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2010/11 Atlanta Thrashers Predictions – Odds – Season Preview

Shea Matthews weighs in with his 2010-2011 Atlanta Thrashers Season Gambling Picks and NHL Preview, plus he provides the lastest NHL odds, Thrashers future lines, and Stanley Cup predictions…

Atlanta Thrashers 2010/2011 Season Preview

CappersPicks.com NHL Betting and gambling site provides the BEST Online hockey predictions for you to bet on for the 2010/11 NHL hockey season! Stick with us all season long!

The NHL season starts in roughly a month. That means it’s time to start prepping for the betting season. Let’s look at each team one by one in alphabetical order. Next Up: Atlanta Thrashers.

ATLANTA THRASHERS

Stanley Cup odds: +8000

2010-11 NHL Predictions/Previews: Atlanta Thrashers

“Strength in numbers” may be the Atlanta Thrashers’ motto for 2010-11. For years, they’ve been a one or two-man team. First it was Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk, then Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa and finally just Kovalchuk. Now, with Kovie gone for good, the Thrashers are a starless team. But they’re hoping their busy offseason has built them into a deeper team than ever before.

It’s not that the Thrashers don’t have any guys capable of becoming top-flight NHLers; it’s just that they may need a couple more years to develop before they can carry the team on their shoulders.

Evander Kane, for example, flashed major potential in his rookie season. He’s big, he’s fast, he has a mean streak and he showed real fearlessness in driving to the net. The kid looks like he’ll be an elite power forward some day. Even Niclas Bergfors, who came over from New Jersey in the Kovalchuk deal, has first-round pedigree and good power-play skills.

But the youngster most likely to leap into stardom this season is Zach Bogosian. The big defender projects as a 30-minutes-a-night guy who can play in all situations and chip in some offense, too. He could become an All-Star any season now.

Looking up and down the rest of Atlanta’s roster, these guys aren’t horrible. They snatched Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd from the cashed-strapped Blackhawks. They signed underrated netminder Chris Mason. Up front, role players like Rich Peverley and Brian Little have also flashed offensive flair. Even Nik Antropov, believe it or not, has developed into a reliable if unspectacular center.

So can the Thrashers reach the postseason in 2010-11? Hard to say. On one hand, their offense may regress slightly. They’ve been above average in recent years thanks to Kovalchuk alone and no one on their roster can replace his goal production. On the other hand, Atlanta’s defense and penalty killing could improve significantly this year. It has plenty of two-way forwards and Mason is steady in goal.

In the mediocre Eastern Conference, anything can happen. The No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 seeds all made deep playoff runs last year. That means a team like Atlanta has a shot to make the big dance. But don’t expect the Thrashers to sniff any real success or Stanley Cup contention for several years.

Thrashers 2010 Preseason Schedule
Date Opponent Time (Pacific)

TUE SEP 21, 2010 BLUE JACKETS vs THRASHERS 7:00 PM
SAT SEP 25, 2010 HURRICANES vs THRASHERS 7:00 PM
MON SEP 27, 2010 THRASHERS vs PREDATORS 8:00 PM
WED SEP 29, 2010 PREDATORS vs THRASHERS 7:00 PM
FRI OCT 1, 2010 THRASHERS vs HURRICANES 1:30 PM
SAT OCT 2, 2010 THRASHERS vs BLUE JACKETS 6:00 PM

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