Forward Ben Eager, who came to Atlanta as part of the deal that brought Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Sopel to the team, is no longer a Thrasher. He was traded today to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth round draft pick. It was speculated that Eager would turn into trade bait sooner or later after he was a repeated healthy scratch (which turned into an injured scratch) prior to January 7th’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In that game, Eager was awarded a five minute match penalty that turned into a four game suspension for a suckerpunch to Maple Leafs’ forward Colby Armstrong.
↵Eager didn’t fit well into Ramsay’s system, and his departure leaves space for Niclas Bergfors to play regularly, as well as space for an AHL player to get some playing time at the NHL level.
↵For more on the Thrashers and the trade, visit Bird Watchers Anonymous.