Maurice has Buff’s back

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This article was published 20/09/2014 (3505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It amounts to a strong endorsement of Dustin Byfuglien that Jets coach Paul Maurice has decided to open the door to the right-wing spot on one of the team’s top lines, with centre Bryan Little and left-winger and captain Andrew Ladd.

That’s where Byfuglien worked for many drills Saturday at the MTS Iceplex on Day 2 of training camp.

He could be there again Monday when the team’s exhibition schedule begins with a home game against the Minnesota Wild.

“You should buy a ticket for Monday night because you may just see it,” Maurice joked with reporters. “I want to see a couple of things with our top six, top eight forwards. I want to see a couple of different combinations because there are no lines that run all year.

“I felt that with Evander (Kane) last year. And part of it was Scheifs’ injury, it never let us do any of these things. When Mark went down we were tight there and we didn’t get a chance to move some of these people around.”

Michael Frolik, who eventually ended up in that spot with Little and Ladd last season, is the other likely candidate.

“Mike Frolic looks fantastic,” Maurice said. “He’s in great shape. Right now he’s working with the kids in a lot of ways. He’s talking to them and he’s a real good communicator. This gives us a chance to see some things. I would come Monday if you want to see it.”

Byfuglien, at 6-5 and 260 pounds on the Jets’ chart, has been turned into a regular forward since Maurice took over the team last January. He was nonchalant — as usual — about the whole affair in an amusing five-minute back-and-forth with reporters on Saturday.

“It’s the start of another season,” Byfuglien said. “Everyone’s on a clean slate and the lines are what they are right now. It doesn’t mean anything. We’re just going out and getting worked right now, getting back into shape.”

He said he had no knowledge or input into the experiment.

“I talked to the coaches about as much as I talked to you guys this summer,” he laughed. “Everything was new for me. I know the guys and I know how they play. It’s nothing different — just go play hockey.”

It’s assumed Byfuglien’s conditioning has improved, otherwise they’d have carried him off on a stretcher after two hard days on the ice so far.

“It doesn’t matter what you do all summer long, you come into camp and everyone’s going way harder than what they can do, actually,” Byfuglien said. “Everyone’s going 100 miles an hour and your hands ain’t going 100 miles an hour, or your brain. Just your legs are and you’re just working hard.

“We’re just out here trying to impress each other and having fun.”

Maurice’s endorsement was in two parts on Saturday.

He was also pumping Byfuglien’s confidence and his value to the team, not a terrible idea given the big forward is coming off a 20-goal, 56-point season in which he was a regular defenceman for the first half.

‘It’s the start of another season. Everyone’s on a clean slate and the lines are what they are right now. It doesn’t mean anything. We’re just going out and getting worked right now, getting back into shape’

— Dustin Byfuglien

“There’s really nothing this man can’t do on the ice,” the coach said. “He can play defence if you need him to. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s exceedingly smart in terms of his reads on the ice.

“This guy’s a top-six forward. He’s a top two-three D.”

The coach said he finds it amusing that Byfuglien continues to say he’d rather be a full-time defenceman.

I think it’s more fun when he says he’d rather play defence, isn’t it?” Maurice said. “His is one of the great personalities of the game right now. I think he’s one of those guys you like seeing every day. I hope he’s still firing that out. It wouldn’t be Buff… but he’s playing forward.”

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Asked if he’s warmed to the idea of being a forward, Byfuglien tried humour.

“Gawd, defence is so much fun,” he said. “It’s tough… I’ve got a job to do and I’m just here to go work and have fun and do what I do.”

Asked for his goals this season, he added:

“To be back on defence anytime, right away,” he said. “No, just to have a good start and do what I do and bring to the table what I usually do… provide a little bit of everything. Focus on defence first and the offence will come.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca