Big update on the future of Dustin Byfuglien.

Some clarification on the status of Dustin Byfuglien.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Big update on the future of Dustin Byfuglien.
Carlos Gonzalez/Minneapolis Star Tribune

The Winnipeg Jets have been severely handicapped this season due to the rather odd situation surrounding veteran National Hockey League defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets and Byfuglien have been in a season long dispute over his status both with the Winnipeg Jets and as a player in the NHL in general, with the Jets believing that Byfuglien had retired and Byfuglien contending that he was merely recovering from an ankle surgery that was made necessary by injuries he suffering during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The confusion has left the Winnipeg Jets extremely frustrated and understandably so. Due to the fact that they do not know which way the wind will blow on this one the Jets have been forced to carry Byfuglien's cap hit of $7.6 million in spite of the fact that they have not had the player at their disposal this season. The fact that the Jets do not know whether or not Byfuglien will be coming back has also hurt them given that they would not want to use the cap space only to have Byfuglien declare his return and knock them over the cap in the process. This effectively has left the Jets in limbo with a significant chunk of cap space at their disposal but with no opportunity to use it until they get more clarity on the Byfuglien situation. 

They may be getting that clarity very soon however according to National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. On Saturday night Friedman reported that the Jets were close to getting their answer, and also strongly hinted at the fact that, although we are not likely to see Byfuglien this season, the big man could be back for the 2020 - 2021 NHL regular season.

From Friedman:

There is word tonight we are getting closer to clarification on Dustin Byfuglien's status for this season. Word is he has yet to resume skating, and "most likely" outcome is he doesn't play this year and his future is re-visited in the summer. This could open up the Jets cap situation if they wish to make moves....they've had to "hold" his $7.6M hit until they knew his plans.

This would give the Jets a lot more bargaining power at the trade deadline and it will be very interesting to see if they use it. 


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