The battle between former Chicago Blackhawks teammates has been one sided
If there was a battle raging between former Chicago Blackhawks teammates Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien the latter two players would have the upper hand early in the 2010-11 campaign.
During the 2010 off-season the Blackhawks were forced to part ways with several of their role players from their cup winning squad. Three of the most talked about moves involved Versteeg, Byfuglien and Ladd.
Versteeg was shipped off to the Toronto Maple Leafs for youngster Viktor Stalberg. The trade allowed the Blackhawks to dump Versteeg’s $3.1 million contract in favour of Stalberg’s far more manageable one-year $850,000 deal. The Leafs were hoping that Versteeg
could become a staple on their first line, while the Blackhawks expected Stalberg to slot in nicely on a brand new third line.
Similarly, the Blackhawks were forced to part ways with Ladd and Byfuglien, sending both them to the Atlanta Thrashers in order to clear cap space for top line talent.
Although the Blackhawks have missed the production Versteeg, Ladd and Byfuglien gave them last season, there is no denying that the club did manage to save a great deal of money by parting ways with their former role players. Together the triumvirate makes
over $8 million a season. Chicago was able to rebuild their third and fourth lines by acquiring six players, who combined make under $4 million.
When taking a look at the value of the four players involved in the trades over the summer it is clear that the Thrashers, so far, have gotten the best of the deal. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have gotten solid production from the low-paid Stalberg and the
Leafs are likely the most disappointed to date with their acquisition, Versteeg.
Ladd and Byfuglien have been simply outstanding for the Thrashers, as they are tied for the team lead in points, both with four goals and nine assists for 14 points. Ladd is playing on the first forward line, while Byfuglien has been the club’s number one
defenseman. Moreover, the club is tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have not been able to find their stride this year and much of that may be due to the loss of their major role players. Nevertheless, Chicago still remains competitive and currently sits in sixth in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks
have also been getting solid production out of Stalberg, as the native of Sweden has tallied four goals and four assists in 16 games this season, playing on the club’s third line. Although Chicago is missing the production of Ladd and Byfuglien they have to
be pleased with Stalberg, who makes less than half of what Byfuglien does and is performing slightly above his pay grade.
Conversely, Versteeg has not been productive for the Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old has only managed two goals and three assists in 13 games with the ‘Buds’ and is a team worst minus-six. Making matters worse is the fact that Versteeg gets first line minutes
and is the highest paid of the four players moved over the summer. In addition, the Leafs are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Blackhawks were forced to sell off major parts of their team over the summer. These role players were traded or moved to teams in the hopes that they would be able to develop into first line players and while that philosophy seems to have paid off for
the Thrashers, the Maple Leafs are still in limbo, as they wait for their major summer acquisition to start producing.
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