In the aftermath of the Ilya Kovalchuk trade, Thrashers GM Don Waddell said that Zach Bogosian will be the immediate beneficiary of the trade, likely taking over Kovalchuk’s position on the point on the top powerplay unit (until recently, Kovalchuk played the majority of the point on Atlanta’s top powerplay unit).
Atlanta’s powerplay – mostly with Kovalchuk – is only as good as 17.4%, or as good as 10th worst in the league and it’s difficult to think that it will get any better without one of the league’s best snipers.
The Thrashers’ top powerplay quarterback is Tobias Enstrom, averaging 4:46 of powerplay time per game, and well on his way to establish career bests for points, 39 in 55 games, and powerplay-points, 15. That averages out to about 1 powerplay point for every 17 minutes on the powerplay.
Bogosian ranks third on the Thrashers with 1:08 in powerplay time per game and only 3 powerplay points to show for it – or about 1 powerplay point every 20 powerplay minutes. His even-strength offensive production is average, at-best, with 20 points in 55 games but if you pick up Bogosian, you’re going to need a big plus-minus cushion. Bogosian is a -13 on the season on a team that has poor goaltending and is not likely to get any better.
Keep an eye on him if he lives up to his powerplay expectations but there’s probably better options available in your league.
