Depending on how you determine a "full season," Hainsey might actually have scored more points in his first full season than Brian Campbell did in his.
First Real Season Stuff
Brian Campbell played in 65 games in 2002-03 (most appearances in a season up to that point; first season as a real presence) and scored 19 points. Impressive.
Ron Hainsey played in 55 games in 2005-6 (most appearances in a season up to that point; first seaons as a real presence) and scored 17 points. As Sheila Broflovski might say: "WHAT WHAT WHAT?!"
Second Real Season Stuff
Brian Campbell played in 53 games in 2003-04 (second season as a real presence) and scored a whopping 11 points.
Ron Hainsey plaed in 80 games in 2006-07 (second season as a real presence) and scored 34 points.
From There...
We all know where Brian Campbell has gone. Three 40-point-plus seasons in a row, with this one past seeing him score a truly world-beating 62.
Ron Hainsey played in 78 games last season and racked up 32 points.
Tentative Conclusion
We all know how good Brian Campbell is, and I was as heartbroken as everybody else when TSN announced he was headed to Chicago. I suppose I'm just asking you, readers, to keep in mind the fact that we simply don't know how Hainsey will be in the future. He could very well raise his game to near-Campbell-like statistics. He might not, of course, and people who are disillusioned with the Thrashers' disastrously-run organization have every reason to be skeptical.
Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, but I think Hainsey might well have a bright future. I would've been very pleased to get Campbell, and I know Hainsey was not our original plan, but the sky is definitely not falling. Again, I ask you all to remember where teams like the Caps and the Flyers stood at the end of the 2006-07 season.
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