The Atlanta Thrashers are finalizing the terms of a contract with Craig Ramsay that will make him the next head coach of the NHL team, sources tell Sportsnet.
Ramsay, who was a teammate of Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley in Buffalo, has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins. Prior to his stint with the B’s, Ramsay held the same position with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2004. His last head coaching job was with the Philadelphia Flyers, getting fired 28 games into the 2000-01 season.
Ramsay played 1,070 career NHL games, all with the Sabres, recording 252 goals and 420 assists for 672 points.
After missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, the Thrashers fired head coach John Anderson and appointed Dudley to replace Don Waddell as GM. Waddell took over as team president to handle mainly the business aspects of the franchise.
It was a busy day for the Thrashers on Wednesday. The club completed a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks for Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and prospect Akim Aliu to Atlanta in exchange for Marty Reasoner, Jeremy Morin, a first-round pick (24th overall) and second-round pick (54th overall) in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft.
