4 Former Thrashers Still Active in the NHL

Unlike the common bird itself, former Atlanta Thrashers are a fading breed.

Still Active Former Thrashers

Now more than a decade removed from the Thrashers’ move to Winnipeg, the number of former Thrashers left in the NHL has dwindled to four, with only three actively playing in 2023-24. Here’s a look at each of them, in alphabetical order, and what they’ve done since leaving the Peach State.

Zach Bogosian

Played 199 games for the Thrashers between 2008-09 and 2010-11

The Thrashers selected the big and mobile Zach Bogosian third overall in 2008 and he immediately joined the big club. He appeared in 199 games for the Thrashers in the three seasons before they relocated to Winnipeg, recording 24 goals and 39 assists for 59 points, but was also a minus-34.

In the Jets’ early days, the still-young Bogosian played a top-four role, skating an average of 22:56, posting 16 goals and 52 assists for 68 points — including a career-high 30 in the Jets’ inaugural campaign — and recording middling-to-fair advanced numbers.

He was steady enough when he was in the lineup, but unfortunately, was dogged by injuries and never played more than 65 games in a season.

Bogosian was traded to the Buffalo Sabres along with Evander Kane in 2015. He was never particularly effective there over six injury-filled campaigns, dressing for 243 games and recording 13 goals and 54 assists for 67 points and going minus-49.

Bogosian’s time in Buffalo ended rather ceremoniously. In Dec. 2019, he requested a trade, and in February, the team waived him. He cleared waivers but refused to report to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, so the Sabres suspended him and later terminated his contract.

The 6-foot-3 d-man then signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning a few days before the trade deadline and skated in eight games, recording two assists, before the NHL season pause in mid-March.

In the 2020 bubble playoffs, Bogosian played 20 games, recorded four assists, and hoisted the Stanley Cup as the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars in six games to capture hockey’s top prize.

In Oct. 2020, Bogosian signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and played 45 games in a shortened 2020-21 season, recording four assists. He then returned to the Lightning for his second stint with the team, signing a three-year contract with a $850,000 AAV prior to the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 48 games that season and 46 games in 2022-23. In Nov. 2023, the Lightning traded him to the Minnesota Wild. In total, he appeared in 65 games during the 2023-24 season.

Evander Kane

Played 139 games for the Thrashers between 2009-10 and 2010-11

Another high pick, the Thrashers took the sniper fourth overall in 2009 after he put up 48 goals and 48 assists for the Vancouver Giants in his second full WHL season.

The Hockey Writers Substack banner Winnipeg Jets

Like Bogosian, the Thrashers brought Kane to the NHL immediately and he recorded 33 goals and 36 assists for 69 points in 133 games over two seasons, dazzling with his speed, goal-scoring instincts, and fearlessness.

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In the Jets’ inaugural season, Kane recorded a career-high 30 goals. However, between then and 2015, he proved to be a high-maintenance player who was a nightmare to deal with; he engaged in a variety of immature antics — from the Twitter post he made flashing fat stacks on a Las Vegas balcony to allegedly dining and dashing at fancy restaurants — that overshadowed his on-ice contributions.

After Kane showed up to a team meeting in a tracksuit and Dustin Byfuglien threw it in the shower, the Jets traded the problematic forward to the Sabres along with the aforementioned Zach Bogosian in exchange for Joel Armia, Brenden Lemieux, Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, and a 2015 first-round pick they used to select Jack Roslovic.

Kane spent three seasons with the Sabres and never recorded more than 43 points in a season.

He was traded to the San Jose Sharks in February 2018, and recorded 87 goals and 79 assists for 166 points as a Shark. He wasn’t, however, good for the team as he continued to dominate the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In late 2019, it was announced that a Las Vegas casino was suing the forward for $500,000 in gambling credits. A year prior, a woman alleged Kane offered her $3 million to abort three different pregnancies between 2016 and 2018 but then didn’t pay her after she did.

Kane’s life took an even darker turn in 2021. In September, his estranged wife Anna accused him of sexual assault and battery, alleging she was forced to have nonconsensual sex with him on more than one occasion. She also accused him of betting on NHL games, including ones he played in.

The Sharks announced he would not be attending the 2021-22 training camp due to the allegations, which were later found could not be substantiated. However, at the same time, more bad behaviour came to light and Kane was suspended for the first 21 games of the season for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

After he completed his suspension, the Sharks placed Kane on waivers and was re-assigned to AHL for the first time in his career. In January, 2022, the Sharks announced they had placed Kane on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, due to violation of AHL COVID-19 protocols.

Just a few weeks later, the Edmonton Oilers signed Kane to a one-year deal, but the signing was not without its detractors due to his past. Nonetheless, Kane look re-energized and enjoyed instant success with a deep Oilers’ squad, recording 22 goals and 17 assists in 43 regular-season games, and 13 goals and four assists in 17 playoff games.

