Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Thrashers off Afinogenov contract, none for Armstrong

Rick Dudley has started making some of the tough decisions of the summer, as the Atlanta Thrashers have decided to offer Maxim Afinogenov a one-year contract, per Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution.

The Thrashers have 10 players on the roster set to become unrestricted free agents this summer -- doesn’t it seem there’s a good amount of teams in the same situation -- and while Afinogenov was second on the team in points last season and tied for the team-lead in goals with 24, the Thrashers aren’t willing to go beyond just a one-year deal.

Conversely, the Thrashers have decided not to offer a contract to Colby Armstrong, who will now test the free agent market this summer. Armstrong was traded to the Thrashers from Pittsburgh as part of the Marian Hossa deal, and then signed a one-year contract with Atlanta last season worth $2.4 million.

Armstrong should get some interest on the open market, although it’s doubtful teams will be willing to pay over $2 million a season after he scored just 15 goals last season and had just 29 points overall in 79 games. Of course, he was on the Thrashers, so perhaps a change of scenery could open up his scoring once more.