Jets can handle a Buff-less existence

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2015 (4129 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fair? Unfair? It doesn’t matter. Dustin Byfuglien will miss the next four games. Those are the facts.

What the Winnipeg Jets do about it, whether they find a way to overcome this obstacle, that’s the story. The story that matters.

Surely, Byfuglien’s actions were foolish. Dangerous, reckless and even selfish. No one should have been surprised if the NHL had been much harder on him. Ten games wouldn’t have seemed out of order. But with the unpredictable record of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, one or two games also wouldn’t have been a surprise.

Byfuglien cross-checked New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller in the back of the neck. It was brutal and ugly and luckily for all involved it didn’t result in an injury. This could have been way worse.

Byfuglien isn’t a dirty player. He’s physical and punishing but most often stays within the rules. This was out of character. Still, the video was damning and left Byfuglien defenceless, much like the victim of his cross-check. Byfuglien was likely saved from a much lengthier ban due to the fact Miller wasn’t injured as well as the fact the Winnipeg blueliner doesn’t have a history of such stickwork.

What could Byfuglien really say to defend himself? He used his stick to batter the back of an opponent’s neck. It’s the kind of play most want to see removed from hockey.

Where does it leave the Jets? Skating into the five most important games of the season and without their most impactful defenceman for four of these games.

Byfuglien’s timing is terrible in this instance. If the Jets lose too many of their remaining games and miss the post-season, there will be some who want to point the finger in his direction. Fair enough. Byfuglien put himself in a position to be suspended and also to be criticized. The entire action was ill-advised and fraught with peril. Byfuglien is now living with those consequences. So are the Jets.

Pinning losses on one player, however, sells the rest of the group short. The Jets have overcome injuries all season. They can get by without Byfuglien. Certainly they’re diminished without him, but it’s their reality and they can handle it.

Excuses at this time of year are hollow. They don’t change anything. The Jets have to win games. At least three and likely four.

So they’ll have to do a large portion of the lifting without their biggest man. Time to get on with it. Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba need to raise their games. They’ve done it before.

The Jets are Buff-less. But they’re not hopeless.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless