A Post-Kovalchuk World

Last night may have been the most Earth-rumbling day in Atlanta Thrashers history.

Today, it might be the quietest.

Look on Atlanta's lines for tonight, and you won't see a loud name. No league superstars. No name you'll see on the jerseys of the fans in a half-filled Philips Arena.

Instead, you see a bunch of guys that will give you goals, but not on a league-topping level. Then some grinders and a few power forwards.

It's almost like opening night in 1999 once again. All because of one trade that shook the hockey world.

Friday night, The Thrashers traded captain and all-time leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk along with defenseman Anssi Salmela to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Johnny Oduya, forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick.

That's right. Ilya Kovalchuk. The only Thrasher that most Atlanta residents know.

And that could be a huge problem.

Now without a superstar, Atlanta is forced to find a new approach to marketing this team and filling the seats. It used to be simple--plaster Kovalchuk's face on billboards, commercials, season ticket advertisements, etc.

But if Kovalchuk isn't there, who cares anymore? What semi-Thrashers fan will be pulled to a box office if the heart of Thrashers hockey isn't there anymore?

That's my fear, as a fan of this team since Day 1. How will Atlanta be able to reassure this city that Thrashers hockey is still worth buying a ticket?

It's obvious that the marketing ploy was based around Kovalchuk. And who wouldn't pimp a player like that to the city? He's arguably the top goal scorer in the entire league.

So is the solution now to market a new franchise face, such as the budding Evander Kane or Zach Bogosian? Or go with the current "big three" in terms of scoring--Maxim Afinogenov, Rich Peverley and Nik Antropov? Or how about the blueline quarterback Tobias Enstrom, who has established himself as one of the league's top offensive defensemen?

Or how about all of them?

This is a better time than ever in team history to promote team play as whole, from an on-ice perspective and a marketing perspective. No more dominating pictures of Kovalchuk scattered across the arena and the city. Market EVERYONE. It's already started in recent years, as I've seen Bogosian, Kane, Kozlov and even Boulton in advertisements. That's good to see.

But if you're going to market the whole team, you have to play like a whole team.

In the midst of this groundbreaking franchise move, we tend to forget where Atlanta stands at this point in this season. Things are far from over. The Thrashers are three points out of a playoff spot, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference. There's still a chance to make it. But it means this team will have to be perfect for the rest of year.

And even without Kovalchuk, it can be done.

Head Coach John Anderson will have to be perfect. Afinogenov will need to keep his scoring up. Peverley will have to find the game he had when he first arrived in Atlanta last season. Enstrom will have to continue to lead the defense. Bogosian, Kane, and heck, even Jim Slater will have to play like first-round picks. Even the goaltending will have to step up. Desirably, I'd like to see a bona fide No. 1 starter, but that's unlikely. Just stop pucks, fellas.

Take a look at Colorado. The Avalanche don't have any huge-name superstars. Paul Stastny is getting there, as is Wojtek Wolski, but no one on the team is averaging over a point per game.

They're sixth in the Western Conference. And it looks like they're playoff bound.

Call it a high school football coach speech, but if the Thrashers can adopt a team-first mentality similar to that of Colorado, playoffs are still an option. But team first means everyone playing the best hockey they've ever played.

Additionally, a break due to the Olympics will give the team some much-needed rest. A few depth moves may be made before the trade deadline, according to Don Waddell.

Today begins a new age of Atlanta Thrashers hockey. If we're thinking cup half-full, this is no longer Ilya Kovalchuk's team. This is everyone's team now. Play like it, make the playoffs, and prove to the city of Atlanta that this team still has legs.

Still Being Lazy

Still waiting on some free time to update. But with no class tomorrow and free time tonight, I'll have something up here.

Right now is probably the best time every to be Thrashblogging. Undoubtedly the best hockey player in team history, Ilya Kovalchuk is on the verge of being traded. Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell has already announced that Kovalchuk will be dealt before the deadline.

With that, the rumors began swirling. HFBoards has already maxed out a trade thread, and my Twitter feed is busy. I also can't get any homework done. Thanks, Ilya. Ruining my education.

More will be up tonight. I'm super excited.

Mitch