# 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season

The 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season was the Thrashers' fourth season. The Thrashers placed third in the Southeast, and eleventh in the East to miss the playoffs.

## Offseason

The Thrashers initially rotated the team captaincy among four players — Vyacheslav Kozlov, Uwe Krupp, Shawn McEachern, and Jeff Odgers.

## Regular season

After a poor start to the season saw the Thrashers with the worst record in the league, head coach Curt Fraser was fired on December 26. Recently fired Colorado Avalanche head coach Bob Hartley was named his replacement on January 15. The rotating captaincy was discontinued two days later when McEachern was named permanent captain.
The Thrashers struggled defensively, allowing the most goals (284) and the most short-handed goals (14) of any team in the league.

### Final standings

Southeast Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 219 | 210 | 93 |
| 2 | 6 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 39 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 224 | 220 | 92 |
| 3 | 11 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 31 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 226 | 284 | 74 |
| 4 | 13 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 24 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 176 | 237 | 70 |
| 5 | 15 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 22 | 43 | 11 | 6 | 171 | 240 | 61 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 52 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 263 | 182 | 113 |
| 2 | Y- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 46 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 216 | 166 | 108 |
| 3 | Y- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 219 | 210 | 93 |
| 4 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 45 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 211 | 166 | 107 |
| 5 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 44 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 236 | 208 | 98 |
| 6 | X- Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 39 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 224 | 220 | 92 |
| 7 | X- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 36 | 31 | 11 | 4 | 245 | 237 | 87 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 224 | 231 | 83 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 32 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 210 | 231 | 78 |
| 10 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 30 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 206 | 234 | 77 |
| 11 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 31 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 226 | 284 | 74 |
| 12 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 27 | 37 | 10 | 8 | 190 | 219 | 72 |
| 13 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 24 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 176 | 237 | 70 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 27 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 189 | 255 | 65 |
| 15 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 22 | 43 | 11 | 6 | 171 | 240 | 61 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results

