For the second time in three years, the Atlanta Thrashers will select first in the NHL draft. Considering their selection of Dany Heatley at No. 2 last season, general manager Don Waddell is stockpiling young talent the way an improving expansion team should.
|  | | Patrik Stefan taught Thrashers GM Don Waddell a valuable lesson about No. 1 picks. |
Despite owning a No. 1 pick in 1999 and a No. 2 pick in 2000, the variables for Atlanta are far more numerous entering Saturday's entry draft, clouding Waddell's impending decision whether to use his draft pick or trade it for a more established player -- or players.
By all accounts, it is one of the deepest drafts in a decade. After much debate and jostling, 6-foot-2 Russian right winger Illja Kovalchuk has emerged as the likely top pick, with countrymen Alexander Svitov and Stanislav Chistov joining Canadian junior star Jason Spezza in the top four. If selected by Atlanta -- or any other team -- Kovalchuk would be the first Russian player taken first overall.
Meanwhile, this offseason boasts what might be the richest free-agent crop in league history. Rob Blake, Joe Sakic, Jeremy Roenick, Brett Hull, Patrick Roy and Alexander Mogilny are just a sampling of the available players. That list doesn't include those restricted free agents possibly on the trading block (Alexei Yashin, Doug Weight) or holdouts (Michael Peca, Eric Lindros) hoping to get back to the NHL. There are also players currently under contract who probably will be traded for financial reasons -- Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek.
That's quite a bit of established talent on the open market.
"It's going to have to be a heck of a deal to get us out of the No. 1 spot," said Waddell, who added that he's 75 percent sure he'll keep the draft pick. "If we can add more than one asset -- a special player at a special position -- if we could add that, we would consider moving out or down in the round."
After an encouraging and competitive 23-win, 60-point second season, the Thrashers are still a work in progress. Waddell doesn't expect to be too involved with any of the major stars because he views those players as later-stage acquisitions -- not to mention costly.
"Are we going to spend $7-10 million on a player? No," Waddell said. "We're not at that point in our franchise. The $2-4.5 million (player), we could be in there as a player, and we definitely have room in the budget and want to upgrade our hockey club."
That doesn't mean Atlanta will ignore offers involving the No. 1 pick.
"Of the three drafts we've been involved, this is the strongest draft," Waddell said. "There's a lot of movement that could happen between two and six."
If Atlanta decides to trade the pick, Waddell would entertain trade proposals involving younger, less-expensive players. The Thrashers' most pressing needs are scoring and goaltending -- Atlanta allowed 289 goals, second only to the Rangers' 290, and finished 22nd in the league in scoring. Waddell maintains that the goaltending situation isn't as poor as statistics indicate. Milan Hnilicka backstopped the Czech Republic to the gold medal in the 2001 World Championships, posting a 1.44 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage in nine games. Damian Rhodes is an experienced, albeit injury-prone, netmider. Behind them, Norm Maracle rebounded this season to lead Orlando to the IHL title.
"We maybe made a mistake saying Rhodes was No. 1 going into last season," Waddell said. "If nothing changes (over the summer), they'll compete for two spots."
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What we learned from Patrik Stefan is that this league is the best league in the world, and it's difficult for an 18-year old. ” |
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— Don Waddell, Thrashers GM |
According to those around the league, Atlanta is in a win-win situation. If a good trade comes along, Waddell has the asset to pull it off. If no proposition appeals to him, Waddell can select a potential franchise player.
"He's in a great spot," said Islanders GM Mike Milbury, who selected goaltender Rick DiPietro with the No. 1 pick last year. "Even if he does nothing, he can't lose."
For Waddell, picking the player is the easy part. Deciding on a trade is the real risk.
"In terms of the pressure of making right decision, we've seen something like two thousand hockey games and spent something like $1 million," Waddell said. "There isn't pressure with what player to take; it's whether we make a deal."
Picking Patrik Stefan at No. 1 two years ago was educational for Waddell. After signing a lucrative contract, Stefan played his first NHL season just weeks after his 19th birthday and struggled with just five goals in 72 games. Stefan finally showed the talent which made him such a coveted prospect late last season when he scored six goals in his last 19 games.
"What we learned from Patrik Stefan is that this league is the best league in the world, and it's difficult for an 18-year old," said Waddell, adding that the rookie experience was even more difficult because the Thrashers were so overmatched talent-wise. "And it's difficult for an expansion team because they (rookies) can't be surrounded by the same quality players."
If Waddell uses the pick instead of trading it, the player will need time to develop.
"We're not worried about what guys do for the franchise today," he said.
Would Kovalchuk jump straight to the NHL like Stefan?
"I'm not sure about that," Waddell said. "He just turned 18. This is a great league, and hopefully, we'll bring him to camp and see him play some exhibition games.
"The development of this player is so important, and if he has to go back to Russia, it's a good league."
Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com.
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