That is, of course, in “Philly” he was brought into by accident. Then, in December, the Flyers still did their best to get the team out of the pit. And Zhitnik in this case was not the Islanders, where he started the season, they gave away, but the Philadelphia traded. Do you understand the difference? The “Islanders” Zhitnik would have come in handy themselves, but his considerable contract ($ 3.5 million for the next two seasons), plus a good offer, led to that exchange. And Philadelphia donated a very promising and very inexpensive (525 thousand a year) defender Freddy Meyer.
It just so happened that all the Flyers’ attempts to save the season were unsuccessful. Therefore, the contract of Zhitnik became for them an absolutely senseless burden. His exchange was only a matter of time and offer. And shortly before the deadline, this came from Atlanta. The teams are talented but a little unfinished. A team that faces a very difficult fight for a place in the playoffs. A place that in its history has never been.
The competition in the East is serious, and the fight for the eight, perhaps, will continue until the last game day. Therefore, Zhitnik is an acquisition with an eye on the playoffs, but at the same time momentary. He should help the threshers first get to the cup matches and only then, if successful, in these same matches.
And what is needed for a successful advance in the playoffs? There are two basic requirements to this. They are confirmed by many years of practice, although not without exception. Firstly, the goalkeeper is not only of the highest class, but also seasoned in cup battles. Atlanta has no such goalkeeper. But to solve this issue today is almost impossible. Because with live Lehtonen, who can be called a backbone player, the club’s hope for many years, there’s simply nowhere to take an experienced cup fighter. Yes, and this is an overhead affair.
The second point is defense. And now she should not even be so experienced in the applied sense, but simply age-related. In the playoffs you need people who prefer reliability to risk, and most importantly - who can keep their cool in the most difficult situations. It is 34 years old, and it fully complies with these requirements. There is, however, one “but.” Alexey has not played in the playoffs for almost six years. But when he played, he reached the finals twice - with Los Angeles in 93 and with Buffalo in 99. The matter, of course, is long-standing, but experience, as they say, cannot be drunk.
In any case, there is no doubt that Zhitnik will receive unlimited trust and huge playing time in the new team. If only because there was never a defender of such a high class in Atlanta. Hence the price - the 21-year-old colleague in the line of work, Bradon Coburn, chosen under the eighth number in the draft 2003, does not look prohibitive. The prospects for this big guy (in fact, due to the impressive size and such a high number) today do not look obvious. At least, it’s not at all a fact that he will grow to the level of the same Zhitnik.
In a good way, the Thrashers would not hurt the center as well. Moreover, the center of the top level. But this problem has remained since the summer, when Don Waddell, general manager of the club, decided not to keep Mark Savard (to put it simply, he was greedy). Avaricious, as you know, pays twice. Maybe that last year's Atlanta was such a player and was not really needed. But today’s is vital. Because the status and level of tasks have become significantly higher. But if the center’s problem has not been resolved so far, then for the remaining three days before the deadline it is hardly realistic. However, this is a completely different story.