Buff Benched? Video review says no.
There’s a theory going around that Dustin Byfuglien may have been benched by head coach Paul Maurice for Monday’s game against Edmonton. Benchd might be too harsh a term though and perhaps ‘relocated for tactical training’ might be more apt.
Byfuglien was kept out of Monday’s game due to some tightness and soreness and Tucker Poolman slotted in, and quite succesfully too. The theory goes that Buff was in the press box to help see the game a bit better and see where he was making mistake that was leading to much defensive confusion and some very troubling results.
Remember that we have a Jets player (Morrissey) on record trying to explain the defensive system employed by Maurice and the Jets. This is important because it’s time to look at some evidence around Buff’s play, albeit all of it related to the score sheet not the entire game.
VS Toronto Maple Leafs
Example A
There’s no Buff on the ice so nothing to blame here.
Example B
Again, no Byfuglien on the ice so he’s not at fault for this complete and utter breakdown.
Example C
Buff is on the ice and this one is a prime example of why the Jets D-zone coverage gets criticized. The play starts down low and Buff follows his man up to the blue line in man-to-man coverage. As the Leafs player cuts across the top of the circles between the blue line Buff stays with him but no one else rotates. Eventually the puck is sent to Nylander who has the easiest goal he’ll ever get. The question remains was Buff supposed to go high and then drop off back to zone coverage or follow his man? Again this seems more like a question for the tactics and not the player. Clearly no one else knew what to do in this situations either.
Example D
Buff is directly involved in the play here but the timing is interesting. Start at about the 28 second mark. The Leafs regroup by their blue line and do a marvellous transition through the neutral zone on the same side where Myers has just gone for a change and Buff has come on. Buff goes down the left side and plays the puck, albeit chasing it while Trouba who is left alone by Myers now is unware of the steaming Marleau. Trouba comes over to assist and Armia is chasing the open Marleau from afar. This play is a breakdown but hardly Buff’s fault. Could he have done more, perhaps. However the play was very well read by the Leafs and they exploited a long change gap by Meyers that opened it up.
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Example E
No Buff here but take a look at Lowry and Armia. Poor Morrissey is basically left wondering what he has to do here.
Example F
This is a prime example of why +/- is such a flawed stat. Buff is serving a penalty and comes back into the play and basically tries to get involved but the process was in motion. It’s essentially a PP goal as Buff has no impact on where the puck is based on the play.
Example G
No Buff, no how no way. Move along he’s not on the ice but ‘hi Trouba’.
VS Calgary Flames.
Example A
No Buff on the PK unit at this point and I’m not sure what formation the Jets were playing here either? Was it called ‘open shooting lane’?
Example B
Buff is in the ice and playing man coverage. Now at some point there is a breakdown and Copp is holding down the fort in front on Brodie after they come up from the corner. This is tough because the puck goes high, no one takes the shooter and Copp simply isn’t the right guy to be there. What we don’t see is how this all evolved.
Example C
No Buff again. However some questionable positioning and effort by Morrissey and Myers.
Example D
No Buff again and Kulikov makes a mistake and finds himself in no man’s land. Laine needed to see this and come back but the move by Brodie is quick and then it’s a fire drill as everyone is lost.
Example E
Buff is in the play and goes to the point to try and get the puck but is beaten and it goes deep. Versteeg, noted Jets killer, sees the opening and as Tanev sees him and starts moving to cover Buff is casually coming back believing that Morrissey will get the puck out and not lose the battle so it ends up in front. Buff might not even have seen Versteeg come in before it was too late. Poor effort here and maybe positioning too.
Example F
Again there’s no Buff in sight but there’s lots to criticize on this play. Team was already done by now right?
So there’s the on-ice goals against evidence and in only one and maybe two cases in 13 goals is Byfuglien ‘at fault’. Again this ‘evidence’ is limited to goals against and there is a lot of plays that Buff may have been in that are no showing his faults. That being said the Jets gave up 13 goals in two games and he was hardly the only culprit of poor systems play in any of them.
If there is concern about his play from Maurice, enough to bench him, then it would be a controversial issue given Buff’s standing in the room. If the story is to believed that this decision was made before game time and a ‘surprise’ it could be a masterful tactic by Maurice.
Maurice decides he needs Buff to watch the game and see things from a different angle. So he talks to him privately and says look I’m going to keep you out but I’m not going to embarrass you, at least not yet. You missed a skate yesterday and we’re going to run with that and just watch the game.
The team wins and fans and some media suggest Buff was a healthy scratch because he’s been a liability and not playing to the system. If, and this is a big if, that is the case and Maurice took this course of action in a way to help Buff and show accountability then he might have a bigger problem. Buff isn’t the only issue, Armia has long been terrible in his own end and there are two examples of him directly affecting play as with Lowry. But more to the systems point, many players are struggling with it and missing reads and assignments.
If the message is that Buff’s at fault or as a leader one who has to buy-in more than others that’s a funny message. There’s plenty of blame to go around for the debacles vs Toronto and Calgary but pinning it on Buff is unfair at this point based on how the 13 goals were scored. Accountability needs to go across the team, it also needs to go across the bench too and Maurice could be playing a very dangerous game should a move like this backfire. Hopefully he got lucky and we’ll see a great game from the team with the big guy in the line up tonight vs Vancouver.
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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