moy I never had any issue giving credit to Byfuglien for his start to the season, and i always said that the Hawks would miss Ladd and Versteeg WAY more than Buff, so no I don't think I am one of those Hawks fans who didn't think the guys they lost would be missed. My contention was that, as a Hawks fan, I got to watch Byfuglien ALOT the last 3 seasons and his biggest issue was never his ability or even opportunity, it was consistency, and that's why I kept saying before giving him any Norris mention let's wait and see if this time, he can sustain his great play.
As for Atlanta, they've got some good young players there in Evander Kane, Tobias Enstrom (who is probably the unsung hero and catalyst for byfuglien's good season), Alex Burmistrov who I watched quite often in the OHL and Anthony Stewart who I always thought would star for Florida, but it's taken him a while to find the success that his fellow 2005 Canadian Junior graduates have enjoyed (Carter, Richards, Getzlaf, Perry, etc...). I don't think they're quite ready to make a run just yet, but they've got some character guys over there.
And as for Buff's points increase, I'm sure going from 16 to 23 minutes per game, while nearly doubling his powerplay time has helped there, even with the move to D.
And lastly, about "who I know", I was never one to name drop, but let's just say that, living and growing up in and around Montreal and around hockey for the better part of 15 years, I've had the incredible fortune to play with (as a kid) and meet quite a few people who are way smarter and know way more than any of us about the game. I never claimed to have "inside information" because I don't necessarily, but I have picked their brains a few times about teams, players and rules over the years.