Some Thrashers fans have expressed interest in seeing their team (or what once was their team) play next season, presumably for one more chance to wear the jersey and give themselves a chance to say goodbye to their team as a whole - a chance that the sale situation didn't afford Thrasher fans at all.

These fans are in luck - the Winnipeg franchise (whose website is fairly bleak considering it's decorated in NHL black and silver) released their pre-season schedule today. Two teams nearby will be their opponents - the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators. Here's the schedule; plan road trips accordingly.

 Date                                          Opponent                      Venue                   Time (all times central)

September 20       Columbus Blue Jackets (ss)       MTS Centre                          7:30 p.m.

September 20      @ Columbus Blue Jackets (ss)  Nationwide Arena               6:30 p.m.

September 24      @ Nashville Predators           Bridgestone Arena                      7:00 p.m.

September 25      @ Carolina Hurricanes         Time Warner Cable Arena        4:00 p.m.
                                    (Charlotte, NC)

September 26      @ Ottawa Senators                Conception Bay South,              NLTBA

September 28      Carolina Hurricanes               MTS Centre                                  7:30 p.m.

September 30      Nashville Predators                MTS Centre                                  7:30 p.m.

Personally, I would much rather not drive four to seven hours to see the team that I supported for eleven years wearing another jersey, but that's just me. How much emotional discomfort an individual wants to foist upon themselves is their own personal business.

Check back with SB Nation Atlanta's frequently updated Thrashers sale StoryStream for the latest updates. For discussion, join Bird Watchers Anonymous, SB Nation's Atlanta Thrashers community or Arctic Ice Hockey, our new Winnipeg NHL community. For more hockey, visit SB Nation's NHL hub.