As reports swirl in about General Manager Rick Dudley being let loose by the hockey team formerly known as the 
Thrashers, True North Entertainment appears to be setting the team up for a longer rebuilding process.
Dudley is a well-respected man in the league and for good reason. A man known for working the phones relentlessly and being instrumental in rebuilding both the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning before their latest Stanley Cup championships, Dudley was clearly on course to do the same with the Thrashers.
After just one season at the helm in Atlanta, the hockey guru pulled off two blockbuster deals that changed the face of the franchise, plucking two players from Chicago’s over-capped roster.
Those players, Dustin Byfuglien and forward Andrew Ladd responded by having the best seasons of their careers. Big Buff was moved to defense, a gutsy move criticized by many hockey minds around the country, but by season’s end, Dudley looked like a genius. Anchoring the blueline, Byfuglien (20g, 33a, 53 pts.) made the All-Star team and was a Norris Trophy candidate.
Ladd was named team captain and responded by scoring 29 goals and adding 30 assists for 59 points; all career-highs.
When Dudley first took over for Don Waddell, he was faced with replacing a huge chunk of the team’s offensive production with franchise leading scorer and fan favorite Ilya Kovalchuk skating off to New Jersey but the man found a way to get the job done by pulling off a slew of trades.
Those close to the Thrashers know Dudley had the team on the right course. After a franchise tying six game win streak that included wins over four first place teams in November 2010 (Detroit, Montreal, Boston and Washington) Dudley’s team sat in first place in the Southeast Division well into December.
Like a rebuilding team, they sputtered out toward the end of the season, ended with 80 points and finishing 12th place in the Eastern Conference while again not making the playoffs. Regardless of that finish, Dudley was the man responsible for the partial resurrection in Atlanta and appeared on course.
Now as it is being reported that he will not be retained as the Winnipeg team’s GM, many expect the team to be set back in their rebuilding process.
Shortly after Byfuglien committed to the team by signing a five-year 26 million contract, the player said in a post-practice interview that one of the motivations for him to sign was Dudley; that he “trusted Dudley” that “Dudley was here”.
Now that he isn’t you have to wonder how inspired Byfuglien and some of these other young players will be under the eye of a rookie GM and possibly new head coach.
Targeted for front office jobs in Winnipeg are Blackhawks assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Craig Heisinger, the GM of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, another team owned by True North.
Dudley signed a four-year extension in January with the Thrashers and is said to have been offered an 8-year buyout by the Winnipeg team.
Originally from Detroit, Tom is an Atlanta-based sportswriter whose work has been published in the New York Daily News, Washington Times, Detroit Free Press and national hockey mags including The Hockey News (Canada) and USA Hockey Magazine. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomFerda
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