FanHouse AnssiSalmela

Hockey fans in Atlanta have known nothing but losing and front office incompetence since the Thrashers joined the NHL a decade ago. Even the best season in franchise history, the 2006-07 campaign that saw the Thrashers qualify for their first and only playoff appearance, ended in disappointment as they were quickly swept under the rug in four games by the New York Rangers.

In the two seasons following that trip to the postseason, the Thrashers have returned to their sub-80-point ways, toiling at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Thanks to a couple of shrewd moves at the start of the offseason, and some returning young talent, this year's version of the Thrashers looks like it has a chance to make some noise.

Thrashers 5, Capitals 1: Break up the Thrashers. Thanks to its 5-1 drubbing of Washington on Monday, Atlanta has now won six in a row and seven of its past eight, as Kari Lehtonen turned aside an incredible 49 shots to lead the Thrashers. He was 1:15 away from registering his fourth shutout of the season, as Washington's Keith Aucoin finally broke through with his first goal of the season.

On the opposite end of the rink, Washington's Jose Theodore was mercifully yanked after giving up four goals on 19 shots, while the Thrashers converted on three of their four power play attempts -- without the services of Ilya Kovalchuk. Colby Armstrong, Slava Kozlov, Anssi Salmela, Tobias Enstrom and Eric Perrin all scored for Atlanta, while Salmela's goal was the first of his career.

The New Jersey Devils added to their blue line on Monday afternoon, acquiring defenseman Niclas Havelid from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Anssi Salmela, as reported by TSN. And with that, the madness leading up to Wednesday's trade deadline has begun.

Havelid, 35, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the season, and has recorded two goals and 13 assists in 63 games for Atlanta.

Paul Martin doesn't come to mind right away when you're asked to rank the top defensemen in the game, yet one thing has become very evident -- in Tom Gulitti's word, Martin is "irreplaceable" for the Devils.

While his 19 points are pedestrian, Martin has quietly stepped his game into the upper echelon of complete defensemen this year, logging almost 25 solid minutes in a variety of roles. After missing four straight contests with a pulled upper body muscle, it's become obvious the Devils need him back right away if they're going to regain their strong play leading into the season's stretch run.