Flash back to Buffalo in the early 1970s, when Rick Dudley with his mop top mushrooming from

his headband and Craig Ramsay with his heavy sideburns were linemates and roommates with the

Sabres. Back then, they were just two hard-working wingers with high hockey IQs.

Nearly 40 years later, Duds and Rammer are teammates again for the fourth time in their

careers. They had two stints as players. Dudley was general manager in Tampa Bay and hired

Ramsay as an assistant under John Tortorella. And now Ramsay is the head coach under Dudley

with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Who would have guessed?

"It was very early in my relationship with Craig Ramsay that if anybody asked me, "Who do

you think will be a coach?' it wouldn't have been Rick Dudley; it would have been Craig

Ramsay," Dudley said Friday by telephone. "I was trying to figure out whether I could play pro

hockey. Craig early in his career was teaching players how to play the game that were eight

and 10 years older."

Dudley and Ramsay were hired to turn around the Thrashers, who have made the playoffs only

once in their history. Dudley, who has been one of the top personnel men in the business for

years, has wasted no time putting the pieces together over two busy weeks for a team suddenly

headed in the right direction.

In short order, he hired a good coach in the cerebral Ramsay, stocked his roster with four

players who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks and signed a veteran goaltender

for less than $2 million per season. Don't be surprised if Blackhawks assistant coach John

Torchetti winds up on a Chicago-to-Atlanta flight.

Atlanta acquired big forward Dustin Byfuglien and gritty wingers Ben Eager and Andrew Ladd

in separate deals along with prospect Akim Aliu. In return, he sent a first-round pick, two

second-round picks, veteran Marty Reasoner and two prospects back to the Blackhawks in trades

that benefited both sides.

See how it works?

"You know, we gave Chicago some really good pieces, but we got really good pieces in

return," Dudley said. "The only reason we were able to do it was because of the situation.

When that situation evolved, I became very aggressive. You don't get players like that unless

someone has to move them."

The Blackhawks have the core of their team intact and their payroll in order. The Thrashers

are in better shape because they have proven veterans with playoff experience who can

contribute right away. They've done more to help themselves than any other team because they

were best prepared to strike.

Of course, inside information always helps. Dudley worked for the 'Hawks for five years and

as assistant GM played a pivotal role along with former GM Dale Tallon and current GM Stan

Bowman in building the team that won it all. He was ready for Bowman when it became obvious

the 'Hawks needed to trim payroll.

It started with knowing the players.

Dudley expects Ladd, for example, to help the Thrashers beyond the 17 goals and 38 points

he has last season because he knew his work habits. Ladd is known for pushing himself in

practice, which becomes contagious and improves the overall makeup of his team. Dudley looked

past the mediocre numbers for an honest two-way player.

That's what he has been seeking while collecting players who can thrive under Ramsay, a

defensive forward as a player but offensive-minded as a coach. He helped orchestrate Tampa's

up-tempo attack when it won the Cup in 2004. He helped Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk

blossom into a very good player last season.

Atlanta still has much work ahead, but Dudley already upgraded his team without spending

big money on free agents. The only free agent they signed was veteran goalie Chris Mason, who

accepted a two-year offer worth $3.7 million.

"Free agency is part of a process," Dudley said. "How you accomplish it doesn't matter. I

don't care if we sign a free agent or make a trade for Andrew Ladd, so long as we get Andrew

Ladd. For me, it's just about putting the pieces in place. When we look at the board, we're a

pretty positive group right now."

So far, the Thrashers are big winners in the offseason.

Here's a look at other winners and losers through Day Two of free agency.

Winners

Vancouver: The Canucks made a big commitment to defenseman Dan Hamhuis (six years, $27

million), which makes a solid corps even stronger. That deal and the trade for Keith Ballard

give them an option to trade away one of their D-men such as Kevin Bieksa, who could bring

them a solid return. F Manny Malhotra could also help.

Toronto: GM Brian Burke worked both markets, landing Kris Versteeg in a trade with Chicago

and Colby Armstrong in free agency from Atlanta. Versteeg gives them a two-time 20-goal scorer

and Cup winner while Armstrong adds some much-needed grit. Both are approaching their prime

and should strengthen chemistry.

New Jersey: They lost defenseman Paul Martin, who signed with Pittsburgh after the Penguins

lost Sergei Gonchar, before quickly rebounding with Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder.

They also reacquired Jason Arnott before free agency. If healthy, he's still good for 25

goals.

Losers

Calgary: The Flames traded away Olli Jokinen at the deadline after losing faith in him,

then handed him a two-year deal for $6 million? Dumbfounding. It also made little sense to

bring back Alex Tanguay. The two forwards weren't good enough the first time around.

Los Angeles: Sure, they're young and good, but they shouldn't rest on finishing sixth in

the conference and making the playoffs for the first time since 2001-02. They could get

involved in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes with plenty of cap room. They also need some muscle

in their lineup.

Chicago: The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, so they're given a free pass for the offseason

in the Windy City. Good fortune comes with a price, which was why they've already bid farewell

to six players who helped them win it all.