BYFUGLIEN TO THRASHERS

[trouble]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=325488


Dustin Byfuglien, one of the breakout players for the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks last season, is in the process of being traded to the Thrashers, pending league approval.

Byfuglien, along with Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu, will be headed to Atlanta in exchange for the 24th overall pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the 54th pick, Marty Reasoner and Jeremy Morin.

The picks that Chicago get in the deal were acquired by Atlanta in the trade that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey last February.

The 25-year-old forward had 17 goals and 17 assists in 82 games with the Hawks last season.

At 6'4, 257 pounds, the Minnesota native will bring his thunderous size and strength to the struggling Thrashers franchise.

Byfuglien was originally selected 245th overall by the Blackhawks in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

More details to follow.

[the toucan kid]

And this is why you don't buy into the game that "just because we have some of the same players as last year's winner, we might win this year"

I'll take that 1st and 2nd thank you very much.

[trouble]

Glad to see that goon gone from the west

[the toucan kid]

Glad to see that goon gone from the west

That too.

[trouble]

This deal knocks abour 3.5 million off the books. Still not enough to get their UFA's signed.. Still more deal to come from the Poor Blackhawks

Byfuglien, Dustin » $3,000,000
Sopel, Brent » $2,333,333
Aliu, Akim » $845,833 Playing in the minor
Eager, Ben » RFA


Reasoner, Marty » $1,150,000
Morin, Jeremy » $977,500

[Madcombinepilot]

I still hate him, and will be glad to see him rot in the east.

good trade for chicago. Sold him at a high value and got WAY too much in return.

[Lancer]

I think this will go down as one of those trades where both the team trading the player and the player lose out.

Byfuglien owes his success to the team he was with more than vice versa. I dare anyone to tell me he doesn't owe his development to the coaching staff and Quenneville. Can anyone tell me that he will have the same staff in Atlanta to keep him in line, on the ice and off his fishing boat? Gee.... going from skating with Patrick Kane and Toews to... Bryan Little, and Evander Kane. I can see 'Buff' tankin in Atlanta.

As for Chicago, yeah they have their stars under contract but it was guys like Byfuglien and - to a lesser extent - Eager who were the x-factors in their win. Who will Chicago have that can replace what those guys brought to the team? Marty "Manitoba Moose" Reasoner? Jeremy Morin? Maybe they're counting on Beach stepping up...

Atlanta got better in this trade, but they're far from challenging for the Cup. Chicago still has to shed more salary to maintain a semblance of a roster beyond their core of stars, which makes their odds for contending even more remote.

As a Canucks fan, I'm giggling my motherf*cking ass all the way to next season. Couldn't happen to a better team.... Have fun being an ass-clown in Atlanta where no one will care to know your name or your ring Dustin....

[Sid Dithers]

A cold hard slap of reality for the Hawks. They won the Cup, so you can't knock them much. But how can you let things go so far awry financially? This in addition to the fact they're going to have to hide Huet and his contract in the minors next season.

[Tciso]

A cold hard slap of reality for the Hawks. They won the Cup, so you can't knock them much. But how can you let things go so far awry financially? This in addition to the fact they're going to have to hide Huet and his contract in the minors next season.

'awry'? I totally agree, but there is a whole school of thought that what they did is how you are supposed to build a team. Build it to explode, and hope you win before the explosion happens.

Chicago, though, is at least getting some pretty good draft pics out of this explosion. I do give them a lot of credit for that.

[the toucan kid]

'awry'? I totally agree, but there is a whole school of thought that what they did is how you are supposed to build a team. Build it to explode, and hope you win before the explosion happens.

Well, no because they wouldn't have to "explode" it, only "alter" it had they not signed a bunch of huge contracts to players who didn't even really help them win. I'm sorry but Campbell wasn't even as good as Sopel, of all people, this playoff.

But the Hawks aren't doomed by a long shot. They have, locked up, a core that puts them in the playoffs every year (barring rash of injuries - which no one can prevent) with a fighting shot, and like you say if they continue to dump their complementary players effectively, they should have a decent stream of young, cheap fillers to buoy up the supporting parts on the club.

[Tciso]

'awry'? I totally agree, but there is a whole school of thought that what they did is how you are supposed to build a team. Build it to explode, and hope you win before the explosion happens.

Well, no because they wouldn't have to "explode" it, only "alter" it had they not signed a bunch of huge contracts to players who didn't even really help them win. I'm sorry but Campbell wasn't even as good as Sopel, of all people, this playoff.

But the Hawks aren't doomed by a long shot. They have, locked up, a core that puts them in the playoffs every year (barring rash of injuries - which no one can prevent) with a fighting shot, and like you say if they continue to dump their complementary players effectively, they should have a decent stream of young, cheap fillers to buoy up the supporting parts on the club.

On the same note, the Canucks have locked up a core that puts them in the playoffs every year with a fighting shot. But, 3 differences. 1) We have not gone past the 1st round for long time. 2) We don't have cap issues like the Hawks, and 3) we didn't have a ton of young talent that we got through the draft by totally sucking for 5 years (at least not recently. We won't mention the 70's, 80's and most of the 90's)

The Hawks will continue to be a good team, but, they did load up for last year, and it worked. But, it is unlikely that they will be a great team next year,or even the year after.

[the toucan kid]

The Hawks will continue to be a good team, but, they did load up for last year, and it worked. But, it is unlikely that they will be a great team next year,or even the year after.

I'm not so sure about that. Particularly because their core includes two really, really great D-men, we don't have that unfortunately.

[Arbour]

The Hawks will continue to be a good team, but, they did load up for last year, and it worked. But, it is unlikely that they will be a great team next year,or even the year after.

I'm not so sure about that. Particularly because their core includes two really, really great D-men, we don't have that unfortunately.

Not to mention a 22 yr old Conn Smythe winner and a 21 year old play maker as forwards who are no where close to realizing there full potential, much the same as their defensive core. I'll stick my neck out and say Byfuglien is to Chicago as B.J. MacDonald was to the Oilers in their hey day. He could rack up the points with Gretzky and when he arrived in Vancouver...(and your now asking yourself who the hell is B.J. MacDonald and I didn't know he played for the Canucks which is exactly my point).

[the toucan kid]

Not to mention a 22 yr old Conn Smythe winner and a 21 year old play maker as forwards who are no where close to realizing there full potential, much the same as their defensive core.

Certainly didn't mean to mitigate them, but I think what separates them from us is that ability to excel with great players in two of the three regions of the game, which until Luongo finds his game again, we can't do.

(and your now asking yourself who the hell is B.J. MacDonald and I didn't know he played for the Canucks which is exactly my point).

That would be me. And I'm sure he's not the first or last example of said trend.

[Tciso]

The Hawks will continue to be a good team, but, they did load up for last year, and it worked. But, it is unlikely that they will be a great team next year,or even the year after.

I'm not so sure about that. Particularly because their core includes two really, really great D-men, we don't have that unfortunately.

Not to mention a 22 yr old Conn Smythe winner and a 21 year old play maker as forwards who are no where close to realizing there full potential, much the same as their defensive core. I'll stick my neck out and say Byfuglien is to Chicago as B.J. MacDonald was to the Oilers in their hey day. He could rack up the points with Gretzky and when he arrived in Vancouver...(and your now asking yourself who the hell is B.J. MacDonald and I didn't know he played for the Canucks which is exactly my point).

Let's see what happens if they have even an average number of injuries. They lost a surprisingly few number of games last year due to injuries, especially during the playoffs. And, with a few other players gone, I just don't see them dominating next year.