No hope for Thrashers

Ryan Bricker, Oshawa, Ontario

About five years ago, I switched allegiance from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Atlanta Thrashers, in large part due to Ilya Kovalchuk.

When Kovalchuk left this spring, I had to choose between player and team, and I chose team because I simply couldn't bring myself to root for the Devils.

Also, Atlanta, if nothing else, had some decent young players that could possibly result in a brighter future.

All was well, or as well as hockey could possibly be in Atlanta, until this summer when the Thrashers picked up Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd.

To put it simply, they received two over-hyped grinders.

In return they gave up a first round pick, a second round pick, and two fairly highly regarded prospects.

Now the situation is this: there still isn't any hope for the present, any hope for the future has been traded away, and now I'm likely the only kid in southern Ontario stupid enough to cheer for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Feel free to laugh, I'd be laughing too if it wasn't me.