Beaulieu’s finally breaking out

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This article was published 04/03/2019 (2378 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TAMPA BAY — On the surface, it makes no sense.

How can Nathan Beaulieu go from being a fringe defencemen who couldn’t crack the regular roster with a stumbling Buffalo Sabres squad to immediately stepping into a pivotal role with a powerhouse Winnipeg Jets team and not looking at all out of place?

There may be no easy explanation, but that’s exactly what’s happened since the 26-year-old former 17th-overall draft pick was obtained Feb. 25. He’s fit in well on the top pairing with Jacob Trouba, filling the void left by Josh Morrissey’s apparent shoulder injury, expected to keep him out of the lineup until early April.

A last-minute, stop-gap move that probably got a collective shrug from most hockey fans — GM Kevin Cheveldayoff sent a sixth-round pick to the Sabres in return — is already paying dividends through three games.

“It’s a great job by Chevy and his staff. Finding a guy that belongs in the lineup. Didn’t get the opportunity, wasn’t playing the minutes in Buffalo. And he comes in with a chip on his shoulder. You get a guy like that coming in this time of the season with a chip on his shoulder, what a great pickup that is for our team,” captain Blake Wheeler said after Beaulieu assisted on two of his career-high four goals in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Columbus.

Beaulieu’s two helpers in the third period against the Blue Jackets matched his point total in the past 15 games he played with Buffalo dating back to Nov. 29, with plenty of healthy scratches mixed in along the way. He played 19:26 Sunday, compared to 11:16 and 13:49 in his final two games with the Sabres.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice didn’t really have any choice but to throw Beaulieu right into the lineup, as Morrissey joined Dustin Byfuglien and Joe Morrow on the injured list. The decision to put him with Trouba was based on two things.

“The first one is by default. We knew (Dmitry) Kulikov and (Tyler) Myers worked, and I really liked the way Sami Niku was playing and Ben Chiarot’s game. So I liked that. And the last piece is Jake Trouba asked for him, said, ‘Give me the new guy,’” Maurice said Monday following his team’s practice at Amalie Arena.

The Central Division-leading Jets (39-22-4) continue a four-game road trip tonight in Tampa Bay against the league-leading Lightning, who are lapping the field at 50-12-4.

Trouba thought they might be able to find some chemistry together, based on what he’d seen and heard of Beaulieu.

“He’s an extremely good skater. He’s strong, he’s big, he makes plays with the puck. He’s kind of what you want in a partner. He kind of complements Josh in a way with what they do. He’s a little different, but they’re both really good players. He’s stepped in well, doing really well and playing good hockey,” Trouba said.

Beaulieu clearly had some pedigree given that Montreal selected him in the first round of the 2011 draft after he put together two straight seasons of 45 points in the QMJHL. But he never quite found his footing with the Canadiens, moving on after 225 NHL games spread over five seasons. He played another 89 games with the Sabres over the past two years and now makes his third stop in Winnipeg.

“It’s tough, I’m not going to lie. It’s not easy. More mentally than anything. You come in with expectation. I had a good conversation with a couple of the coaching staff the last couple days. You just try to find your role,” Beaulieu said Monday.

Trouba said the current culture that exists on the Jets team should also help Beaulieu adjust, if it hasn’t already.

“I think one thing here that’s a little different is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or do anything crazy. Just do your job, take care of your guy down low, move the puck up to the forwards and let them do their job. Relaxing isn’t really the right word, but there’s a sense of comfort when you know you don’t have to do too much and take chances and unnecessary risks to make something happen. Just play the game the right way,” he said.

Another bonus, according to Maurice, is playing in the Western Conference. He believes Beaulieu’s game is more suited for the rugged, big-body style.

“So he plays with a chip on his shoulder, he plays with an edge, he goes into the corners with some real good intensity. The best part of his game, and this would be something you’d want to be the foundation game of every defencemen, is he makes first decisions and makes them fast and moves the puck. Just solid puck movement, nothing flashy.”

Beaulieu played with several big-name defencemen in Montreal including Shea Weber and Sergei Gonchar. Now, he’s excited to learn from Jets assistant coach Charlie Huddy, who came highly recommended from another former Edmonton Oilers blue-liner in Steve Smith, his defence coach with the Sabres.

“We’ve been keeping in close contact, watching video after every game. He’s obviously a special player, he’s been around, now being a coach he’s been around. There’s not many questions I don’t think he can’t answer, so I’m just trying to be a sponge,” Beaulieu said.

As you might expect, Beaulieu is having a lot of fun right now. It’s been a potentially career-altering turn of events and he’s relishing every second of it.

“I feel like I have something to prove here. Coming over here, I knew it was going to be a good opportunity for me. This is a really special hockey club, a special group. You can see right when you get in here, the presence and the talent in this room and the veteran leadership. I think he nailed it pretty well. I’m not playing for anybody but my teammates, I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong. I’m just trying to help this team win.”

Second star

Wheeler’s milestone night was recognized Monday by the NHL, as the Jets captain was named the second star of the week.

In addition to his four goals Sunday, Wheeler also had a goal and three assists in two other games last week. Those eight points led all players during that stretch. Wheeler is now tied for ninth in NHL scoring with 80 points (17G, 63A). He was also named second star for the week of Feb. 12.

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg