of the other team are upset about losing a player your team acquires.
To say that Dallas fans are unhappy about losing Ivan Vishnevskiy for Kari Lehtonen is an understatement. Some of them compare him to Sergei Zubov, and while that might be putting a lot of pressure on the kid, he does project to be a very good offensive defenseman.
Here is what some people are saying about the trade:
- Defending Big D (make sure you skim the comments)
- AOL Fanhouse (they give Waddell credit for getting value back in the deal)
- Birdwatchers Anonymous
- AJC
- Jonathan Willis from the Score
- Scott Cullen on TSN
- Phil Foley from the Examiner
And just for good measure, here is the thread about the trade on the Dallas Stars message board.
this and the kovy deal seem good deals in the long run, counter to the we r buyers message we have been getting from DW.
that said, we have traded a franchise sniper that would cost a fortune if we could get his signature and a goalie who is great when healthy but we havent seen him all yr… adn got a solid d-man that fits our our system, a rookie w/ good offensive potential, 2 highly touted prospects and a few picks.
we may look back on this as 1 of DW’s finer moments, i hope so
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http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2010/02/09/lehtonen-trade-is-another-blemish-on-thrashers-draft-history/
Facts, not spin. Read on. This is just an excerpt.
“When the Thrashers selected Patrik Stefan with their first pick in their first draft in 1999, general manager Don Waddell said: “This is a very big day for our franchise. We’ve made it no secret how we feel about Patrik and what kind of player he is.”
Three years later, when Waddell made Kari Lehtonen the first goalie the franchise drafted with a No. 1 pick, the Thrashers’ GM said: “Our scouts say that he is the best amateur goalie coming out for the draft in the last 10 years. He can make the difference for our team for a lot of years to come.”
Stefan was a bust and is now out of hockey. Lehtonen’s career has been a roller coaster and he is now in Dallas. No deep analysis necessary here.
When Lehtonen was traded Tuesday night to the Dallas Stars, it punctuated the franchise’s largely inglorious draft history, primarily with their early selections. We know that the lifeblood of any team — particularly an expansion club — is the draft. Maybe that’s why we’re constantly checking for a pulse in Philips Arena. This deal comes five days after the team’s best choice, Ilya Kovalchuk, was traded to New Jersey over money. It comes five years after another top pick, Dany Heatley, was traded in the aftermath of a tragic car crash.
Lehtonen has never reached the heights of Kovalchuk or Heatley. …How desperate was Waddell to dump him? He just traded a former first-round pick for a minor-league defenseman and a fourth-rounder. Given what he got back in the deal, what was the rush? It would be just his luck if Lehtonen ultimately turns into the goalie he envisioned.
The Thrashers’ drafts — compounded by poor player development — have been at the forefront of Atlanta’s problems. Consider: The Thrashers have drafted 12 players in the first round since 1999. Of those, one is out hockey, one is out of the NHL, four are elsewhere in the NHL, one is at Michigan State and only five are on the current roster: defenseman Zach Bogosian (the absolute star of the group); forwards Bryan Little, Evander Kane and Jim Slater, and defenseman Boris Valabik (on injured reserve).
Waddell has drafted 12 players in the first round since 1999, six in the second and two each in the third or fourth. Of the 12 first-round picks, six were among the first four selections. Four of those six are gone: Stefan, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Lehtonen. Only Bogosian and Kane remain….”
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Calling Vishnevskiy a minor league defenseman would have been like calling Kari Lehtonen a minor league goalie in 2004. Vishnevskiy is only 21 (almost 22) and he’s a very good prospect.
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OMG, i got caught up in hope and change… ty sam, reality hits.
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Jeff Schultz is writing this article so that you will believe what he wants you to believe. He does not give you all the facts and continues to spin everything negative about the Thrashers. I am tired of it.
If you are going to write an article about a trade, then at least give all the facts and let the readers make their own opinion. If you want opinions on trades like this, go and read the opinions from real experts like Bob Mckenzie, Darren Dregger, Barry Melrose, Scott Burnside and Pierre Lebrun, just to name a few, not Jeff Schultz.
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thanks for the round up ben, i read every one. either way, if kari makes a come back or not, it was obviously time for him to go and im glad we got something in return. defenceman almost always take longer to develop than forwards, i look forward to seeing this guy turn into another enstrom in a couple of years. and i really have faith in dudley to give good reports on prospects in upcoming drafts so we have better draft classes. also… waddell cant be blamed for all of those 1st round busts. i wouldnt call myself a fan of waddell, but you have to admit that at least some of that was bad luck.
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the fact remains, we have had a terrible track record of keeping talent. as configured right now, we r as deep prospect wise as i can remember, and how much of that talent comes through here is the future of this franchise.
wonder if this youth movement puts mueller from pheonix on our radar? he is rumored on the block. army and a pick maybe? alot of teams will b interested in colby for the stretch run as he is a UFA at the end of the year
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No disrespect to Jeff Schultz, but that was a textbook case of cherry picking evidence to support his prejudices. The draft is an inexact science. Go look at the history. Early picks are often busts, projects, or trade bait. Like most teams, the Thrashers look worse with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
I’m thrilled with the Lehtonen trade. DW took an asset that was useless to us – an extra goalie who contributed nothing to a team battling for the playoffs – and turned him into organizational depth.
In the last week the Thrashers have acquired the top prospects from both the Devils and Stars systems – two top-notch organizations in scouting/drafting/developing players – for essentially one rental (superstar, granted) player, and one spare part with conditioning and attitude issues.
Seems we’re moving in the right direction.
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I for one am excited for the trade… think of our blue line of the future… with this guy and Kulda added to the mix…. OMG!!!
Also since i now live in the DFW area… it will be nice to go to a Stars game and see someone i know.
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Both trades were necessary, one we couldn’t afford the other one it was expected, Don is business man and at the end of the day is all about the money,I’m very confident that the way the team is shaping is going to be a lot of fun to watch next year…. so stop complaining and lets support our team.
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Facts???? from J.Schultz??? HAR HAR!!!!!!!
What in Hell does he know about the Thrashers?
5 of 12 still on the roster…. Bad example there buddy.
Entirely too much there (BS) to even begin to dispute…..
Of the names cited…. P. Stefan was the only one I had a problem with.
Why??? because he had a history of concussion when we drafted him….. AND his forte was ALWAYS as an asst man….
I would not have drafted him.
Let’s have at least TWO examples of the OTHER GUYS “BUST” picks.
Bergfors- N.J.
Vishnevskiy-Dal.
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