Since they joined the NHL in 1999, the Atlanta Thrashers have never had an established goaltender, one who has a presence when he puts on the gear. Now they do with the signing of Byron Dafoe.

The franchise's first goaltender, Damian Rhodes, had never been a clear-cut No. 1 and lacked leadership ability. And then the Thrashers went with Milan Hnilicka, who was at best a third-tier No. 1 goalie, not good enough to get by in the NHL.

With the state of Atlanta's defense, especially without Richard Smehlik for 2-4 weeks, Dafoe won't be able to save the day for Atlanta and have the same impact he had in Boston last season, when he won 35 games. But just his experience and knowledge of the game will help settle things down in his own zone.

It's important for teams to keep their morale as high as possible. But poor goaltending has been contributing to the Thrashers' low morale, their No. 1 problem. While the Thrashers own the league's worst goals-against average (3.78), Hnilicka seemed to be giving up at least one bad goal a game. Taking away the one bad goal, the average isn't that bad, especially with their offense.

Pasi Nurminen did a nice job, and his save percentage and goals-against average have been admirable, but he was never going to be the Thrashers' long-term No. 1 goalie.

In the last NHL entry draft, the Thrashers picked goalie Kari Lehtonen with the second overall pick. Having a veteran like Dafoe around is a better scenario for a young goaltender. Out of respect for the league, the Thrashers couldn't just throw Lehtonen in the net and think everything would be fine. If Atlanta can keep Dafoe for more than two years, he and Lehtonen could be a good combination for the future, with Dafoe serving as a mentor for Lehtonen.

Because Dafoe has had a long layoff from the game, the Thrashers must be careful about how they use Dafoe right away. He has had some hamstring injuries. As we've seen in the past with Sean Burke, the hamstring is not as strong as it once was after having a strain or a tear.

The Thrashers could either play him at home Friday against Pittsburgh, or they could let him watch and get acclimated Friday and then play him Saturday at Washington. I'd be leery about playing him in back-to-back games because he hasn't faced the strain of going post to post and moving around the crease. He can't just be thrown into the fire; at the same time, though, adapting to the NHL pace is a lot easier than people think for a 10-year veteran like Dafoe.

But if he is healthy enough to play, the perfect scenario may be for him to skate Thursday and then play Friday. It's a home game. The fans' morale will be high because they will be excited with a new player in town. Plus, the attendance at Philips Arena for Tuesday night's game against Florida was only 9,012.

I've seen this happen before: With the presence of a veteran goaltender, the players play a little bit better, they are calmer with the puck, they make smarter decisions and they play with more confidence because they know who is behind them. The Thrashers are not as bad as their record indicates, and Dafoe might be the boost they need.

Darren Pang, a former goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, is a hockey analyst for ESPN. His goalie rankings appear every other week in Net Effect.