2002–03 regular season :
October: 0–8–1–1 (home: 0–3–0–1; road: 0–5–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 11, 20023–5@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)0–1–0–0Recap
2OTLOctober 12, 20024–5 OTFlorida Panthers (2002–03)0–1–0–1Recap
3LOctober 16, 20022–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)0–2–0–1Recap
4LOctober 18, 20025–8@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)0–3–0–1Recap
5LOctober 19, 20024–5New York Islanders (2002–03)0–4–0–1Recap
6LOctober 21, 20022–3@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)0–5–0–1Recap
7LOctober 23, 20021–2New Jersey Devils (2002–03)0–6–0–1Recap
8LOctober 26, 20023–4@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)0–7–0–1Recap
9LOctober 29, 20020–4Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)0–8–0–1Recap
10TOctober 31, 20023–3 OT@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)0–8–1–1Recap :
November: 6–6–0–0 (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 2–3–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
11WNovember 2, 20023–1@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)1–8–1–1Recap
12LNovember 7, 20020–5@ Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03)1–9–1–1Recap
13WNovember 9, 20026–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)2–9–1–1Recap
14WNovember 11, 20022–1Calgary Flames (2002–03)3–9–1–1Recap
15WNovember 13, 20023–2 OTSan Jose Sharks (2002–03)4–9–1–1Recap
16LNovember 15, 20021–5Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03)4–10–1–1Recap
17LNovember 17, 20021–5Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)4–11–1–1Recap
18WNovember 19, 20024–3 OTFlorida Panthers (2002–03)5–11–1–1Recap
19LNovember 22, 20021–3Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)5–12–1–1Recap
20LNovember 23, 20023–6@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)5–13–1–1Recap
21LNovember 26, 20022–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)5–14–1–1Recap
22WNovember 28, 20027–4New York Rangers (2002–03)6–14–1–1Recap :
December: 4–7–0–3 (home: 2–3–0–1; road: 2–4–0–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
23WDecember 1, 20025–4Washington Capitals (2002–03)7–14–1–1Recap
24OTLDecember 5, 20023–4 OT@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)7–14–1–2Recap
25OTLDecember 6, 20026–7 OT@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)7–14–1–3Recap
26LDecember 8, 20020–3Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)7–15–1–3Recap
27LDecember 11, 20022–4@ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03)7–16–1–3Recap
28LDecember 13, 20021–3@ Dallas Stars (2002–03)7–17–1–3Recap
29LDecember 14, 20020–4@ St. Louis Blues (2002–03)7–18–1–3Recap
30WDecember 16, 20021–0Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)8–18–1–3Recap
31LDecember 18, 20021–3Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)8–19–1–3Recap
32OTLDecember 20, 20022–3 OTCarolina Hurricanes (2002–03)8–19–1–4Recap
33LDecember 23, 20021–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)8–20–1–4Recap
34WDecember 27, 20025–3@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)9–20–1–4Recap
35LDecember 28, 20020–1Boston Bruins (2002–03)9–21–1–4Recap
36WDecember 30, 20023–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)10–21–1–4Recap :
January: 7–6–2–0 (home: 4–4–2–0; road: 3–2–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
37LJanuary 2, 20031–8@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)10–22–1–4Recap
38LJanuary 3, 20031–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)10–23–1–4Recap
39LJanuary 5, 20034–5Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)10–24–1–4Recap
40TJanuary 7, 20033–3 OTCarolina Hurricanes (2002–03)10–24–2–4Recap
41WJanuary 9, 20033–2 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)11–24–2–4Recap
42LJanuary 11, 20033–7@ New York Islanders (2002–03)11–25–2–4Recap
43WJanuary 13, 20037–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)12–25–2–4Recap
44WJanuary 15, 20031–0Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)13–25–2–4Recap
45WJanuary 17, 20033–1Boston Bruins (2002–03)14–25–2–4Recap
46LJanuary 19, 20031–4New York Islanders (2002–03)14–26–2–4Recap
47WJanuary 21, 20038–4St. Louis Blues (2002–03)15–26–2–4Recap
48TJanuary 23, 20033–3 OTOttawa Senators (2002–03)15–26–3–4Recap
49WJanuary 25, 20034–1@ New York Rangers (2002–03)16–26–3–4Recap
50WJanuary 28, 20035–2New York Rangers (2002–03)17–26–3–4Recap
51LJanuary 30, 20032–5Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)17–27–3–4Recap :
February: 4–5–2–0 (home: 1–2–1–0; road: 3–3–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
52WFebruary 4, 20034–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)18–27–3–4Recap
53WFebruary 7, 20034–2@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)19–27–3–4Recap
54LFebruary 8, 20031–3@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)19–28–3–4Recap
55LFebruary 12, 20031–5Washington Capitals (2002–03)19–29–3–4Recap
56TFebruary 14, 20032–2 OTTampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)19–29–4–4Recap
57LFebruary 15, 20032–6Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)19–30–4–4Recap
58WFebruary 17, 20034–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (2002–03)20–30–4–4Recap
59LFebruary 19, 20030–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)20–31–4–4Recap
60TFebruary 23, 20033–3 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)20–31–5–4Recap
61LFebruary 25, 20030–8@ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03)20–32–5–4Recap
62WFebruary 27, 20034–3 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03)21–32–5–4Recap :
March: 8–6–2–1 (home: 3–4–1–1; road: 5–2–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
63LMarch 1, 20031–4@ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)21–33–5–4Recap
64WMarch 2, 20034–1@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)22–33–5–4Recap
