Don Waddell is entering his ninth season as Atlanta's GM.

As the 2007-08 season came to an end Chris Thorburn was asked if he could take any satisfaction in knowing that he had just played his first full NHL season after bouncing between the AHL and NHL with both Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Despite the Thrashers’ disappointing season did he feel like he had finally found a home? He replied that nobody on the Thrashers roster was in a position to assume that they’d be back because teams that performed the way the Thrashers had usually undergo a significant amount of change before following season.

Thorburn was right to expect change this off-season. The Thrashers will hit the ice on October 10 with a handful of new players and three new coaches behind the bench, but the stage was set for the makeover well before the season ended when Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, and prospect Angelo Esposito were brought in at the trade deadline in exchange for Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. That trade was the beginning of a multi-month makeover for the Thrashers that has transformed them from an aging team that struggled on special teams to a youthful roster that should see significant improvement on the power play and penalty kill thanks to the acquisition of specialized players and a new-look coaching staff.

Thrashers General Manager and Executive Vice President Don Waddell recently sat down with atlantathrashers.com for an exclusive one-on-one interview to discuss the reshaping of the team. Here is what the Thrashers general manager had to say.

Q. What is it about Ron Hainsey, Jason Williams, and Marty Reasoner that made them so appealing to you as free agents?
 

Defensemen Ron Hainsey will help upgrade the defense.

A. First of all, all three players who were brought in, their skill level was something that we needed. In particular, Hainsey and Williams are guys who have put up points at the NHL level (Hainsey had 66 points over the last two season with Columbus while Williams had 36 points in 43 games with Chicago). Marty Reasoner has done a tremendous job in Edmonton, playing a more defensive style. He led their team in ice-time on the penalty kill and they were one of the best penalty-killing teams in the league. The most important thing is that all three guys have flourished in the new system. The style they all play will flourish under John Anderson. They all skate well and their skill level is high. In today's game that's certainly what you need. We expect all three to be great fits for this hockey club.

Q. Was their a conscious effort to go out and get players who could fill roles on special teams given how the team struggled in that area last season?

A. For sure. We were down on our special teams last year and Hainsey and Williams will certainly help our power play and Marty should help our penalty kill.

Q. Hainsey, Williams and Reason weren’t the only players added this summer. What roles do you expect Junior Lessard, Mike Hoffman, and Grant Stevenson to play in the organization?

A. We go through injuries every year, though last year was a really good year for us in that area, but these guys will compete for jobs in camp and if they don't make it they'll be great call-up guys. You never know what's going to happen in training camp. Some new guys are going to make our hockey club whether they are these players or guys who played in Chicago last season. The guys that don't- it's going to give us good depth up front and give us other opportunities during the season.

Q. You also chose to bring back several restricted free agents in Kari Lehtonen, Brett Sterling, Nathan Oystrick, and Joey Crabb. Kari was obviously coming back but were the others easy choices?

A. You have a choice with the restricted guys. You can either let them go or bring them back. If you don't have any time for them you let them go but obviously we felt all of those players were important for the organization to bring back. As for Kari's situation, I thought he took some big steps last year. He's continued to mature as a goalie and as a person and I'm looking for a big season for Kari and for our hockey club this year.

Q. Was the length of his one-year contract something the team pushed for was it was his camp was asking for?
 

An improved defense will make life easier for goaltender Kari Lehtonen who will be trying to earn a multi-year contract.

A. It was both. I think we both agreed that we'd like him to be signed long term but right now there would be a difference of opinion on what the dollar amount would be. I like the idea that he's on a one-year deal right now. For him, the thing is that if he has the type of year that we hope he has he's going to make a lot more money in the future.

Q. You’ve spoken before about head coach John Anderson. What can you tell us about his recently hired assistants- Todd Nelson and Randy Cunneyworth?

A. I think they really compliment our current staff with Steve Weeks and Tony Borgford. Todd has been a big influence with John and helped him in Chicago, and Randy- you can't say enough good things about him. He's been a head coach for seven or eight years. He's very well respected in the business. He's done a great job as a player and also as a coach. Bringing in an outside person to add to the staff that we had with John and Todd- we think they'll all compliment each other well. Most importantly they are good people who are going to work hard to give us the best result they can.

