The Atlanta Thrashers players and fans watched from their homes the past two seasons as first the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Carolina Hurricanes skated off with the Stanley Cup.

This year, they hope it’s their turn. But first, the Thrashers must qualify for their first playoff berth in their seven-year history.

To that end, Thrashers general manager Don Waddell has spearheaded a roster overhaul, cutting loose many of the underachievers from last season while keeping its talented core intact. The Thrashers have bolstered their blueline corps and added depth at the forward position and in goal.

During the off-season, the club severed ties with the last original Thrasher, center Patrik Stefan, whom Waddell dealt to Dallas along with defenseman Jaroslav Modry for center Niko Kapanen and a late-round pick in this year’s entry draft. The move gave the club more room under the salary cap and gave Stefan, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft, a chance to start over.

The Thrashers hope Kapanen and free agent Steve Rucchin, who played for the the New York  Rangers in 2006-07, can help plug the hole at  center created when free agent Mark Savard, the team’s second-leading scorer last season, jumped to the Boston Bruins.

While the team would have preferred to keep Savard, who posted career highs in virtually every offensive category last year, they could not afford the $5 million he commanded from the Bruins.

The Thrashers also chose not to re-sign forwards Peter Bondra, Serge Aubin and Ronald Petrovicky and goalies Mike Dunham, Steve Shields and Adam Berkhoel. 

Vigier, Aubin and Petrovicky all played on the third or fourth line and filled penalty-killing roles on the team, but none netted more than 24 points last season.

Dunham and Shields had helped fill in for Pasi Nurminen, who suffered a career-ending injury before the start of last year’s training camp, and rookie Kari Lehtonen, who was injured during the Thrashers’ first game and missed most of the first half of the season. But both Dunham and Shields were injured off and on and their inconsistent play when healthy is blamed for the club’s failure to make the playoffs.

The Thrashers created competition along the blue line by dealing for bruising stay-at-home defenseman Vitaly Vishnevsky, who could  wind up paired with former teammate Niclas Havelid. Vishnevsky gives the Thrashers six legitimate NHL defensemen, with three more fighting for the seventh spot.

With Lehtonen figuring to be the No. 1 netminder after going through a grueling fitness program over the summer to strengthen his weak core muscles, the Thrashers signed  free agent goalie Johan Hedberg to be his backup and Fred Brathwait as insurance. Brathwait could wind up with Atlanta’s American Hockey League farm team in Chicago.

Among the new forwards with a chance to make the regular-season roster are Jon Sim, Glen Metropolit, Jason Krog, and Darren Haydar. Metropolit, Krog and Haydar figure to compete for spots on the third and fourth lines.

In addition to upgrading the team’s overall talent level and creating depth at each position, Waddell focused on adding players who stay out of the penalty box and are stronger two-way players than the men they replaced. Rucchin, Kapanen and Sim all fit that mold. With the increased emphasis on special teams, keeping players out of the penalty box is more important than ever.

Despite a spate of injuries, most notably to its goaltenders, Atlanta remained in the hunt for a playoff spot into last March. With any luck, these more disciplined birds could make a run at a Cup of their own in 2007.

Key Additions:  C Steve Rucchin, C Niko Kapanen, C Glen Metropolit, C Jason Krog, RW Jon Sim, LW Darren Haydar, G Johan Hedberg, G Fred Brathwaite.

Key Subtractions:  C Marc Savard, C Patrik Stefan, D Jaroslav Modry, C Serge Aubin, RW Ronald Petrovicky, G Mike Dunham, G Steve Shields, G Adam Berkhoel.

Three Breakout Players:

G Kari Lehtonen: Injured in the first period of the first game last season, Atlanta got just 38 games out of their “goalie of the future” last year. He certainly showed flashes of brilliance, but didn’t put it all together for a whole season. After spending the summer in Atlanta training, Lehtonen’s time for a big season in net is now.

D Steve McCarthy: Had seven goals in just 16 games with the Thrashers after being acquired at the trade deadline. With the Thrashers looking for more offense from their defensemen, the puck-moving McCarthy could see major ice time this season.

RW Alex Bourret: Atlanta’s 2005 first-round pick has all the skills to be a top two-line forward in the NHL. Last season, he netted 114 points in 67 games in the QMJHL. With the Thrashers arguably thin at RW, he’s got a great chance to make the opening game roster.