The Winnipeg Jets are off and running in the first half of this season, leading the Central. Most of their success is attributable to the great play of the youth movement.
Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, the list goes on. The Winnipeg Jets need veteran presence too, however. Many would say the team leader in points, Blake Wheeler, is more than doing his part. The 31 year old has been with the team since the midway point in the 2010-2011 season, their last year in Atlanta.
Another veteran, whose first year with the team was the same one, could have a bigger impact than many realize. I’m dancing around the point, but you’ve read the headline, and it’s pretty obvious that player is Dustin Byfuglien.
Not to undersell Big Buff, he’s a solid NHL defenseman. Byfuglien’s even capable of playing the wing. He’s netted over 50 points five times with the team, and every time he’s played over 70 games. He’s finished top 15 in Norris Trophy voting six times. Byfuglien’s got a cannon of a shot and skates well for a man his size (6’5, 260lbs).
Byfuglien is also 32. He plays a hard game, one that can age a man quicker than they’d like. Even one his size. Soon may be a time when time will leave Byfuglien behind, but that time is not yet upon us.
I’m often leaning towards dismissing ‘glue guys’ and ‘heart and soul’ players, but there’s something to be said of a team leader and protector.
I’m going to level with you, and you know me as a stat guy. I am a stat guy. I look for reasons why a certain player outplays others. Tangible reasons, things that funky stats are now measuring. But everything has not been measured. Hockey, more so than many other sports, is a team sport first.
Everything happens so quickly in the NHL, and it’s impossible to know the best possible route or passing lane on every play. There’s too many variables. You can’t measure fear, either, but you can measure Dustin Byfuglien. I’m not going to advocate for the validity of fighting in the NHL here. You can at me on twitter if you really want to get into that one. But you cannot allow the other team to operate with impunity within a game.
Byfuglien operates within that fear factor. Yes, you could call him a dirty player. I’ve seen him do dirty player things. He almost decapitated JT Miller. I wouldn’t argue with it. I was surprised to learn he doesn’t fight as often as you’d think. He’s only dropped the gloves 16 times in the NHL, and that includes five in his second full season.
Well, I mean, I don’t blame people for not fighting Byfuglien. The big Winnipeg Jets defenseman is tough. From reviewing the tape, it doesn’t appear one of these fights is an outright loss. He isn’t afraid to throw his weight around. He’s a vicious hitter, and that factors into the opponent’s thought process. If you can make a player tentative in the neutral zone or worried about making a hit on your teammate, it’s a win. An immeasurable win.
Every team needs veteran leadership, especially the Winnipeg Jets. Many of the folks I speak to close to the game say a team this green won’t be able to win a cup.
Dustin Byfuglien is technically the only player to have won a Stanley Cup, doing so with Chicago in 2010. He was traded that off-season to Atlanta*. Blake Wheeler was traded away from Boston to Atlanta the year they won the cup. That isn’t nothing. It’s good to have someone around who has ‘been there before’, and Byfuglien has. He scored 11 goals in 22 games on that playoff run, too, including a league-high five game winners.
I don’t mean this post to knock Byfuglien’s actual value. He’s a good scorer for a defenseman, as noted above, and has never had a negative Corsi in the NHL. The alternate captain can be ‘The Go-To Guy’ for the kids as they push toward the ultimate goal.
I won’t lie, I’m a huge Byfuglien fan personally. I always have been. Little picture of your boy at the top of the article? That’s a #33 jersey. He’s on every team I make in NHL’s Franchise Mode. He’s always got a C on his chest in the games, and in my heart. I believe in Big Buff, and you should too.
*The first rounder that Atlanta sent to Chicago for that trade was used on Kevin Hayes, which…Isn’t really noteworthy, but I found it interesting. 2010 seems like a lifetime ago, and Hayes is only 25 and in his third season with the Rangers. Probably the best return on the trade, too.