The deal started off with the Thrashers looking to fill a hole on the teams third defensive pair as the team didnt like L.Smid being a everynight guy at this point in his career. With Brendan Witt as well rated, decently priced (cap hit 2.75) and UFA coming off the books this offseason we targetted him to come in and bring some vetern leadership and a solid defensive game to our young squad and play on the second unit PK.
While looking to make it work roster requirements, salary the deal was expanded a bit and in the end the teams swapped 3rd line centers aswell.. The full deal looked like this,
To Atlanta- Brendan Witt ufa, Michael Handzus ufa To Columbus- C.Conroy ufa, B.Eager, J.Strudwick, Atl 7th
The teams G.M had this to say about the recent deal, "We really like what this deal does for our squad for our push for stanley this year, we just werent confident that with his ratings smid would be able to play against the 3rd lines of a Buffalo or Chicago in the playoffs. Bringing in Witt to pair with Schenn gives us two very physical defensive d-men who will pair on the teams 2nd unit PK aswell. Bringing in Handzus was also a good thing for our team as we liked Conroy but he was a little short of the defensive specialist we want for our third line center. Zuze brings a 80+ Df, 90+ F/O, 77PH, 67Sc-Pa so a very well rounded game with solid size aswell. We didnt like moving Eager as he a fighter we like from the NHL but with our roster projection for next yr he would have been heading for the minors next year same as strudwick."
The teams new lines looked like this at the morning skate before their game against the Wild tonight.
Kovalchuk-Weiss-Heatley-Chara-Ranger skated as the teams top line. Franzen-Savard-Hemsky-Souray-Hainsey was the teams second unit. Okposo-Handzus-Bourque-Witt-Schenn was the defensive 3rd line Latendresse-Hanzal-Simmonds stayed as the young line full of potential and size/grit.
In net Ryan Miller will take to the ice looking to push the teams streak to 20 games without a regulation loss.
