Watching Sportscentre... why are they opening up with a bunch of interviews about Phaneuf playing the opposite side? Holy shit, if you're an NHL defense man there should be 0 'issues' with that. Fucking Toronto media :lol
I admit, they are just fishing for stories; HOWEVER, if you've looked at interviews around the league, a lot of players are more comfortable or play better on certain sides.
Lupul prefers playing on the left wing and you can't simply toss him on the right wing and expect the same results. Just like JVR can't be tossed into centre and be effective.
Playing on the left side where Phaneuf naturally shoots allows him to protect the puck along the boards and take passes (supposedly, in his case) crisper since he isn't receiving on his backhand and then switching over. It also allows him to look to the right side of the ice and more naturally see and pass on his strong side without worrying too much about what's on the boards. For me, I'd sure as fuck would prefer passing on the forehand rather than the backhand.