(As per years past, this is a twin-post with my "regular" blog, where I predicted the Winnipeg Jets would finish fifth in the Central Division in 2019-20).
It's looking more an more like Dustin Byfuglien is at the very least pulling a Mike Fisher and taking a break until the trade deadline, if not full-on retiring. After the losses of Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot, losing Byfuglien would possibly be the final blow into the Winnipeg Jets' unlikely implosion.
They still have a very dependable goalie who is just entering his prime and one of the best offenses in the league, but losing two-thirds of a blue line is an impossible hurdle to overcome without a magic trick or a major trade up one's sleeve.
And Byfuglien is no ordinary defenseman; he's one of a handful of game-changers/game-breakers at his position in the entire league (with Brent Burns, Victor Hedman, P.K. Subban and Erik Karlsson) who can take control of a game by himself with crushing hits, end-to-end rushes, an opportune goal - many times all at once.
There's a reason why the Chicago Blackhawks used to have him play forward on powerplays and when they needed to come from behind: he has the ability to be unstoppable.
He's also a very valuable leader on that Jets team, one with the Stanley Cup-winning experience the team needs to go further in the postseason.
He technically has a contract that is still valid until the end of next season, so if he rediscovers a flame for the game, it's likely Winnipeg will take him back right away, despite having been forced to suspend him for administrative reasons (so his salary doesn't count against the salary cap).
Here he is wearing the Jets' white (away) uniform, on card #GG-DBY from Panini's 2013-14 Titanium set and Game-Worn Gear sub-set:
It features a beautiful dark blue jersey swatch that could be from the home or away uniform.
Showing posts with label Dustin Byfuglien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dustin Byfuglien. Show all posts
Monday, September 30, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Dustin Byfuglien Swatch Card
The off-season is nearly among us, which means we'll soon be due for a ''Dustin Byflugien is fat'' news story, where we'll learn the star defenseman has gained 100 pounds - which he'll lose by the end of training camp - and which will not stop him from scoring 20 goals and topping the 50-point mark as the Winnipeg Jets' leader on the blue line.
The Minneapolis native is a Stanley Cup champion (Chicago Blackhawks, 2010) and two-time NHL All-Star who has a slap shot clocked at nearly 103 mph. I sent him a fan letter and 5 cards in February 2012, and since I never heard back, I jumped on the chance to purchase this card when I saw it on Ebay for under $2:
It's from Panini's 2011-12 Pinnacle collection, and is #36 in the set, the Game Night sub-set. It features a nice, light-blue (though you can't tell so much from the scan!) swatch from an Atlanta Thrashers jersey. While I'm not much of a fan of the Jets' dark (home) jersey, I'm liking the white (away) one more and more as time passes. It's definitely a keeper, though I'd like to see a retro version of their old garbs for their home games.
The Minneapolis native is a Stanley Cup champion (Chicago Blackhawks, 2010) and two-time NHL All-Star who has a slap shot clocked at nearly 103 mph. I sent him a fan letter and 5 cards in February 2012, and since I never heard back, I jumped on the chance to purchase this card when I saw it on Ebay for under $2:
It's from Panini's 2011-12 Pinnacle collection, and is #36 in the set, the Game Night sub-set. It features a nice, light-blue (though you can't tell so much from the scan!) swatch from an Atlanta Thrashers jersey. While I'm not much of a fan of the Jets' dark (home) jersey, I'm liking the white (away) one more and more as time passes. It's definitely a keeper, though I'd like to see a retro version of their old garbs for their home games.
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