Related: Oilers Adding Kane was NHL’s Best Mid-Season Acquisition in 2021-22

He was in the middle of controversy yet again during the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche, boarding Nazem Kadri in Game 3 and receiving a one-game suspension.

Evander Kane Edmonton Oilers Anze Kopitar Los Angeles Kings
Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers reacts to his goal in front of Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

In July 2022, Kane re-signed with the Oilers, inking a four-year, $20.5 million extension. In 2022-23, he had 28 points in 41 games but missed significant time due to a serious cut to the wrist that required surgery. He followed that up with 44 points in 77 games during the 2024-24 season.

One can only hope he can keep his personal life straight and focus on helping the Oilers win a Stanley Cup during their current window of contention, because he is an immensely talented player.

Bryan Little

Played 282 games for the Thrashers between 2007-08 and 2010-11

One of the few picks that worked out well for the Thrashers, Bryan Little recorded 68 goals and 81 assists for 149 points in 282 games between being drafted 12th overall in 2006 and relocation.

Little was a mainstay in the first seasons after relocation to Winnipeg. The steady and versatile centre payed 561 games, putting up 149 goals and 223 assists for 372 points.

Little saw his ice time wane a bit as time went on and he was often criticized by fans for not being a suitable man in the middle for the Jets’ young guns such as Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers. Despite that, he’s produced 40-plus points in seven separate seasons; he also scored the Jets’ first hat trick in 2.0 history.

After playing all 82 games in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, Little suffered a serious brain and ear injury in early November, 2019, after taking an errant Ehlers slap shot to the side of his head.

Related: The Severity and Impact of Bryan Little’s Brain Injury

Little was advised by doctors not to play in 2020-21 and was put onto the long-term injured reserve once the season began. He remained on LTIR for 2021-22 as well.

At the 2022 Trade Deadline, the Jets sent his contract to the Arizona Coyotes, alongside the rights to prospect Nathan Smith, for a fourth round draft pick. He remains on the LTIR with the Coyotes as 2023-24 is the final year of the six-year contract he signed with the Jets in 2017.

Blake Wheeler

Played 23 games for the Thrashers in 2010-11

Once Jet captain Blake Wheeler is the final former Thrasher to have played with the team.

Wheeler, who came over to the Thrashers from the Boston Bruins in a trade late in their final season, has carved out a nice career as a prolific playmaker and extremely hard worker. But at age 37, his best seasons are behind him.

Blake Wheeler Atlanta Thrashers
Wheeler recorded 7 goals and 10 assists in 23 games for the Thrashers in their final season prior to relocation. (THW Archives)

A key figure whose veteran presence has helped many Jets’ youngsters and draft picks blossom into bona fide super stars, Wheeler took a while to come into his own as a top-six forward. He even called himself “one of those late bloomers” and “one of those guys that it took a while to turn into a man, physically and mentally.” (from ‘Top 10 scorer is the Wheel deal,’ Winnipeg Free Press, 01/04/2016.)

In 1,172 career games at the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season, the power forward has put up 321 goals and 622 assists for 943 points. He recorded 74 points or more in five straight seasons, had back-to-back 91-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and was named an All-Star seven times.

Wheeler’s production dropped a bit in 2019-20 — 65 points in 71 games —but he was able to seamlessly slide to centre and help the Jets “stay in the fight” in the wake of Little’s injury. It was a selfless move as Wheeler would be the first to admit he prefers to be the guy on the wing, making things happen from the wall for Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

Despite his numbers dip, the campaign came with personal milestone — he became the franchise’s all-time leader in points that December, passing Ilya Kovalchuk in one of the Jets most exciting games of the season.

In 2020-21, Father Time caught up with Wheeler in a big way and he became a liability at five-on-five. Although his point totals — 46 in 50 games — were still respectable, he looked a shadow of his former self from defensive and effort standpoints. Part of the reason for that was because he was quietly playing with cracked ribs.

2021-22 was another subpar season for both Wheeler personally and the Jets as a whole, and his questionable leadership qualities were one of the reasons for the lost season. In the offseason, rumours circulated the Jets were trying to trade him, and while a deal never materialized, he was stripped of his captaincy prior to the 2022-23 season by new head coach Rick Bowness.

Related: Jets’ Bowness Makes Gutsy & Necessary Decision With Wheeler

Wheeler had 55 points in 71 games in 2022-23 but prior to 2023 Free Agency opening, the Jets bought him out of the final year of his contract to rid themselves of his bloated salary and to forge a new and better identity with a new leadership core.

Wheeler then signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers.

Overall, at age 32, Kane is the youngest former Thrasher. That means in less than a decade, the Atlanta Thrasher will be extinct for good.