SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Perhaps no one explicitly told Joe Vitale about his position switch. Maybe that’s why the Coyotes forward cracked wise Tuesday when asked about a move that was all but sealed when the Coyotes signed three free-agent centers this summer in Antoine Vermette, Brad Richardson and Boyd Gordon.

"You’re the first one who has told me," Vitale said, smiling. "That’s usually how you get news these days. I guess I’m playing wing."

Until further notice, that is exactly where the Coyotes have Vitale slotted.

"We think this is a good move for Joe that will get him playing more of a north-south game and taking advantage of some of his abilities," general manager Don Maloney said the day the Coyotes signed Gordon.

Vitale really doesn’t care one way or the other.

"Wherever they have me this year, my biggest concern is just getting back to my game, which at times I felt like I lost a little bit last year," he said. "I need to get back to having confidence stepping over the boards. That was my first losing season, and it kind of shook my confidence, so I need that kind of grittiness to get into my game no matter what the score is; no matter what the situation is."

That was partially what the Coyotes envisioned when they signed Vitale to a three-year deal last summer to fill the fourth-line center role. Vitale had been strong on faceoffs before winning just 48.3 percent of his draws last season. He had also taken better advantage of his speed in the past, but the 2014-15 season wasn’t a good one for many Coyotes.

By putting Vitale on the wing with Gordon at center, coach Dave Tippett believes the Coyotes have solidified their fourth line while simultaneously helping Vitale simplify his game to become more effective.

"Speed, tenacity and the opportunity to finish checks," Tippett said when asked why he likes Vitale on the wing. "I think he can be effective there."

Vitale thinks the move could revitalize him.

"At times when you’re at center, you expend a lot of energy down low in the defensive end and the offensive end," he said. "At wing, it’s about having that poise and that position awareness. When the opportunity comes to skate you take that, so hopefully it will cater to my game as far as having a good burst of speed, being on pucks first, and I hope it adds to the physicality of my game."

Vitale spent some time on the wing when he was in Pittsburgh for the first three-plus seasons of his career, and he played a bit on the wing last season when Tippett juggled the forward lines in an attempt to find an effective combination. With that experience fresh in his mind, Vitale said there wouldn’t be much of an adjustment period.

"If you tell me before the game tonight I’m playing wing, I’d be fine with it," he said. "It’s not something I need to work on for months heading into the season. I know what my responsibilities are. I know what needs to be done. I have it all in my head. It’s just about getting a few reps in the preseason and then I’ll be ready to go."

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