Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel made it official on Friday that he's rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Noel is moving defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to forward on the top line for the team's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. The decision comes in the wake of the Jets losing their fourth straight game on Tuesday night and sitting 10 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
It's a peculiar move, as Byfuglien is hardly the problem with the Jets and hasn't played forward in nearly four years. Every finger in Manitoba should be pointed directly at Ondrej Pavelec, who is in the midst of his fifth consecutive season as one of the league's poorest goaltenders.
However, Noel is instead using one of his top players as a forward in an attempt to spark a team that is careening directly toward an iceberg.
Playing forward isn't Byfuglien's preference, but he has experience there from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, when coach Denis Savard moved him up front during the 2007-08 season. During the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, his 6'5", 265-pound frame was routinely park ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Dave Lozo
Dustin Byfuglien’s Move to Forward Won’t Solve the Winnipeg Jets’ Problems
January 10th, 2014 by Dave Lozo Leave a reply »
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