Rags advance to round of eight, Thrash out.

On Wednesday night, the Rangers polished off the Thrashers, defeating them 4-2 and sweeping the series. They are the first team to advance to the Conference Semifinals.

Last season, the Rangers were themselves swept by the Devils in the first round.

Matt Cullen, who won the Cup last year with Carolina scored the game- and series-winning goal at 2:06 of the third. Bitch Jaro Jagr scored an empty netter to seal the coffin.

Now, of course, the second-guessers will come out in full force. I didn't mince words at all on this issue back in February, but the proverbial shit is about to hit the proverbial fan on the Keith Tkachuk issue. Proverbially.

The Thrash gave up a LOT to get the 35-year old left wing:

• 1st round pick in this year's draft
  
• 3rd round pick in this year's draft
  
• 2nd round pick in next year's draft
  
• Glen Metropolit

Metropolit is a spare part in this trade, but that's a lot of draft picks. As I said in February, this would have been worth it if the Thrash had gone on to win the Cup, but now they're playing golf with the Canes. Instead of trading away their future for a championship, they have simply traded away their future. Additionally, the trade just got worse. Suddenly the "not so bad" trade of a potentially low first round pick has become a "pretty bad" trade of a middle round first round pick.

Tkachuk is at the end of a contract which paid him $3.8M this season. Everyone understood this to be a "rental", and I just don't think that Atlanta could pay him even if they wanted to keep him.

The Thrash will have a very busy summer ahead of them. 12 players will be UFA and two more will be RFA. They pressed hard up against the cap this season, and it will be difficult to keep this core group and remain under cap. Both goaltenders, and all of the star players are under contract, but they will have to downgrade in some areas, and they won't have the benefit of a first round draft pick.

Look for them to visit the bargain basement and to sign some undrafted players.

Look for the natives to get restless with Don Waddell.

Thrashers make big moves, give up a lot

On Saturday night, the Thrashers issued a press release during the second period of the game with the Canes that they would make a major announcement after the game. I speculated here that it might be Keith Tkatchuk. About an hour after that, it turned out to be much less dramatic than that, but this morning, it indeed turned out to be Tkatchuk.

I'm still going to do a proper game recap on the Canes 4-1 victory over the Thrashers, but for now, I'll get on their transactions.

The first transaction made me scratch my head. They issued a press release during the game to give us a heads-up about this???

TO ATLANTA: aging defenseman Alexei Zhitnik
TO PHILLY: defensive prospect Braydon Coburn

Whoop-de-do. An old guy with declining skill for a young guy who hasn't blossomed yet. So what? I figured, though, that they weren't done since they went to the trouble of warning everyone that something was coming.

This morning, the hammer dropped.

TO ATLANTA: Keith Tkatchuk
TO ST. LOUIS: center Glen Metropolit
first round pick in 2007
third round pick in 2007
second round pick in 2008

This, friends, is what everyone was talking about when they said that "the prices are too high". There is no doubt that Tkatchuk will be an excellent addition to the Thrashers lineup. He's practically old enough to be Jordan Staal's grandpa, but he's steadily produced at nearly a point a night throughout his 73 year career. He's also got a bunch of playoff experience and is one of those guys that you like to have in the room. There are so many upsides to this. But they had to give a lot to get Tkatchuk.

I don't need to be reminded that the Canes gave up a lot to get Doug Weight last January...

* Jesse Boulerice
* Mike Zigomanis
* the rights to mystery man Magnus Kahnburg.
* Carolina's first round pick in 2006
* Toronto's fourth round pick in 2006
* Chicago's fourth round pick in 2007

...but we all know how that turned out.

There is a bit of a difference, though. Boulerice had become useless. Zigomanis was looking like a career AHLer. Kahnburg showed no signs of ever leaving Sweden. That fourth round pick from Toronto was leftover from the "please take Jeff O'Neill off our hands" deal. So Carolina gave up a bunch of things, but nothing that they really wanted. Atlanta is giving up high draft picks in consecutive drafts AND a useful player. Metropolit was scratched last night, but has played well this season after being away from the NHL for three years.

I think in a little picture kind of way, Atlanta has done well with this. Tkachunky is definitely an upgrade over Metropolit. In a big picture, they've given perhaps too much. Of course, if they become the third consecutive SE team to win the Cup, none of this matters and it will have been well worth any price paid.

Now that Tkatchuk has been dealt, there will be no more speculation about Guerin and Tkatchuk going to Anaheim together. It also means that whoever gets Guerin will have to give a ton. It also means that St. Louis will be in a position to rack up big time at this summer's draft.

Buckle up.