Blackhawks and Thrashers: Wheelin’ and Dealin’

BallHype: hype it up!
NHLHS Chicago Blackhawks Correspondent Ryan Hackett and his thoughts on the blockbuster deal made between the Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers.
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OK, so according to league sources, this trade has been made official.
In the interest of getting the logistics out of the way, here’s how it breaks down:
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
  • Marty Reasoner
  • Jeremy Morin
  • Joey Crabb
  • 2010 first round draft pick (via New Jersey)
  • 2010 second round draft pick (also via New Jersey)
Atlanta Thrashers receive:
  • Akim Aliu
  • Ben Eager
  • Brent Sopel
  • Dustin Byfuglien
First off, the Thrashers can look forward to solid contributions from veteran blueliner Brent Sopel.  It might be fair to say no one has had a bigger turn-around season wearing the Indian Head sweater than Sopel.  After getting dogged night in and night out by the Blackhawks faithful just one season ago, he has turned into a penalty-killing dynamo and shot-blocker extraordinaire.  It is unclear just how many more years he will be able to fling himself in front of blistering slapshots, but he will give everything he’s got until the tank is empty, that’s for sure. 
Ben Eager is a guy who will be a good fourth line addition for Atlanta, grinding out minutes, taking the body, and losing a fight every third game or so.  Now Dustin Byfuglien, or ”Big Buff” as he is now known to Blackhawks fans, will be an interesting story to watch.  He had, admittedly, a mediocre regular season at best.  He left Chicago fans wondering where that spark was that everyone saw in the 2009 playoffs.  Fast forward to the post-season, and he re-etched his face onto the inside of Roberto Luongo’s eyelids for eternity, likely costing the Vancouver Canucks netminder months of restful slumber.  The question with Byfuglien will be whether he can be motivated to bust his tail for a full regular season as a leader with the Thrashers, or if he just shows up when he wants to and was more a product of being on the ice with two of the league’s most dynamic young talents in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
As for what the Hawks acquire in return, let’s start with the 33 year-old journeyman center Marty Reasoner.  Drafted 14th overall in 1996 by the St. Louis Blues, Reasoner has bounced around the league (including two stints with the Edmonton Oilers) as a career fourth-liner.  Even after suffering a knee injury in 2003, he has proven that he can play close to, and up to, a full NHL season, but unfortunately, has not proven much ability to find the back of the net.  He could prove to be a quasi-reasonable substitute for John Madden, who will likely not return next season.
The second piece of the trade puzzle coming back to Chicago is youngster Jeremy Morin. No, not that Jeremy Morin.  The one chosen in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Thrashers.  A right-handed shot who prefers the off-wing, Morin is known for a quick stick and a hard shot, and a solid backchecking ability.  Best of all, according to NHL.com, his favorite player (who also happens to possess his favorite goal celebration) is none other than Chicago’s Patrick Kane.  Sounds like he might fit in well with the Hawks.
In addition to the prospects, and arguably more important, the Blackhawks are also reported to receive both a first and a second round pick that the New Jersey Devils dealt to Atlanta in exchange for Ilya Kovalchuk.  They may have their eye on a couple of young goaltenders in this year’s draft to back up Antti Niemi, as well as some defensemen to shore up the blue line.
All in all, this deal makes quite a bit of sense for both sides.  The Thrashers add impactful talent on their end that they can add to what they have already gained in the Kovalchuk deal in the hopes that they can put together a winning team.
In the end, however, it’s the Blackhawks who take the most away from this.  They gain a solid prospect in Morin with tremendous potential, a possible fourth line grinder in Reasoner, and a pair of high draft picks with which to reload an already young team.  Not to mention they dump over $5 million in salary, something which will come in handy when attempting to retain other key pieces such as Niemi and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
As much as it may pain some Windy City locals to lose these guys, in the long run, it could very well prove to be crucial to the staying power of the Blackhawks as a Stanley Cup contender for years to come.  Through all of this, the happiest person just might be Luongo, as he only sees the Thrashers once next regular season.

Ryan Hackett
NHLHS Chicago Blackhawks Correspondent
rhackett@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @hawknut