Did the Chicago Black Hawks make the right decision after the winning the cup in 2010? At the time they had to make some big decisions due to the salary cap in the off season. They had to cut some actual meat off the bone from a team that was deep in talent. Who you keep as part of your core and those decisions can always come back to haunt you. They could keep you up at night. They could send you to the unemployment line. Even though how many hockey executives are starving these days? The one move that bothered me was trading away Dustin Byfuglien.

Dustin Byfuglien was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. They brought him up as he was seasoned in the minor leagues by the Hawks. He came up as a defenseman but Hawks had other plans for the 6’5 265 pound man known as “BIG BUF”. They switched his position and made him a right winger. The big net presence was huge for the Black Hawks especially in the playoffs. He tallied 11 goals along with 5 assists in the 2010 playoffs. Three of those goals were in the finals. The way he cleared out defensemen as he bulldozed his way to the front of the net to expect the rebound. He drove the biscuit in the basket for a Blackhawk score. It seemed to be a common theme however a theme that did not last that long as he was shipped off to the Atlanta Thrashers. It did not seem that long as he might still have tasted champagne from the holy grail a few days before the shocking news came to him as he was traded.

Atlanta Thrashers moved and became the new old Winnipeg Jets. The original Jets moved from Winnipeg to Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes. While Byfuglien continues to play now for the new Jets, the Blackhawks have won two more Stanley Cups. Finally this season all the pieces were in place and the Jets not only made the playoffs, but have found themselves three games away from getting into the Stanley Cup Championship. In 2015 the Ducks easily swept the Jets out of the first round. This year the Jets have a high octane offense from their young superstars. Dustin Byfuglien is the assistant captain and he is a big part of the Jets defense. He is quarterback of the power play. He uses his big body to knock guys through the boards who most likely come away seeing stars. Plus he leads all defensemen in scoring throughout the playoffs. Big Buf has tallied  5 goals and 10 assists as he has slapped some screamers through the net for big scores to help Winnipeg knock out a great Nashville team.

Last time we saw the Blackhawks in the playoffs, they were swept by Nashville. This year the Blackhawks did not make the playoffs. It ended a nice run. Would things of been different if the Hawks would of kept Dustin Byfuglien? This season especially, it looked like Seabrook and Keith were ready for the retirement home. They have been on the decline for a long time. They looked very slow and lethargic-like on the ice. They were exposed more as the Hawks super star goalie Crawford missed most of the season. For years, Crawford bailed out the team’s defense by becoming a brick wall as pucks bounced off more and more every game.  Brent Seabrook only had seven goals while Duncan Keith had only two goals. Byfuglien has 5 goals in 13 playoff games so far. The main staples of the defense lost their zest for scoring. Plus they look like they’re washed up, while Big Buf has a lot of game left in his big frame.

Stan Bowman might be looking at himself in the mirror thinking he gave up the wrong guy after the first cup was won. However would the Hawks of put Byfuglien back at defense? I know he’s not a goon but he can be an enforcer. But Byfuglien should of been kept for his scoring and he was a big guy that could unleash you against the boards with ease. Some of the things I think the Hawks were missing was Guys like Byfuglien and Shaw that were able to stand in front of the net and fight for the puck and poke it in. Plus these two guys never backed down and were able to take hits and also give them. Plus Big Buf was able to throw down the gloves and protect the team’s superstars. He would lay out most of the guys as well. The Blackhawks have lacked toughness over the last few seasons and maybe before then. Watching Big Buf play defense brings you back to the days when Duncan Keith played like an animal spitting his own teeth out like a pez dispenser. It’s the typical Chicago way as they always send the wrong guys packing and for sure they always come back to haunt you. Plus they go on to win somewhere else. Sometimes you wished the brain trust of the people running our teams in Chicago would be traded away. It seems they hold on to these jobs like the Pope in the Vatican.