After a 14-win season, the Atlanta Thrashers will look to improve through the development of their prospects. A handful of veterans have departed, leaving several slots open for Atlanta¹s young talent to step in and contribute.

The Thrashers will continue to develop their young talent at the NHL level this year, so several roster moves to call up prospects won't be shocking.

What has to happen

To make the playoffs, a miracle may be in order. For improvement, however, the pieces Atlanta shuffled last season need to fall into place.

The Thrashers defense fell apart last season without starting netminder Damian Rhodes. With the 31-year-old tending goal, Atlanta had the ability to keep games close. Without him, losing streaks seemed endless.

One goal for Rhodes is to remain healthy. The other requires him to exhibit the form he showed during the 1998-99 season when he posted a 22-13-7 record, with a 2.44 goals-against average.

Atlanta also needs some players to have breakout seasons in order to help in the goal scoring department. The Thrashers only scored 170 goals, which ranked last in the NHL. Andrew Brunette and Ray Ferraro need to improve upon their 40-point performances and play consistently through the season.

Donald Audette, acquired last March in the deal that sent Kelly Buchberger and Nelson Emerson to Los Angeles, needs to provide speed and offense, two qualities the Thrashers are desperate for.

What can't happen

Atlanta cannot afford to lose its starting goaltender for a majority of the season. Without a solid No. 1, the Thrashers can't adequately judge the quality of their players.

If Rhodes goes down with another injury, a trade for a proven No. 1 may be in order to keep the rest of the team producing at their potential.

As Atlanta learned last season, rookies tend to make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes earned players a short vacation to the press box. This season general manager Don Waddell and coach Curt Fraser need to exercise patience with their sophomore players.

The mental approach

It won't hurt for Atlanta to think about the playoffs, but the Thrashers first need to consider team chemistry. What Atlanta lacks in skill based area can be made up for if the team can gel quickly.

Waddell's decision to trade Buchberger, Atlanta's first captain, left a gap in the leadership role. Who takes over this season (yet to be determined) will play a large role in how the squad interacts as a team on and off the ice.

Ferraro, who temporarily took over the captaincy and is the front runner for the captaincy this season. Gord Murphy could also fill the vacancy.

Also, fan support will be a great help for the growing team. The Thrashers set the NHL record for average attendance by an expansion team with an average of 17,205 fans per game. Even though Atlanta won just nine games in front of the home crowd, the fans kept coming. Chances are they will continue to do so.

Noteworthy

The Thrashers cut Norm Maracle from the team last Saturday. Atlanta, disappointed by Maracle's play and work ethic, sent the goaltender to Orlando (IHL). ... Even with three goaltenders competing for the No. 2 role behind Rhodes, Atlanta has had talks with unrestricted free agent Mikhail Shatlenkov. ... Prospect Zdenek Blatny decided to return to his junior team after struggling through Atlanta's rookie camp and the first week of training camp. ... Murphy, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery, will probably start the season on injured reserve. ... Atlanta will probably pair Petr Buzek and Frantisek Kaberle together for the season. The two were paired together for the Czech Republic in the World Championships.