Q. Now that there are three assistant coaches will one be responsible for each position- goaltenders, defense, and forwards?

A. I think we're positioned well since Steve Weeks was a goalie, Todd Nelson was a defenseman, and Randy Cunneyworth was a forward but it doesn't mean there won't be overlap between those departments- the way the game is played you need to have that. Ideally though you're going to have a guy that works with each position and break thing down on a one-on-one basis and I think we’ll have that.

Q. Chris Thorburn played for Randy Cunneyworth in Rochester (AHL) and had very good things to say about him. I don’t imagine that came as a surprise, did it?

A. I spoke to quite a people that played for him and coached against him and I never heard one person say anything bad about him. He's a good person and he's done a good job as a coach in Rochester.

Q. If training camp started today would you be happy to go into it with this group of players?

A. I'd be 100% content. First of all we're going to have some younger players in the lineup and that's a great opportunity for them and for our franchise. You look at defense with Enstrom being a second year player and Nic Havelid coming off a very good season last year. Adding a guy like Hainsey back there who can really move the puck will make a big difference. We've seen what Boris Valabik did in those last games down the stretch when he was here. Along with Ex and Kenny Klee we're better on defense.

Up front you add a guy like Williams who has scored 30 goals in the NHL and Marty Reasoner who will do a good job for us as a role player and on the penalty kill. Then there are the younger players who have a good opportunity to do something. We haven't seen Erik Christensen much but we have very high hopes for him. We’ve seen what Colby Armstrong can do for us in his short time and he's going to be one of the leaders for this hockey club. He's going to be a very good hockey player for us.

Q. Do you plan to carry seven defensemen to start the season?
 

Don Waddell with Zach Bogosian at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa.

A. I think so. Zach Bogosian who I didn't even mention on defense will be in the mix. Here you have an 18 year-old player who is going to be a future star in this league. How quickly he comes along- we'll let his play dictate that. Ideally we'll carry 7 defensemen and 13 forwards out of camp.

Q. The media hasn’t been kind to the Thrashers this summer and not many writers are expecting much from this team this season. What’s your response to that? Should fans believe them?

A. I don't put too much weight in what the media says. The first 10 games of the season will give you a pretty good idea of what you're team is really all about. Having solid goaltending with Lehtonen and Hedberg gives us a chance to win every night, and that's where it all starts. If our goaltending is good and our defense improves- obviously we have to cut down on our goals against, and if we can do that then anything can happen. This is a good league and there are a lot of good teams that win on a regular basis but there are good teams that lose too. Every night will be a challenge for us but we can't worry about what we're being called or where people are picking us to finish.

Q. At the end of last season there was a lot of talk from you and players like Johan Hedberg about building a team identity moving forward. What have you done to address that and what is the identity of this team now?

A. We put an emphasis on particular types of players that we wanted brought in here and we accomplished that in the off-season. I truly think that the start of last year and the finish of the year before against the Rangers was our downfall. We couldn't pick it up last year. I think that by making some changes and moving some of the players out that we did and bringing in some fresh faces, and in my mind that includes guys like Armstrong and Christensen, but you give these guys the opportunity to be with the team in training camp to start the year together- I think they'll take on a new identity and John Anderson will play a big part in it.

Q. How important is it for youth to be a part of that identity? It looks like this could be one of the youngest Thrashers teams to ever take the ice.

A. It sure looks that way, doesn’t it? It's exciting to be younger. It gives the team a chance to build and grow together and keep this team together as long as we can.
 

With a quietly upgraded defense, a new coaching staff and a core of young players who have their best years in front of them the Thrashers are bound to fly under the radar and take many people by surprise in 2008-09. They are also ideally positioned to be in active in the trade market as teams make roster adjustments in order to comply with the NHL salary cap. While Waddell isn't one to tip his hand and discuss trade talks he has always maintained that he will listen to any offers that make sense for the team and improve the hockey club. If a good offer comes along you can be sure Waddell will welcome a chance to build on what has been a solid though understated off-season for the Thrashers.