Thrashers' prospect Patrice Cormier (acquired in the Kovalchuk trade in February) is still feeling the repercussions of his hit on Mikael Tam in January.  The hit by the Canadian World Juniors captain left Tam convulsing on the ice and with damage to several teeth; Tam was able to return to play several games later.

Cormier was assessed a suspension from the QMJHL for the remainder of the season, though he was cleared to play for the Chicago Wolves at the end of their season and through their playoff run.  He's been given support by Waddell and by Dudley as far as making the team in the next few seasons goes.

And now he might face criminal charges in Quebec that could destroy his career.  If found guilty of assault causing injury, he could very well get 18 months in prison, though chances are that he'll get probation and community service - if that's all Todd Bertuzzi got for ending Steve Moore's career, then an 18 year old kid should probably get around that or less.  There's a difference between finishing a check roughly and headhunting someone, too.  There's also a huge difference between this and what landed Jonathan Roy in hot water - Roy was beating an opponent at the behest of his father, and he was beating someone who refused to fight.  If you look at the three incidents, there's one that isn't of the same intention of the others, and that is Cormier's.

Why isn't the suspension for the remainder of the season enough?  Why in the world is supplemental discipline necessary? It wasn't premeditated, and the hit itself was certainly no worse than many hits this season in the NHL that earned far less discipline and absolutely no charges.  If the QMJHL's trying to make an example of him to deter this kind of hitting in the future, that's understandable - but the suspension did that.  The courts getting involved is a step too far.

The St. Louis Blues' largest investor after the purchase by the Checketts Group, TowerBrook, has decided to sell its share in the team.  According to the News-Democrat's Norm Sanders, this absolutely does not mean that the Blues are for sale, or will be moved, or will face a Phoenix style donnybrook every time there's a full moon.  We're fine.  What it does mean, however, is that the team is going to need some financial advice as to how to proceed and how to acquire investors to replace TowerBrook.

TowerBrook is an equities firm, and apparently it was expected that this day would come, which is why they are remaining as an investor for the time being until a smooth transition can take place - this is not an emergency sell off, and TowerBrook would rather not hurt the team for personal gain (novel concept).  There is no timetable yet for finding a new investor, which basically says "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Here is the official statement from TowerBrook concerning the situation:

“Dave Checketts and SCP Worldwide have done a remarkable job of restoring the pride and passion of the St. Louis Blues. We joined this investment group because of the many past investment successes we have had with Dave. We knew that he, along with his partners, would help revive this franchise and they have delivered since day one. It now sits on a very solid foundation, one that we have been very proud to help rebuild.”

More will be posted here as it is learned  - stay tuned, but don't go shopping for homes in Hamilton just yet.  Or, well, ever.

Yesterday on AJC.com, Jeff Schultz posted a wrap-up of post-game reaction after the Hawks massively failed at Game Three of the East semi-finals.  Joe Johnson had this little gem to say as a thank you to the fans who came and put up with the game:

The Hawks were booed often, including as they were leaving the court at halftime and after the game. When asked about this, the “team leader” unloaded this gem: “They don’t bother me. It’s about us in this locker room. We could care less if they showed up or not.”

Wow.  Yeah.  Imagine, if you will, a top paid player from a NHL team saying that.  If Sidney Crosby told the Pens fans to go jump off a cliff.  If Nik Lidstrom said he was retiring and the fans played a huge part in that decision.  If instead of coming out and saying thank you to the fans in Dallas, if Mike Modano just would have come out and skatetd a few laps with his middle finger extended.

Kind of tough to do, isn't it?

Yes, there are jackasses in hockey every profession, let alone sport, has people in it who are just crappy ambassadors, or who just can't say the right thing if stuff's not coming up sunshine and roses for them.  But being reminded of the charity that hockey guys do every day, and seeing the good that they do - seeing that more often than aberrations like Patty Kane's whole "thing,"it makes me proud to be a hockey fan first and formost.  The Thrashers do a ton of work around the community, especially with Childrens' Healthcare of Atlanta.  Everyone's seen the NHL Special on Patrick Elias and his work with Right to Play.  Hockey Fights Cancer raises a ton of money every year.  Just about every playoff team has a beard-a-thon for charity going.  And then there's this, from the St. Louis Blues, just saying thank you to a St. Louis police officer who was shot in the line of duty.

