Jim Neveau of the Hockey Writers details a little about Atlanta’s Dustin Byfuglien. He’s gone from championship forward with the Chicago Blackhawks to early season league leader in points for defensemen with the Thrashers.
Laura Astorian, author of the hockey blog Thrashing the Blues, also gives credit for Byfuglien’s success to his pairing with Enstrom. She thinks Byfuglien being “focused on picking up and joining in on the rush” is a good thing, but adds that “thankfully he’s paired with Toby. [In those situations] Toby can kind of come up behind him as a failsafe.”
Having someone to watch his back has emboldened the potential All-Star, and he seems to be a virtual lock to surpass his career highs in all offensive categories. With all of this talk of his willingness to jump in on the rush, the inevitable question has to be:
Is Byfuglien’s Resurgence Coming at the Expense of His Defense?
For the answers and much more, check it out for a great pre-game feature on one of the league’s best players so far this season.