Former Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad got his career back on track through defense

The desert is an odd place for a hockey player to find himself.

But the Southwest is where Nick Bjugstad, a one-time Minnesota Mr. Hockey, has figured things out as an NHLer.

The Arizona Coyotes, something of a misfit franchise that has struggled to maintain any stability over more than a quarter of a century in the Phoenix area, has provided Bjugstad something of a rebirth as an NHLer.

Having never lived up to expectations as a first-round pick (No. 19 overall) of the Florida Panthers in 2010, then nearly having his career halted due to injuries as a third-line center with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bjugstad spent two unremarkable seasons in his home state with the Minnesota Wild before finding refuge in Arizona.

During the 2022 offseason, he signed a one-year deal with the Coyotes for a tidy — by NHL standards — $900,000. It was a low-risk contract for the Coyotes and something of next-to-last chance for Bjugstad.

“Coming to Arizona last (season), I was just really looking to find my game and get back to where I thought I could get to,” Bjugstad said by phone Wednesday. “Coach (Andre) Tourigny, he’s been a huge part of that as far as helping my growth at age 30. A lot of times, at this point, you’re kind of solidified on what you are. But I kind of look at it from a different perspective. I want to keep getting better. I had some rough years in my late 20s. It was kind of a blessing to sign with these guys and grow with a coach that I think really does a good job of getting the best out of his players.

“Along with that, health is obviously huge. Obviously, in Pittsburgh, it was the roughest point of my career as far as injuries go. I didn’t really know if I was going to make it back after a couple of groin surgeries and my second back surgery within that year. Then you get (covid-19). It took me a minute to get back to full strength and full confidence.”

Under former general manager Jim Rutherford, the Penguins acquired Bjugstad and forward Jared McCann from the Florida Panthers via trade in February of 2019. The deal appeared to benefit Bjugstad immediately as he posted a solid 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 32 games while primarily serving as a third-line center down the stretch of the 2018-19 season.

AP

Injuries limited forward Nick Bjugstad to 45 games over parts of two seasons with the Penguins.

When the 2019-20 season rolled around, things seemed to be lined up for Bjugstad to inhabit that Penguins uniquely demanding third-line center role behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

But his body failed him repeatedly throughout the season. A nagging groin injury never healed. Then during the NHL’s pause for the pandemic, Bjugstad underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc.

His time with the Penguins quietly came to an end in September of 2020 when he was traded to the Wild.

“Coming into the preseason (of 2019-20), I wasn’t feeling great physically,” Bjugstad said. “My groin was bugging me basically from the first preseason game on. Obviously, had to have the surgery about a month in and re-injured it many times throughout the process. A very frustrating time in my life. It made me take a step back and kind of focus on what was going wrong physically. It was a tough time. Obviously, towards the time of the rehab, I came back then my back went out on me. … It was a life-changing time of those two years. Just really changed my thought process and I guess perspective on life in general and definitely in hockey.

“I really had to start to learn more about my body and understand what worked and what didn’t. I beat up my body quite a bit at a young age. I trained in ways that I probably look back and go, ‘Wow, if I could change that, I would probably change it.’ I had to learn. It was the universe telling me, ‘Figure it out buddy or you’re not going to survive in the NHL.’ Definitely had to take a lot of time and surround myself with people that could help me and were knowledgeable on the body. … I really dove into some different areas as far as psychology and I guess maybe spiritually. … I just kind of look at those experiences as they were kind of meant to happen. I got stronger and grew from it.”

With the Wild, Bjugstad was largely limited to a fourth-line role. Once expected to be an offensive dynamo with the Panthers, Bjugstad figured out defense would be what kept him in the NHL.

“Maybe that was helpful for me when I played for the Wild. I was playing fourth-line right wing, no special teams minutes,” Bjugstad said. “It was really a time for me when I had to bear down defensively and basically don’t get scored on. I don’t look back at (that time) in frustration. I look back at those years in Minnesota as a good learning tool for me to grow. That’s where I think it’s come into fruition in Arizona.”

