Blackhawks trade Byfuglien, Eager and More to Atlanta

Looking to free up cap space before this offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks got right to work and made a major trade with the Atlanta Thrashers. The Blackhawks sent Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, and prospect Akim Aliu to the Atlanta Thrashers for the a first round (#24 overall) and second round (#54 overall) pick in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft. Chicago also received a couple players in the deal; veteran Marty Reasoner and prospect Jeremy Morin.

The move saves the Hawks almost $6 million in salary next year, and gives them a sliver of cash to resign some more of the core that will be looking to defend their Stanley Cup Championship next season. The acquiring of picks gives the Hawks two first round picks, and five total picks in the first two rounds possibly.

With so many picks, and so many questions about the roster in the future, expect the Hawks to be quite active during the next 72 hours or more.  Once the dust settles on the trades, picks, and contract decisions, this Chicago Blackhawks squad could look a bit different then the one parading through downtown.

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