Kozlov asks for trade

(UPDATE: Vivlamore's blog post at the AJC)

Per C-Viv's Twitterino, "Slava Kozlov has requested a trade from the Thrashers and is willing to waive his No Trade Clause." Not wholly unexpected given I think he probably can help shore up some scoring on a playoff team that could use some extra secondary scoring, but I'm still pretty sad to see this one. I had hoped to see him retire out as a Thrasher, even considering play this season that could easily be described as sub-par.

Kozzy has always been my favorite scoring Thrasher. In my eyes, the man's a warrior even if he doesn't ever fight or even really go into the corners much. NHL players are tough punchers, but even most of them don't reach an Ironman streak of 300 or so games. Granted, it was on Thrashers' squads that weren't very physical in general, but the fact remains, he holds the young franchise's record for games played streak.

He doesn't seem like the type to seek the Captain's C on his jersey, but I always thought (until this season, at least) that he could wear it and be a very good captain as the rezident old cuss scorer, even with any remnants of the language barrier.

However, from the Thrashers' point of view, I actually like this. If they can move him, it will signal a full turnover in the top-6 from the "bad...." periods of Thrashers history, with the exception of Todd White, who, oddly enough, has had less trouble staying in the lineup than Kozlov this season. The top-4 D have all been replaced from that time with good draft picks in Enstrom and Bogosian and a couple of smart trades in Kubina and Oduya. Add in a halfway decent signing for Hainsey and the D-corps has been solidified in a way that it couldn't be with guys like Sutton or (dare I even mention his name??) Tremblay on the team playing big minutes. The Thrashers' scoring lines will finally make that same break from the old team, and hopefully the old ways, of not-so-good drafting, players that don't seem to fit the team, and a team that generally would have no idea how to carry themselves in the playoffs should they find themselves there, if indeed it truly could be called a team.

As Kozlov will be leaving, the Thrashers will have traded away two of the more prominent Russian players in the league. With Max Afinogenov due for a new contract after this season and his two Russian pals gone, he could be on his way out as well, which would leave just Antropov as the sole Russian on the team. Somehow that makes the signing of Nikolai not seem so smart a move. I must admit I'm a bit anxious to see how he performs as the sole Russian on the team. And if the Thrashers were hoping to bring Ilya Nikulin over from Russia, with almost no other Russians on the roster I think that is even less likely to happen now than ever. But then I doubt there was anyone who seriously thought he would ever leave one of the KHL's most dominant teams to come to Atlanta, as evidenced by Waddell essentially saying he'll believe Nikulin is coming to North America when he sees him at Philips.
Now naturally this leads straight to trade speculation. If Kozzy asks out, naturally, he'll likely leave the Thrashers via trade. At 37 years young, he won't step in and become the cornerstone of any team, even for the rest of the season, but he could help shore up the scoring and have a calming presence in the secondary scoring of a playoff team, maybe a young or inexperienced one, who is experiencing some playoff jitters.

While he could land on some Eastern Conference team with a need for secondary scoring and veteran presence and playoff experience (even if not in the last 6 or 8 yrs...), I tend to both think and hope he'll end up with a Western Conference team. The East has not had a very good year versus the West, so it's possible no Western Conference team in playoff position thinks he has the talent to cut it on their roster, but since the Lockout, the East generally has emphasized skating and open play more than the West, and with declining foot speed such that he has seemed to have trouble with the up-and-down style that the Thrashers have used over the last two seasons, I tend to think he'll be more likely to find a home on a Western Conference team. I think a Western Conference team would not need brilliant skating as badly as many Eastern Conference teams might would, and I hope he goes West because I'm not deluded about the Thrashers making the Stanley Cup Finals even if I do think they can make the playoffs, and while I really want to see Kozlov succeed and thrive, I am of the mindset that I want to see him do well except against the Thrashers.

In all, Kozzy has given us Thrashers fans some good years of good service. We saw both his career high in points and his career high in assists over the last four seasons happen in a Thrashers uniform while playing on great lines (Hosslov and Kahlua were pretty sweet lines in their time). He's been great on the powerplay for most of his tenure with the Thrashers, and has even played some quality time on the penalty kill (remember how good the Thrashers' PK was at scoring a few years ago with Kozlov-Hossa and Perrin-Dupuis? Even if they weren't the best at denying opposing PP goals, they were still impressive). And he's had some witty lines and great interviews during his time with the Thrashers. He seems to have been a genuine fan favorite for his persona and his play on the ice over the years in Atlanta. I think there are a great many Thrashers fans who will be sad to see him go. I'll definitely be sad to see Kozzy go, but I wish him well in his future endeavors. Thanks for all the years, Kozzy!