Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, July 2, 2009 Thrashers sign Antropov to 4-year deal Associated Press 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. He was traded to the Rangers on March 4. He had 56 points with the Maple Leafs during the 2007-08 season. Waddell said he will complete the free-agency period before opening talks with Kovalchuk. He said both parties want to conclude negotiations before the 2009-10 season. "My feeling is once we get at it, hopefully it will move along relatively quickly," Waddell said. "There's not a rush to get there today or tomorrow." The Thrashers also re-signed forward Chris Thorburn on Thursday. Thorburn had 15 points, including seven goals, in a career-high 82 games last season. Antropov (6-6, 230) and Kubina (6-4, 244) add significant size to the Thrashers' roster, after the team committed to such smaller players as Bryan Little and Rich Peverley. "We thought to give them the best chance of having some success we needed to surround them with some size," Waddell said. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Man arrested in fatal shooting of brother 2. Highway 9 crash victims memorialized 3. Taxes needed to close state's growing deficit? 4. Confrontation led to elderly man's death, police say 5. Fire sends shoppers fleeing JC Penney at Alderwood 6. Snohomish salon owner has a venture with style 7. Pearl Harbor's voices of the past 8. Vikings’ Henderson breaks leg against Cardinals 9. Boeing shares soar as 787 first flight draws near 10. New law aims to deny some felons bail 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Wildcats fall to familar foe in semis • ‘Nutcracker' times three • Road warrior • Mavericks reloading • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Cities prepare for winter blast repeat • Wolfpack duo takes last shot at state tourney • This Weekend in Your Town • Tips for the stormy season • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million