With the Atlanta Thrashers off to an 0-6 start to this season changes were bound to happen.
On Wednesday the Thrashers announced the firing of Bob Hartley as head coach. GM Don Waddell is expected to take over on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is found.
The Thrashers have been terrible thus far this season, particularly their defensive game. Granted, Hartley bears some responsibility but I can’t help but feel however that Hartley is merely the convenient fall guy.
Atlanta lost several key players during the off-season that were partially responsible last season for the club’s first post-season appearance.
Keith Tkachuk, Andy Sutton, Eric Belanger, Greg de Vries, Shane Hnidy and Jon Sim all departed via free agency and management (Waddell) did little to adequately replace them.
Waddell’s hands might’ve been tied in that regard, given the infighting for sole control of the Thrashers (and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks) between Steve Belkin and the rest of the ownership might be putting some limitations on the Thrashers budget.
Still, with a payroll currently sitting at over $44 million for this season, Waddell hasn’t gotten a lot of #### for the buck and ultimately he bears the responsibility for the club’s poor start.
There's scoring punch in Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov, but they can't be expected to also kill penalies, patrol the blueline or playing a checking role against their rivals' top lines.
Waddell still hasn't found a quality first line center since Marc Savard departed via free agency in 2006, and too much money is tied up in aging players like Bobby Holik and Alexei Zhitnik.
Their blueline depth is this club’s Achilles heel, for beyond Zhitnik and Nicolas Havelid there’s little else of note besides an aging and slow Ken Klee. That’s made it tough for netminders Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg, although they too have been guilty of uninspired play thus far this season.
Worse, a struggling season could have an adverse effect upon Waddell's efforts to re-sign Hossa, who's an unrestricted free agent this year.
A return to mediocrity so soon after making their first post-season appearance could also hurt them at the gate this season, which could stoke speculation that this franchise is in serious trouble.
Hartley did the best he could this season with the roster Waddell gave him. Good luck finding a new head coach that can make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear.
Rarely do I find myself disagreeing with you, Lyle, but with a payroll currently sitting at over $44 million for this season, Waddell HAS gotten a lot of BLEEP for his buck! (How I love that filter!)
As much as I personally dislike Bob Hartley -- I must restrict my character assassination to terms like "arrogant" and "smug", lest the filter BLEEP like a Geiger counter at Los Alamos -- you don't like to see anybody lose his job.
Frankly, he didn't have the horses this year in Atlanta and I think the club just tuned him out. It'll be interesting to see who becomes the bench boss for the Thrashers. Notwithstanding making the playoffs last season, under currently management, I don't see that club having any immediate upside.
Take the job, and unless you've got the stature of Ken Hitchcock or Andy Murray, you're likely to be swept out with the same broom that brushes Waddell to the dustpan.
Last edited by Matt_McCallum on October 17th at 12:37 PM.
Unless Atlanta finds a suitable replacement and turns around its season (unlikely), Hossa is as good as gone and will go to the highest bidder next summer. This franchise is in a world of hurt and it's hard to imagine they're going to pull out of it.
Make a silk purse out of this sow's ear. LOL, where did you come up with that? I agree with you that it is not all Hartley and I think you will see alot more movement in the next few days down in Atlanta. If they do not turn things around very quick they could be looking a what could be a very bad situation for a new market team.
Matt,
When Andy Murray took over the Blues he had a little bit more to work with and just had to get all the players on the same page. This will be a very tough task for who ever the Thrashers pick, and if they take too much time picking a coach it will only make the situation worse.
Firing the coach may look like a convenient excuse, and I do see the logic behind that argument, but Atlanta has looked absolutely listless since the first puck drop and the head coach takes the lion's share of the blame for that. Either the Thrash believe their own press clippings and expect to lose, which is not forgivable on this level in any league, or they need more than two of the better offensive hands in hockey to compete every night. Either way, I think this move is a direct shot to the bow of the players on this roster that more is expected.
Someone on this roster needs to take it personally and expect better. Many of the names who have left brought more than just their talent to the table, and the guys in position now look lost, confused, and accepting of defeat. Hartley does bear the responsibility of making this team gel even if it's not as good as some others. Being mediocre is not an excuse for terrible performances. This move was necessary in order to shake things up while it's still early. Waddell will certainly be having to deal with his own share of the blame when the season is over, especially as it's clear to anyone watching that their defense and goaltending are simply not up to snuff. As for now, it's the lacking fire and intensity of the entire roster way more than the 0-6 that spelled the end of BH.
Hartley's not a bad coach, but he didn't really do much with the defense he has. These are 25 of the world's top 750 hockey players. They're not playing like it. Regardless of the reason, it's the coach's job to snap them back into life. Unfortunately, Hartley couldn't do that. It doesn't matter that he lacks players one would call Leaders in the locker room, or that the team is living a life of mediocrity. It matters that he didn't get the job done. Tough break.
Don Waddell will probably twist in the breeze at the end of the season. I don't think they'll turn it around in time to make a difference.
So who's on the list of potential replacements? Isn't Dave Lewis looking for a job? He didn't have much luck with an equally mediocre Bruins club last season.
Is there really any surprise to see Atl struggling? They traded away their soul last year to go deep in the playoffs which obviously totally backfired.
Coaches have been the scapegoats for upper management and under skilled or underperforming players for many many years. In most cases the players get tired of a coaches schtik after 3-4 years and a change is in order. How many times has a coach won whatever cup his sport plays for only to suffer a big letdown the next year and get fired??
P.S. I haven't heard the silk purse out of a sows ear since I left P.E.I in 1944
Last edited by Cobra31 on October 17th at 5:13 PM.
I thought he would have been gone after he single handedly made the Rangers look like Cup contenders. I agree this is an organizational failure and tuning out the coach is only systematic of the disfunction. Some franchises like Tampa manage to outgrow these issues, while others seem to be permanently mired in them. the jury is out on which way Atlanta will go.
What a waste of Kovalchuk. The league needs guys like him, Ovechkin and Nash to at least make the playoffs.
I think this firing doesn't go far enough - Waddell also has to be replaced. He's the man who created all this mess in Atlanta. They were a promising team and okay they struggled a little bit throughout last season, but still it was Waddell who made all those panic-like roster moves before the trade deadline to save his own job. And what did it bring the Thrashers when you look at it today? Nothing! Oh maybe one thing: they lost a lot of promising future in those deals...
If Waddell is who you're gunning for, I wouldn't worry. I don't see any way out of this mess for the Thrash, and Hartley is regarded well enough that I think it's noted when he's made the fall guy, whether rightfully or no. Waddell will certainly have the rest of this year to make whatever moves he can to dig himself out of this mess, but assuming things continue this way I don't think he's going to go unscathed. Some of his decisions have definitely been head-scratchers.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
