Byfuglien Shipped to Thrashers

TSN reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are in the midst of sending forwards Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Akim Aliu, and defenseman, Brent Sopel, to the Atlanta Thrashers for first and second round picks in the 2010 draft, forward Marty Reasoner, Jeremy Morin, and Joey Crabb. Byfuglien was a playoff hero for the Blackhawks in their run to winning the Stanley Cup, but moves were necessary for the cash strapped Hawks.

Looking ahead, it was essential for the Blackhawks to clear cap space in order to keep the teams nucleus together. After announcing their desire to keep winger Patrick Sharp in the fold, Byfuglien was obviously deemed to be expendable by GM Stan Bowman and his staff.

This trade works well for both teams, as the Thrashers now have an emerging power forward and a lot of added toughness. However, it remains to be seen if Byfuglien can remain as effective for the Thrashers without the strong supporting cast that he had in Chicago. The Blackhawks in return, collect draft picks and cap space. With the trade, the Blackhawks clear about $4 million in cap space (taking Reasoner's $1.2million for the 2010-2011 season into consideration).

It remains to be seen if there are more moves in store for the Blackhawks. More to follow...