Chicago Blackhawks: Time to bring back Dustin Byfuglien?

The Chicago Blackhawks need some help on the blue line and an old friend just became available. Could Dustin Byfuglien be an option for them?

The Chicago Blackhawks lost some important players after their run to the Stanley Cup in 2010. The biggest was Dustin Byfuglien. He ended up signing with the Atlanta Thrashers ahead of the 2010-11 season as a defending champion. Atlanta moved to become the Winnipeg Jets one year later where he would really become a superstar. He was great with Chicago and Winnipeg throughout his somewhat strange career.

Aside from being forced out of Chicago to go to a team that would relocate, there is another thing that made his career a little unique. In his transition to another team, he completely switched to a different position. It isn’t like he switched from center to wing either, he moved from forward to defensemen. He was a good forward but he became a great defenseman. He was so good that he had Norris Trophy votes six times throughout his career, although he never ended up winning it.

Well, last week the Winnipeg Jets and the National Hockey League made an announcement. Right before the season, Byfuglien took a personal leave of absence because he needed a break from the game. He was granted that leave by the Winnipeg Jets but after a while, they had to formally suspend him for the good of their hockey team. The NHL and NHL Players Association mutually agreed to terminate Byfuglien’s contract. He is a free agent.

Now that begs the big question. Is he going to continue playing or is he going to retire? He is 35 years old and had played in the National Hockey League for 14 years before taking this year off. He has won the Stanley Cup so needing to get that done is checked off his list. A lot of people want to know if the Hawks should bring him back for one little farewell tour with his old team.

A lot of people think that is a good idea but the honest answer is that it probably isn’t a good idea. At 35 years old, he really doesn’t fit the direction that the Hawks should be going in. He is still a very good defenseman but this Hawks blue line is about to get a lot younger. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are both on the older side now and Calvin de Haan will be 29 in a few weeks. Outside of them, Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, and Connor Murphy are much younger and that is the direction that they seem to be going in.

Byfuglien might be able to help in the short term but it is probably better in the long term for some of the young kids to continue getting minutes to grow their game. Byfuglien will be able to find a home if he wants to resume playing hockey in 2020-21 but the Blackhawks probably aren’t the best fit for him anymore.