Editing Atlanta Thrashers (section)

===2007–2010: Struggles===
Just months after reaching the playoffs for the first time, the Thrashers began the [[2007–08 NHL season|2007–08 season]] 0–6. Consequently, they fired head coach [[Bob Hartley]] on October 17, 2007, with general manager Don Waddell taking over behind the bench on an interim basis. The Thrashers ended the season with only 76 points, finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference.

On January 27, 2008, the Thrashers hosted the [[56th National Hockey League All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Game]] at [[Philips Arena]], matching the Eastern Conference All-Stars against the Western Conference All-Stars. The game had originally been scheduled for the [[2004–05 NHL season|2004–05 season]], but the [[2004–05 NHL Lockout|NHL lockout]] of that year, followed by the [[Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament|2006 Winter Olympics]] the following season and the [[Dallas Stars]]' hosting of the [[55th National Hockey League All-Star Game|2007 NHL All-Star Game]], made 2008 the earliest available date. The Eastern Conference won the game 8–7, with former Thrasher Marc Savard scoring the game winner late in the third period.

On June 20, 2008, [[John Anderson (ice hockey)|John Anderson]] was named as the fourth head coach in Thrashers history. In his [[2008–09 NHL season|first season]], the Thrashers matched their previous season with 76 points, while finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference. Simultaneously, Atlanta Spirit, LLC, the team's ownership group, was coming apart at the seams. A dispute between [[Steve Belkin]] and his seven fellow owners dated back to 2005; Belkin claimed the other owners breached their contract, giving him the right to buy them out at cost, while his partners said they should be able to buy out Belkin's 30% stake. On November 3, court proceedings began in [[Maryland]] to decide the group's fate.

In the final year of his contract, Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension. General manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $101 million and seven-year, $70 million contracts, both of which Kovalchuk turned down. Rather than potentially losing him to [[free agency (sports)|free agency]] in the off-season, the team traded Kovalchuk on February 4, 2010, to the [[New Jersey Devils]]. Atlanta received defenseman [[Johnny Oduya]], rookie forward [[Niclas Bergfors]], junior prospect [[Patrice Cormier]] and a first-round pick in the [[2010 NHL entry draft]] in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenseman [[Anssi Salmela]]; the teams also traded second-round selections in 2010. The Thrashers finished tenth in the Conference, with 83 points, which would be the most points they had earned in a regular season from the time they won the division title in 2006–07 to the team's eventual relocation in the summer of 2011.