65TMarch 6, 20034–4 OT@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)22–33–6–4Recap
66LMarch 7, 20031–2Florida Panthers (2002–03)22–34–6–4Recap
67LMarch 9, 20034–6Minnesota Wild (2002–03)22–35–6–4Recap
68WMarch 11, 20033–2@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)23–35–6–4Recap
69LMarch 13, 20032–4Montreal Canadiens (2002–03)23–36–6–4Recap
70WMarch 15, 20035–3Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)24–36–6–4Recap
71WMarch 17, 20033–2Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)25–36–6–4Recap
72OTLMarch 19, 20034–5 OTDallas Stars (2002–03)25–36–6–5Recap
73LMarch 21, 20031–5Ottawa Senators (2002–03)25–37–6–5Recap
74WMarch 22, 20033–2@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)26–37–6–5Recap
75LMarch 24, 20032–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)26–38–6–5Recap
76WMarch 26, 20035–1Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)27–38–6–5Recap
77TMarch 28, 20031–1 OTNew Jersey Devils (2002–03)27–38–7–5Recap
78WMarch 29, 20033–2@ Nashville Predators (2002–03)28–38–7–5Recap
79WMarch 31, 20034–3 OT@ New York Rangers (2002–03)29–38–7–5Recap :
April: 2–1–0–0 (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 1–1–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
80LApril 2, 20033–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)29–39–7–5Recap
81WApril 5, 20033–2@ New York Islanders (2002–03)30–39–7–5Recap
82WApril 6, 20036–2Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)31–39–7–5Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Thrashers only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Thrashers only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 15 | Dany Heatley | LW | 77 | 41 | 48 | 89 | −8 | 58 |
| 13 | Vyacheslav Kozlov | LW | 79 | 21 | 49 | 70 | −10 | 66 |
| 17 | Ilya Kovalchuk | LW | 81 | 38 | 29 | 67 | −24 | 57 |
| 9 | Marc Savard† | C | 57 | 16 | 31 | 47 | −11 | 77 |
| 27 | Patrik Stefan | C | 71 | 13 | 21 | 34 | −10 | 12 |
| 38 | Yannick Tremblay | D | 75 | 8 | 22 | 30 | −27 | 32 |
| 19 | Shawn McEachern | RW | 46 | 10 | 16 | 26 | −27 | 28 |
| 12 | Tony Hrkac | C | 80 | 9 | 17 | 26 | −16 | 14 |
| 8 | Frantisek Kaberle | D | 79 | 7 | 19 | 26 | −19 | 32 |
| 25 | Andy Sutton | D | 53 | 3 | 18 | 21 | −8 | 114 |
| 23 | Lubos Bartecko | LW | 37 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 8 |
| 36 | Daniel Tjarnqvist | D | 75 | 3 | 12 | 15 | −20 | 26 |
| 37 | Dan Snyder | C | 36 | 10 | 4 | 14 | −4 | 34 |
| 18 | Brad Tapper | RW | 35 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 23 |
| 26 | Pascal Rheaume‡ | C | 56 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −8 | 24 |
| 42 | Richard Smehlik‡ | D | 43 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −4 | 16 |
| 4 | Chris Tamer | D | 72 | 1 | 9 | 10 | −10 | 118 |
| 16 | Jeff Cowan | LW | 66 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −15 | 115 |
| 39 | Per Svartvadet | C | 62 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −11 | 8 |
| 3 | Mark Hartigan | C | 23 | 5 | 2 | 7 | −8 | 6 |
| 20 | Jeff Odgers | RW | 74 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −13 | 171 |
| 7 | Chris Herperger‡ | C | 27 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −11 | 7 |
| 22 | Kamil Piros | C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 43 | Mike Weaver | D | 40 | 0 | 5 | 5 | −5 | 20 |
| 29 | Kirill Safronov | D | 32 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −10 | 14 |
| 31 | Pasi Nurminen | G | 52 | 0 | 3 | 3 | | 4 |
| 10 | Yuri Butsayev | LW | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −5 | 8 |
| 50 | Joe DiPenta | D | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | Garnet Exelby | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41 |
| 14 | Tomi Kallio‡ | LW | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 4 |
| 6 | Francis Lessard | RW | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 61 |
| 45 | Ben Simon | LW | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 49 | Zdenek Blatny | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 35 | Frederic Cassivi | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe† | G | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 28 | Jeff Farkas† | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| 47 | Kurtis Foster | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 41 | Simon Gamache | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 33 | Milan Hnilicka | G | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 44 | Uwe Krupp | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 10 |
| 11 | J. P. Vigier | RW | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −13 | 4 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Thrashers only.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 31 | Pasi Nurminen | 52 | 21 | 19 | 5 | 1452 | 137 | 2.88 | .906 | 2 | 2856 |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe† | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 472 | 65 | 4.36 | .862 | 0 | 895 |
| 33 | Milan Hnilicka | 21 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 605 | 65 | 3.56 | .893 | 0 | 1097 |
| 35 | Frederic Cassivi | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 11 | 5.37 | .810 | 0 | 123 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Dany Heatley |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Dany Heatley (March 31) |
| Team | Community Service Award | Chris Tamer |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Jeff Odgers |
| Team | Team MVP | Dany Heatley |
| Team | Three Stars of the Game Award | Dany Heatley |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Simon Gamache | March 7, 2003 |
| First game | Garnet Exelby | March 11, 2003 |
| First game | Zdenek Blatny | March 19, 2003 |
| First game | Kurtis Foster | March 31, 2003 |
| First game | Joe DiPenta | April 2, 2003 |

