Fansided

5 NHL teams that should sign defenseman Dustin Byfuglien

By Mike Zawisza

SAN JOSE, CA - JANUARY 16: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on January 16, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - JANUARY 16: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on January 16, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – MARCH 10: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets at Pepsi Center on March 10, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – MARCH 10: Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets at Pepsi Center on March 10, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Jets 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado’s rise to the top of the NHL’s best has been electric. The Avalanche bagged 22 wins during a historically bad 2016-17 season and were looked lost under rookie head coach Jared Bednar. Just three seasons later, Bednar and company have posted back-to-back-to-back 90-point campaigns and feature one of the league’s best scoring attacks.

Lead by Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, the Avs are set to be one of the league’s contenders for the next decade. Byfuglien would help make an immediate impact and provides them yet another tool in their arsenal.

However, Byfuglien’s biggest impact could be his potential mentorship of defenseman wunderkind, Cale Makar. Makar made his debut for the Avalanche last season during the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Calgary Flames, and what a debut it was. Makar posted a goal and five assists in 10 games during the playoffs, without having ever played an NHL game beforehand.

His rookie season has been just as impressive, with Makar tallying 50 points in 58 games and maintaining a spot in the Calder conversation.

Byfuglien is just the defenseman to further foster Makar’s offensive instincts while also instilling within him a bit of grit and physicality as well. The two are at opposite ends of the physical spectrum, with about six inches and nearly 100 pounds separating them, but Byfuglien had to learn to play within his frame, and that’s a worthwhile lesson for any NHL player.

Add in Byfuglien’s 50-point potential to the equation and the Avalanche could cement themselves as the apex predator in the Western Conference.

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