NHL
Thrashers add Antropov
Madden jumps to Blackhawks
Published: July 03, 2009, 12:30 am
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ATLANTA — The Atlanta Thrashers signed free agent forward Nik Antropov to a four-year, $16 million contract on Thursday, setting up a reunion with Ilya Kovalchuk.
The 29-year-old Antropov played with Kovalchuk in Russia during the NHL lockout. General Manager Don Waddell said Kovalchuk endorsed the signing with a text message saying “great job.”
Kovalchuk’s approval is important. The Thrashers’ captain and biggest star is entering his free-agent season, and has said he wants to see the team’s offseason moves before he talks about signing a new deal. Waddell said the Antropov signing should help the team re-sign Kovalchuk.
“Certainly, it’s going to help us through the process,” Waddell said. “Ilya wants to be part of a winning organization and this is a big step in the right direction.”
On Wednesday, Waddell acquired defenseman Pavel Kubina in a four-player deal with Toronto.
“I said we didn’t need a lot of pieces, we needed key pieces, and that’s what we’ve added,” Waddell said.
Antropov set a career high with 59 points and 28 goals with Toronto and the New York Rangers last season.
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