Last season, Bjugstad became one of the Coyotes’ most regular penalty killers, averaging 2:10 of short-handed ice time per contest.

His overall play was so steady that the Edmonton Oilers acquired Bjugstad at the 2023 trade deadline and got some reliable minutes out of him in a bottom-six role while advancing to the second round of the postseason.

Between the Coyotes and Oilers, Bjugstad appeared in 78 games — the second-best figure of his career — and posted a solid 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists), figures he had not reached in five years.

Surely, he would have no shortage of suitors as a free agent, right?

But for Bjugstad, there was only one place he really felt comfortable.

Arizona.

In July, he signed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.1 million.

“The biggest reason of the decision would be a good fit,” Bjugstad said. “I felt like I was growing my game at an older age. I definitely appreciated the way Andre Tourigny approached the game and how he teaches the game. I wanted to be in a spot where I had a purposeful role. They obviously saw it that way as well. I went over some other options but at the end of the day, this is the spot that I wanted to go to and be a part of that growth.

“The trajectory, obviously with the (draft) picks and a lot of these young guys that are up and coming, it’s a good place for the Arizona Coyotes to be. As an older guy, I can be a little bit of a part of that leadership group and help these young guys, that’s a fun thing to do for sure.”

One of those younger guys in the Coyotes’ den is forward Logan Cooley. A native of West Mifflin, Cooley was the third-overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and much of the Coyotes’ future on the ice is latched on to him.

In 44 games, the 19-year-old Cooley has 21 points (four goals, 21 assists) and has not been as productive as hoped in his rookie season. In recent games, he has been skating with Bjugstad on his line.

“On the ice, he’s got the skill, he’s got the work ethic,” said Bjugstad, who, like Cooley, played at the NCAA level for the University of Minnesota. “Off the ice, super nice kid. Pretty quiet. He’s just kind of observing how the everyday NHL grind goes and he’s handled it very well. There’s times in the season where you don’t have energy or you’re traveling quite a bit which is such a change from college. He’s very in tune with himself and he understands what he has to do to be a pro. Not many kids can handle that at age 19. Very impressed by that. He keeps getting better and better.

“He’s been fun to play with. I’ve played with him the last three, four games. Very fast, very quick on the puck. And obviously can make some incredible plays. He’s just going to keep getting better and better just judging by his work ethic and obviously his skillset. It’s great to have a kid like that in the locker room.”

In the standings, the Coyotes (22-19-3, 47 points) aren’t all that dissimilar to the Penguins (21-16-6, 48 points) entering Monday’s contest between the two outfits at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz. Each are on the outside looking for a wild card position in their respective conferences but very much in the hunt.

The main difference is the Penguins entered the season with high external expectations while the notion of the Coyotes reaching the playoffs was more of a hope than a forecast.

“We’re right there, for sure,” Bjugstad said. “It’s a big jump from last year on what we experienced as far as in the wins and loss columns. That was a big reason I came back. I knew this team was heading in the right direction with the right leadership and the right staff and the right players. We’re going to continue to just try to get better. We’ve proven we can hang in that playoff contention area. We’re definitely not satisfied with being on the cusp.”

Whatever success the Coyotes ultimately enjoy this season, it will likely involve Bjugstad.

He is sixth on the team in scoring this season with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists), a figure that is ahead of last season’s pace which reinvigorated his career.

But more importantly, his commitment to defense has remained true in his second season with the Coyotes.

In five-on-five scenarios, Bjugstad leads the team in defensive zone starts (128) and is slightly in the black in terms of shot attempts for (579) versus shot attempts against (570) according to Natural Stat Trick. He is also second among the Coyotes’ forwards in terms of short-handed ice time per game at an average of 2:20.

“Playing defense has not been my thing in the past,” said Bjugstad, now 31. “I’ve been able to learn that through a lot of good coaching and I guess experience. When you’re 18 years old, you want to be a goal scorer. That’s most of us when we get drafted. It’s been a wild ride. I guess I look back at most of my failures and injuries and experience as lessons. I just want to keep trying to get better.”