Wideman willing to accept new winger role Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher believes Senators depth defenceman can defend better than most forwards and be a valuable asset on the penalty kill, Ian Mendes writes.

Chris Wideman isn’t going to be taking a page out of the Christoph Schubert playbook and publicly complain about being switched from a defenceman into a forward.

“There's two ways to look at it. You can look at it and say that you're not good enough to play D or you can look at it and say that you're good enough to play forward. I've chosen to be positive about it,” Wideman said on Thursday morning. “And that's the only way to look at it if you want to help the team win.”

Almost a decade ago, Schubert famously pleaded with the Senators brass to leave him on the blueline – even though general manager Bryan Murray and others saw him more valuable as a fourth-line winger.

Schubert would often tell reporters he was a better defenceman than a forward and he didn't like the role he was being cast in by the organization. In the end, there was an awkwardness that lingered between the two camps and Schubert was eventually waived by the team in the fall of 2009.

While that Schubert saga played out over the course of a couple of seasons, Wideman's transition to forward is a relatively new phenomenon. Before the Sens last game in Stockholm against the Avalanche on Saturday, Wideman was informed by Guy Boucher that he would be used as a winger alongside Nate Thompson and Nick Paul.

When asked to describe the conversation with Boucher, Wideman explained that the coach didn't really need to explain his rationale for making the move.

“That's not even something that needs to be discussed,” said Wideman. “This is where they need me right now. And I'm more than willing to contribute in this way.”

Wideman hasn't played at forward since he was a pre-teen minor hockey player in the St. Louis area. And yet, Boucher and his assistant coaches were blown away at his ability to adapt as a forward in almost 10 minutes of ice time against the Avalanche.

“Wides has done really well as a forward. Last game, we couldn't find one single mistake that he made,” Boucher said on Thursday. “He really surprised me how good he was. So now seeing how good he was, I want to see how much we can use him in that position.”

Wideman started the season on an offensive tear from the blueline, scoring three goals in the first five games of the season. But as the month of October concluded, his ice time was diminishing. As a pending unrestricted free agent, the shift to forward may not be an ideal move as his ice time will likely not reach the 12-to-15 minute mark that is often seen by bottom-pairing defenders. But perhaps there’s a chance that Wideman can distinguish himself as one of those rare players who can be used in multiple roles.

In any event, Wideman is making sure to put the team first and make sure this does not become an awkward situation.

“Yeah it's been an adjustment,” Wideman admitted. “But ultimately, it's about the team, whether you're playing forward or defence, it’s my job to help the other 20 guys help to win the game.”

So once again, it's anticipated that Wideman will suit up as a forward on Thursday night playing on a line with Nate Thompson. Boucher said he likes the fact that Wideman doesn't make as many mistakes as AHL call-ups who have been cast into the bottom-six role.

He also believes that Wideman can defend better than most forwards and be a valuable asset on the penalty kill – especially in light of the injury to Zack Smith. The head coach also likes the flexibility of being able to slide Wideman back for a shift or two to play defence if there is an injury or an extended penalty to one of Ottawa's other six defencemen.

“It helps so much – it's another tool in our toolbox,” Boucher said.

Where this all ends is anybody's guess, but Boucher is looking at Thursday’s game against the Penguins as a significant measuring stick for deploying this plan in the future. With Mark Borowiecki set to return to the lineup after missing several games with an illness, it just adds another defenceman to the mix who is ahead of Wideman on the depth chart.

“Right now, I'd rather tell him you're a forward and once in a while we can use him on D,” added Boucher.