NHL betting handicappers will have a new look Atlanta Thrashers team to evaluate as the 2010-11 season approaches with Atlanta opening on October 8 against Washington.
A Loss of Credibility
Rick Dudley as taking over as general manager of the Thrashers and hired Craig Ramsey as head coach. Atlanta is coming off a season in which they lost a considerable amount of credibility within their fickle market and dwindling fan base as they had a final NHL bet record of 35-34-7-6 and were out of the playoffs. Just three years ago Atlanta looked like an up and coming franchise that would be a contender for years to come but ownership has been weak and the approach has been to just get by rather than to build a consistent contender that fans can respect. When Atlanta traded superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuck the franchise came off as penny pinching and cheap and suffered significant damage and credibility.
New Outlook
Despite the bad finish and low status on the local pro sports totem pole the Thrashers are optimistic about a new look and makeover for this season. Dudley is a widely respected hockey man that had success in building the Tampa Bay Lightning. With that experience in Tampa Bay, Dudley also brings credibility as far as promoting a Sun Belt franchise in the Deep South and forging success.
Chicago Flavor
Handicappers at Sbg global will see a new roster of promising young talent such as Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, and Brent Sopel from the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. Blackhawks associate head coach John Torchetti has come down to join Ramsey behind the bench. Atlanta was able to take advantage of Chicago’s inability to stay within the salary cap and now has players that are not only skilled but also bring a winning attitude that should translate into NHL betting payouts.
Solid Offense
Even with the loss of Kovalchuck the Thrashers had one of the better offensive lineups to make a NHL bet with last year. Byfuglien scored 11 goals in 22 playoff games last year for the Hawks and is also a strong physical presence in front of the goal. Nik Antropov led the Thrashers in scoring last year with 24 goals and 43 assists and will welcome the additional help. Evander Kane is another up and comer to watch.