And, to further make me begrudgingly like the guy, Sidney Crosby apparently sent an autographed jersey to the officer.  Geeze.  That, signing a bunch of stuff for little kids before the Thrashers' closer,  generally playing amazing hockey this year... is he trying to erase that blemish of attacking Valabik in an awkward place fade?  *sigh*

As what might come as a total non-shock to Thrashers fans, Don Waddell was passed over for the NHL's first GM of the Year Award.  The nominees are George McPhee of the Caps, Phoenix GM Don Maloney, and Nashville's David Poile.

I'm going to go with Puck Daddy on this one and question the rationale of giving out an annual award for general managers when the teams that they assemble take years to grow and gel.  A general manager could have drafted a prospect years ago who is just now making it in the league, or you could have a GM who pulled off a shrewd trade on deadline day that helped push his franchise the extra step.  Which do you place more value on, and how does one justify that decision?  The ballots were sent to the league's general managers, so it was given to those who would know it best, but how much of this is sympathy/admiration for a small market team who managed to be super scrappy?

A look at Waddell and this award after the jump.

It was learned yesterday that two-time AHL all-star defenseman Jonas Junland has decided to leave the Blues' farm team and return to play in the Swedish Elite League, albiet not for Linkgopings - the team he's played for since his youth.  He apparently has turned down a one-way, $500,000 contract with the Blues to continue his development with Farjestads BK for substantially less money.

I could go linking to Post-Dispatch articles and whatnot here, but I won't.  The website that broke this with the most information, and continues to do so, is St. Louis Game Time.  Take THAT, mainstream press.  DanGNR found the initial article from Hockey Sweden and ran it through the ol' Google Translator.  It almost made sense.  Anyway, it seems that Junland feels that the quality of competition is better in the Swedish league than the AHL, and that things won't be quite as much of a cakewalk.

This morning, Marcus posted a link to an article detailing the threats Junland's gotten for his choice of Swedish team.  I never knew that hockey was to Sweden as soccer is to Latin America.  Wacky.

Keep in mind that this does not mean that he is no longer the property of the Blues, but it does point toward the possibility that the home club did not think he was ready quite yet, or did not believe that he was going to perform to the level that they needed this year.  That's odd, considering he's been a superstar in the AHL and impressed the games he was up with St. Louis.  I'm on the side of many of the commenters on Game Time that we probably need to give him a chance.  We draft and draft and draft defensemen during the first round, and we stockpile them?  I'd rather see Petro get the chance to crack the big club, but if Colaiacovo is allowed to walk, that leaves room for Junland as well.  If we're going with the "youth movement" idea yet again, get the youth that can play in there - and Junland's a kid who can play.

This makes me think that Cola might just be re-signed.

Will you lookit this - actual almost news during the summer!  Ben reported today via Twitter that the Thrashers have requested permission from the Vancouver Canucks, and have been granted it, to talk with Manitoba Moose head coach Scott Arniel, who played under GM Rick Dudley in Buffalo.

Arniel's a hot prospect recently, with the Blue Jackets also wanting to speak to him regarding their coaching vacancy, though filling Ken Hitchcock's shoes is no small task (nyuk nyuk). Frankly, though, if I were a coach - which I'm not - I'd have to look at the two teams' rosters and choose ATL over CBJ.  Nothing against the Jackets at all, but if Afinogenov and Kubina re-sign, and with Kane and a healthy Bogosian, the Thrashers have a better team that you can work with on-ice.  That, and the weather's far nicer down here.  You have to have priorities.

He holds a 141-73-26 record as their coach.  He seems like a solid guy, though I have reservations about bringing in another AHL coach.  He has been an assistant coach in the NHL, though, with four years experience in Buffalo.  I honestly would prefer an NHL coach with experience working with and motivating youth to at least get this team into some position to contend.  I'm not all against AHL coaches, of course - I really like Davis Payne, and of course Dan Bylsma and Mike Babcock have done a-ok making that transition.  I'm just concerned about not having had a coach for the past 3 seasons who was rigorous and fairly demanding on the players, and I don't know how well an AHL coach can do with that their first season in the NHL.

I know we're not going to land the next Bylsma and win the Cup next season, but I really would like to see someone with a proven NHL track record behind our bench.  Frankly, though, I'm also more interested in the assistant coaches that're brought in.  We've spent so long without a competent goalie coach that it's sad.

If you're interested in getting a feel for the guy, NHL Digest has an interview with him from a few years ago that's a good read.

God, I hate the off-season.  I mean, yes, I love the playoffs, but when neither of my teams are in it I have very little to write about.  It's just such a drag, but it's not like all the Blues are sitting around twiddling their thumbs and avoiding golf carts all summer.  Some of them have accepted the honor to play for their country this year.  It's World Championship time!  Exciting.

