This fall when I was getting ready for my NHL fantasy draft I made up a list of dudes that I wanted to draft if possible. It wasn’t my first rodeo. When the 5th, 6th and even 7th rounds went by I was amazed that I was still getting guys that were in my top 50 or 60.
However, the biggest surprise and maybe the biggest steal in the draft may have come in the 8th round. Because with the 99th overall pick in the draft I grabbed Atlanta’s Dustin Byfuglien and never looked back.
Just before our draft the reports had surfaced that the Thrashers were going to move Byfuglien back to the blue line even though he had lit up the world in the Blackhawks Stanley Cup run last summer. I don’t know if people were worried that the change was going to render him moot. Or if he was thought of so much as a power forward that his spot on defense would be in the 2nd or 3rd pair. But either way I was able to lock him up tight.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the stats this season then you are missing out for sure. Dustin Byfuglien is leading all NHL Dmen with 11 goals, 22 assists and 33 points. He also has 5 game winning goals. 4 goals and 10 assists on the power play. 35 penalty minutes. 132 shots on goal. And he’s a +8!
I’m getting more production from this guy than I could have ever hoped out of a mid-round pick.
He should be an All-Star but after 4 weeks of voting he was sitting in the 10th slot among defensemen.
He should be strongly considered for the Norris Trophy if he keeps this pace up. But we’ll wait to see what happens since he’s stuck in Atlanta.
The reason for the piece was really 2 fold… 1 to swoon over how awesome Dustin Byfuglien has been this year so far. And 2, to brag about getting him in the 8th round with 99th pick!
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