Can the Thrashers Afford Nik Zherdev?

Nikolai Zherdev mentioned that he has been talking with the Thrashers about coming to play in Atlanta. But how much could the Thrashers afford to pay him? The answer is "not much."  Zherdev won an arbitration case this summer to the tune of a $4 million salary and the Rangers exercised their right to walk away from the contract, which made Zherdev an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA). How much could the Thrashers offer Zherdev? The Thrashers receive substantial revenue sharing money from the NHL ONLY if they stay under the Salary Mid-Point ($48.8 million). As of this moment a 22 man roster with Crabb and Anthony Stewart (both cheap) getting the last 2 forward spots comes a total of $48.423 million in cap hit (adding Evander Kane or Spencer Machcek would cost more).That leaves the Thrashers with just under $1 million under the mid-point if you add Stewart's salary plus the cap space. The crucial thing is whether you think Zach Bogosian will earn all of his $2.5 mill...