Four of our guys are representing their home nations at the Championships - Lars Eller's representing Denmark in the tourney, and he might very well be the best player on his team.  Unfortunately, Denmark has to deal with the USA and Finland in their division.  Fortunately, they might be able to beat Germany, so there's that.

Chris Mason's gotten the call for Team Canada for the second year in a row.  After a season with the Blues that saw him earn a 2.47 GAA and a .915 save percentage, he was at least a lock for the back up position at the close of the regular season.

Team USA will be represented by two Blues: TJ Oshie and Ben Bishop.  Both Backes and Johnson have declined the invitation to WCs to rest and recharge their batteries.  Oshie's playing for the second year in a row, so hopefully the Pinball on Skates keeps up the serious play.  He absolutely has to be a lock for the 2014 Men's Olympic team, no doubt about it.  Ben Bishop's selection surprises me, I'm not going to lie.  Aside from the fact that he's the largest goalie that I have ever seen play ever, he doesn't stick out as a sure choice.  I'm sure he'll start the tournament as the backup and will probably wind up being the 3rd goalie, but it's still surprising.  I hope that, if he sees ice time, he does well.  His record was underwhelming with the Rivermen this year (2.77 GAA and a .901 SV%) and doesn't exactly scream "international play," but I'm not going to knock one of our own guys here, so I'll just say "good luck" and keep mum.

Still think it's odd, though.

Everyone has their own unique way to fix the Atlanta Thrashers.  I admit, they were a fixer upper at the end of the season before last.  Three-fourths of last season seemed a wash too, until Waddell added Peverley - that extra player provided the spark to get the team going.  This past off-season, Waddell and Dudley acquired some top name talent - Antropov, Kubina, and Afinogenov - and despite the 10th place finish, this season was an improvement.  You can't renovate a home in one day, and you can't fix a team's struggles in a day either - look at how long it took LA to make it back to the playoffs, and how long it took the Blackhawks to contend again.  Why people want us to make ginormous changes and then expect us to win the Cup is beyond me.

The Thrashers took an important first step by firing the coaching staff, who I (along with a lot of other individuals) questioned pretty heavily, especially regarding environment and how personality was impacting the players.  Atlanta Spirit brought in Dudley as the successor for Waddell, as has been admitted by the team (and totally called by me), and he has manipulated the team into the first steps of reconstruction, a la his Blackhawks of a few years ago.  There's a lot to be hopeful for.  So yes, now's the perfect time to advocate huge changes.

Scuttlebut after the jump.

After the player evaluations and the locker clean-out, after the interviews with Coach Payne, the Blues have to look at what happened this year.  No one likes the term "step back," as David Backes emphatically stressed to George Csolak of the Globe Democrat.  Two points fewer this year than last might not seem like a large leap in the wrong direction, and it might not be unless you look at the drop-off in goal production from players like Backes and Boyes, and the general regression of a player like Patrik Berglund.  All three of them began picking up pace in the second half, which might just be because of the coaching change.  The whole team picked up pace in the second half, which showed that maybe Payne was the piece of the puzzle they needed.

I keep counting and counting... are you sure I'm the last piece? There's not another one in the box?

New GM Doug Armstrong and team president John Davidson need to figure out how to build on the second half fix.  The two largest things fans are clamoring for are a legit #1 goaltender and a pure goalscorer.  Chris Mason is a solid and dependable goaltender, set at the middle of the pack in all stats.  He can steal games, but then the following matchup he can let in a soft goal or two that deflates the squad.  That, coupled with the fact that the goalie is a UFA come July 1st, has people questioning if JD will let him walk and grab a UFA goaltender who will hit the market, or trade for a starter.

More after the jump.

Heck, everyone else in the free world has offered up their opinions of who should be the Thrashers' next head coach.  The decision won't come for quite a while, I'm sure - Dudley is looking for someone who has “...good communication skills, good teaching skills and good technical skills.”  That might seem broad, but when you have players as young as ours are, you need someone very specifically qualified to work with them.  Today on NHL Live, Dudley said that Bogosian and Little's slow development (regression almost for Little) was a large factor in the team's decisions to let the coaches go.  When you have some of the top young talent in the league in Bogosian, Little, Kane, Enstrom, and Pavelec, you have to do everything you need to do to ensure that they mature and learn correctly.  They're our foundation, and you don't want it poured wrong.  There are a lot of former NHL coaches out there who would like to become employed by someone other than TSN again, and there are a few assistant coaches that Rick Dudley has worked with in the past who might just be ready to get their feet wet in the league.  After the jump, I take a look... both serious and irreverent.