## Transactions

The Thrashers were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) | To Atlanta ThrashersVancouver’s 3rd-round pick in 2002NY Rangers’ 4th-round pick in 2003 | To Florida PanthersFuture considerations |
| June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) | To Atlanta ThrashersVyacheslav Kozlov2nd-round pick in 2002 | To Buffalo Sabres2nd-round pick in 2002Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in 2002 |
| June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) | To Atlanta ThrashersDetroit’s 1st-round pick in 2002 | To Columbus Blue JacketsBuffalo’s 2nd-round pick in 2002Detroit’s 3rd-round pick in 2002 |
| June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23) | To Atlanta Thrashers 8th-round pick in 20027th-round pick in 2003 | To San Jose Sharks New Jersey’s 7th-round pick in 2002 |
| June 29, 2002 (2002-06-29) | To Atlanta ThrashersShawn McEachern6th-round pick in 2004 | To Ottawa SenatorsBrian Pothier |
| October 4, 2002 (2002-10-04) | To Atlanta ThrashersFuture considerations | To Dallas StarsStephane Robidas |
| November 15, 2002 (2002-11-15) | To Atlanta ThrashersMarc Savard | To Calgary FlamesRights to Ruslan Zainullin |
| December 2, 2002 (2002-12-02) | To Atlanta ThrashersChris NielsenPetteri Nummelin | To Columbus Blue JacketsTomi KallioPauli Levokari |
| January 20, 2003 (2003-01-20) | To Atlanta ThrashersJeff Farkas | To Vancouver CanucksChris HerpergerChris Nielsen |
| February 24, 2003 (2003-02-24) | To Atlanta ThrashersConditional draft pick in 2004 | To New Jersey DevilsPascal Rheaume |
| March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10) | To Atlanta Thrashers4th-round pick in 2003 | To New Jersey DevilsRichard SmehlikConditional draft pick in 2004 |
| March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) | To Atlanta ThrashersRights to Anthony Aquino | To Dallas StarsDallas’ 6th-round pick in 2003Future considerations |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Via |
| July 10, 2002 (2002-07-10) | Richard Smehlik | Buffalo Sabres | Free agency |
| July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19) | Uwe Krupp | Detroit Red Wings | Free agency |
| July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) | Dallas Eakins | Calgary Flames | Free agency |
| August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) | Chris Herperger | Ottawa Senators | Free agency |
| October 4, 2002 (2002-10-04) | Stephane Robidas | Montreal Canadiens | Waiver draft |
| November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) | Byron Dafoe | Boston Bruins | Free agency |
| March 28, 2003 (2003-03-28) | Brian Maloney | Michigan State University (CCHA) | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01) | Damian Rhodes | | Buyout |
| July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) | Todd Reirden | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05) | Bryan Adams | Detroit Red Wings | Free agency (VI) |
| August 21, 2002 (2002-08-21) | Scott Fankhouser | Reading Royals (ECHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| August 30, 2002 (2002-08-30) | Adam Burt | | Retirement (III) |
| N/A | Jeff Dessner | Iserlohn Roosters (DEL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| April 27, 2003 (2003-04-27) | Uwe Krupp | | Retirement |
| June 8, 2003 (2003-06-08) | Norm Maracle | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RSL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 27, 2002 (2002-06-27) | Jeff Cowan | | Re-signing |
| June 27, 2002 (2002-06-27) | Andy Sutton | | Re-signing |
| July 11, 2002 (2002-07-11) | Pauli Levokari | | Entry-level |
| July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18) | Pascal Rheaume | | Re-signing |
| July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18) | Brad Tapper | | Re-signing |
| July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18) | Mike Weaver | | Re-signing |
| July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) | Paul Flache | | Entry-level |
| July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) | Michael Garnett | | Entry-level |
| July 25, 2002 (2002-07-25) | Patrik Stefan | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) | Tomi Kallio | | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) | Vyacheslav Kozlov | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) | Ben Simon | | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2002 (2002-08-08) | Yannick Tremblay | | Re-signing |
| August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09) | Mark Hartigan | | Re-signing |
| August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19) | Francis Lessard | | Re-signing |
| August 27, 2002 (2002-08-27) | Dan Snyder | | Re-signing |
| August 27, 2002 (2002-08-27) | Daniel Tjarnqvist | | Re-signing |
| September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10) | Yuri Butsayev | | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11) | Milan Hnilicka | | Re-signing |
| March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) | Shawn McEachern | multi-year | Extension |
| June 4, 2003 (2003-06-04) | Kari Lehtonen | | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Atlanta's draft picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 2 | Kari Lehtonen | Finland | Jokerit (Finland) |
| 1 | 30 | Jim Slater | United States | Michigan State University (CCHA) |
| 4 | 116 | Patrick Dwyer | United States | Western Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 4 | 124 | Lane Manson | Canada | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) |
| 5 | 144 | Paul Flache | Canada | Brampton Battalion (OHL) |
| 6 | 167 | Brad Schell | Canada | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) |
| 7 | 198 | Nathan Oystrick | Canada | Northern Michigan University (CCHA) |
| 8 | 230 | Colton Fretter | Canada | Chatham Maroons (WOHL) |
| 8 | 236 | Tyler Boldt | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 8 | 257 | Pauli Levokari | Finland | HIFK (Finland) |