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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ST PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 31: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets and Luke Kunin #19 of the Minnesota Wild push each other for position in front of the net during the game on October 31, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Jets defeated the Wild 2-1. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN – OCTOBER 31: Dustin Byfuglien #33 of the Winnipeg Jets and Luke Kunin #19 of the Minnesota Wild push each other for position in front of the net during the game on October 31, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Jets defeated the Wild 2-1. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Wild

I know what you’re thinking, the Minnesota Wild are a team that can’t even decide what they want to be. For what possible reason would they want to bring in Dustin Byfuglien?

The Wild have gone through a good deal of front office and personnel changes recently as they attempt to find their identity as we move into the Roaring (Quarantined) 20s. Byfuglien is one of the league’s best personalities and his brand of play is immediately recognizable. He’s imposing, free-wheeling and powerful.

Those aren’t traits that have been associated with the Wild as of late. An injection of Byfuglien into their lineup could help whip other players into shape as the team tries to reinsert itself into contender conversation.

However, the biggest reason this marriage makes sense is that Byfuglien is a proud native of the State of Hockey. Though Byfuglien has played in Winnipeg for the majority of his career and his three children were all born there, he often spent summers on Lake Minnesota. Despite selling his Orono property a few years ago, Byfuglien still maintains close ties to home.

Byfuglien is in a spot in his career where he doesn’t need to choose a team based on desire to win the Stanley Cup. He’s taken home that hardware once before and has compiled over 500 points across 800 games during his 14-year career. If he wanted to play out the rest of his career in a low-stress environment close to home, he has certainly earned that right.

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