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Winnipeg Jets: Dustin Byfuglien MUST up his Game

By Anthony Jacob

Oct 23, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (33) prior to the game between Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets at the 2016 Heritage Classic ice hockey game at Investors Group Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (33) prior to the game between Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets at the 2016 Heritage Classic ice hockey game at Investors Group Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /
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I was on that bandwagon. Dustin Byfuglien had to stay in Winnipeg. He’s one a maybe a dozen NHL players who is totally irreplaceable. There’s great players, but some can be replaced easy. Byfuglien is not one of them.

Apr 9, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Tyler Toffoli (73) moves the puck in front of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (33) during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

His size is his biggest advantage. No one is scarier to face off against than the heaviest NHL player. His shot is deadly on the power play, and he hits guys like gravity does it for him. He has an ability to be more involved in the outcome of a game than any other Winnipeg Jet, by creating separation with the puck, which eventually creates a scoring opportunity. This is all why the Jets had no option but to sign the big man to a huge contract, eight million dollars a year.

You must know the old saying, “You get what you pay for”, but in the hockey world, it’s more like “You get until you pay”. It’s something all fans hate to see, a player drop off in play, and production after signing a safe deal. Byfuglien doesn’t strike us as a person to lower his effort levels, so it could just be a funk he’s going through. Throughout five games, Byfuglien has been one of the better Jets, and he’s changed the outcome of multiple games, unfortunately in the wrong way. Byfuglien made an error on the Jets blue line during a power play, that cost Winnipeg the eventual game winning goal during the Heritage Classic. Not the first time we’ve seen this from Byfuglien this season, and there’s other signs we shouldn’t be to excited about.

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Has Byfuglien devastated anyone yet with a huge hit this season? No he hasn’t, and a Byfuglien running around in his defensive zone is much worse than one playing the game with a physical edge, one that almost goes over the top. He hasn’t been in the middle of the action, pushing, and shoving around  the crease yet, and although none of the games the Jets have played have gotten out of hand, Dustin usually creates a scrum himself.

Sure, we may only be five games into the 2016-17 season, and the panic button probably shouldn’t be hit in rapid-fire mode yet, but if the Winnipeg Jets want to win hockey games, they will need a game changing Byfuglien, rather than one who’s there for the show. He needs to be the show.

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