Ondrej Pavelec doesn?t back down from what his agent said last October, when Allan Walsh accused the Thrashers of ?criminal mismanagement? of their top prospect and of going against their promise never to hold him back.
But Pavelec also makes no demands about this October, and he admits there?s nothing he can do if the Thrashers decide to send him once again to the minor leagues at the end of their preseason camp.?I believe I can make it [full-time in the NHL next season],? Pavelec said Monday, but he added it?s up to him to prove it and it?s premature to discuss it. ?It?s too far from here. We?ll see what?s going on. If they send me to the AHL, I can?t do anything. We?ll see.?
The Thrashers have other options. They could trade Kari Lehtonen or Johan Hedberg and keep Pavelec in Atlanta. They could trade Pavelec. Or they could keep three goalies on the roster, general manager Don Waddell said.
Pavelec can?t allow himself to worry about any of that Tuesday night. He?s scheduled to make his first NHL appearance since Dec. 18. The opponent is the Washington Capitals, who scored five goals the last time they faced Pavelec.
He went 3-6 with the Thrashers from mid-November to mid-December while Lehtonen was out with a back injury. It was a down-and-up experience. In his final three starts, Pavelec:
? Got pulled after allowing three goals on five shots against Boston.
? Stopped 28 of 29 shots to win at Ottawa.
? Got pulled after allowing five goals on 13 shots in a loss to Pittsburgh.
Consistency issues, coach John Anderson said, were the reason the Thrashers decided they wanted him to spend most of the season in Chicago, even after he helped the Wolves win the Calder Cup in 2007-08.
?I think we were right in our assessment,? Anderson said.
But Walsh and Pavelec weren?t happy. Pavelec initially refused to report to the Wolves, and Walsh ripped the Thrashers. Pavelec stands by what Walsh told Sporting News Today.
?We are like a team, and we make a decision like a team,? Pavelec said. ?It was our decision. It?s behind me right now, and I don?t want to talk about it. But it was tough for me, for sure. I just felt I had to do something, because I don?t want to go to the next training camp and be in the same situation.?
Pavelec had a 2.58 goals against average and a .914 save percentage for the Wolves this season. He said the key to carrying that success with him to the NHL is mental, not physical.
?If you face the best players in the NHL, they have great shots, and every little mistake it?s a goal probably,? he said. ?I have to learn a little bit, to focus for every shot, every single second.?
There?s no reason Pavelec shouldn?t succeed with the Thrashers, said Anderson, who coached him with the Wolves last season.
?The only thing that changed up here is the angst of playing in the NHL and wanting to do so well,? Anderson said. ?Maybe he lost focus. You don?t know. ?This could be my last chance.? To us, that wasn?t the case, but maybe to him [it was].
?That?s something that he has to get over himself. I can?t get inside his kitchen.?
But Pavelec also makes no demands about this October, and he admits there?s nothing he can do if the Thrashers decide to send him once again to the minor leagues at the end of their preseason camp.?I believe I can make it [full-time in the NHL next season],? Pavelec said Monday, but he added it?s up to him to prove it and it?s premature to discuss it. ?It?s too far from here. We?ll see what?s going on. If they send me to the AHL, I can?t do anything. We?ll see.?
The Thrashers have other options. They could trade Kari Lehtonen or Johan Hedberg and keep Pavelec in Atlanta. They could trade Pavelec. Or they could keep three goalies on the roster, general manager Don Waddell said.
Pavelec can?t allow himself to worry about any of that Tuesday night. He?s scheduled to make his first NHL appearance since Dec. 18. The opponent is the Washington Capitals, who scored five goals the last time they faced Pavelec.
He went 3-6 with the Thrashers from mid-November to mid-December while Lehtonen was out with a back injury. It was a down-and-up experience. In his final three starts, Pavelec:
? Got pulled after allowing three goals on five shots against Boston.
? Stopped 28 of 29 shots to win at Ottawa.
? Got pulled after allowing five goals on 13 shots in a loss to Pittsburgh.
Consistency issues, coach John Anderson said, were the reason the Thrashers decided they wanted him to spend most of the season in Chicago, even after he helped the Wolves win the Calder Cup in 2007-08.
?I think we were right in our assessment,? Anderson said.
But Walsh and Pavelec weren?t happy. Pavelec initially refused to report to the Wolves, and Walsh ripped the Thrashers. Pavelec stands by what Walsh told Sporting News Today.
?We are like a team, and we make a decision like a team,? Pavelec said. ?It was our decision. It?s behind me right now, and I don?t want to talk about it. But it was tough for me, for sure. I just felt I had to do something, because I don?t want to go to the next training camp and be in the same situation.?
Pavelec had a 2.58 goals against average and a .914 save percentage for the Wolves this season. He said the key to carrying that success with him to the NHL is mental, not physical.
?If you face the best players in the NHL, they have great shots, and every little mistake it?s a goal probably,? he said. ?I have to learn a little bit, to focus for every shot, every single second.?
There?s no reason Pavelec shouldn?t succeed with the Thrashers, said Anderson, who coached him with the Wolves last season.
?The only thing that changed up here is the angst of playing in the NHL and wanting to do so well,? Anderson said. ?Maybe he lost focus. You don?t know. ?This could be my last chance.? To us, that wasn?t the case, but maybe to him [it was].
?That?s something that he has to get over himself. I can?t get inside his kitchen.?
