Injury Report: Dustin Byfuglien (Warning in OP)

[Adam da bomb]

Chipman has probably made 400 million + if you include what franchise is worth. He can pay Buff all of it. As long as it doesn't effect our cap I could care less

As long as it doesn’t affect ticket prices I don’t care.

 

[wpgfishfan]

As long as it doesn’t affect ticket prices I don’t care.

Say Buff was suspended for all year and we win this case. We spend 6 mill less than the cap. Do you think Chipman would drop prices next year? I don't, so if Buff wins I don't Chipman will raise them more than he already will be doing

 

[Larabee]

Wouldn’t insurance be paying Buffs salary in any event ?

 

[lanky]

his high ankle sprain would likely heal on its own after a summers rest.

I've had a high ankle sprain that took years for the aches to go away. It's very possible that he found the pain uncomfortable at the end of summer once he resumed skating.

Watch that passing comment become the key point in all this.

Is it really relevant wether there was or wasn't a micro fracture? He was feeling pain in September from the prior hockey season. His reaction was irrational. He later came to his senses.

 

[SCP Guy]

Buff has really handled this very poorly......Leaves a pretty decent sized black mark on what has one of the fans favorite Jet these last 8 years IMO

 

[Mud Turtle]

Keep in mind too that the Jets recent performance has likely killed any negotiating leverage he has. Also I did some back of the envelope analysis and the Jets record over the past couple of years with him out of the lineup is better than him in it. IMHO this team is but better off without him (as unique and talented as a player he is)

Ok I’ll bite. What are the records for both in and out of the lineup?
Also, did you go back further than two years?

 

[Jets 31]

Tarnishing his legacy here. Hope he never comes back.

So 8 years of all that Buff brought to the Jets means absolutely nothing now because of something between Buff , the Jets , the NHL and the NHLPA ? We don't even know what the actual story is yet .

 

[KingBogo]

So 8 years of all that Buff brought to the Jets means absolutely nothing now because of something between Buff , the Jets , the NHL and the NHLPA ? We don't even know what the actual story is yet .

This is a good point. With everything he has done for the Jets he deserves for the full story to come out before people jump to conclusions. I'm hoping this is purely a technical fight between the NHL and NHLPA and Buff and the organization are just caught up in it and they have a peaceful resolution after it all plays out.

 

[larmex99]

Why are you people against Buff getting paid? You're not paying it.

So, if we aren’t paying the bill we should be in favor of it? Sure glad that you aren’t a judge. How about what is right and fair? I would stand up for Buff every time if it turns out that he was wronged, but until that information comes out I will wait to see the facts for myself.

 

[FFHockey]

Nice to see this thread being re-ignited. I was getting tired of the “real” hockey talk!

I don’t like what has transpired and just wish it would all go away, everyone is happy with the end result and there is no fallout. Wishful thinking?

 

[Gotaf7]

Did Maurice not say at the end of last year that both Buff and Ehlers were playing with fractures?

 

[surixon]

So what is the normal procedure now:
-Does this go to the league first and then to an arbitrator?
-How long before we can expect a ruling?

 

[Howard Chuck]

I'm indifferent with this until I know what's actually going on. Then I'll form an opinion.

That's where I am. I don't know enough about this process nor this specific case. I just want someone who DOES know, to let me know when he's either coming back or when we can get the cap space back.

I just follow this thread every once a while to see if there is something that helps me understand how the team can move forward.

 

[lomiller1]

Wouldn’t insurance be paying Buffs salary in any event ?

That isn’t a given. Insurance would not normally pay his salary if he wasn’t entitled to a salary due to retirement of failure to report. It’s easy for us to say what should have happened, he should have reported had the surgery then retired, but the insurance provider may not care, they may decide he that since he retired first he’s not eligible for coverage.

 

[Guffman]

This is a good point. With everything he has done for the Jets he deserves for the full story to come out before people jump to conclusions. I'm hoping this is purely a technical fight between the NHL and NHLPA and Buff and the organization are just caught up in it and they have a peaceful resolution after it all plays out.

Yeah, people can only speculate but ultimately, we should be reserving our opinions until the facts come out.

 

[Larabee]

That isn’t a given. Insurance would not normally pay his salary if he wasn’t entitled to a salary due to retirement of failure to report. It’s easy for us to say what should have happened, he should have reported had the surgery then retired, but the insurance provider may not care, they may decide he that since he retired first he’s not eligible for coverage.

This is true, but then the hockey club would not be required to pay either. If Buff (or his agent) are going to see any money from this, then you’d think it would come from insurance and not the Jets.

 

[surixon]

This is true, but then the hockey club would not be required to pay either. If Buff (or his agent) are going to see any money from this, then you’d think it would come from insurance and not the Jets.

I think the more pressing issue for the Jets is what happens to their cap.

They have accrued a good 2 million in cap space that could be used to address a need if his suspension is ruled to be valid. If things go Buffs camps way then it could really mess the Jets cap up.

 

[TS Quint]

Wouldn’t insurance be paying Buffs salary in any event ?

I don’t think it would if the Jets are saying this wasn’t a hockey related injury because he passed the physical at the end of the season. Then Buff goes on his own (from what I gather) for surgery and hands the Jets the bill.

I don’t have anything against Buff for all of this, I just think he’s dumb but he has every right to do as he wants. As far as I know he started the season contemplating retirement, forfeiting his contract money, then going on his own to get surgery to the Jets surprise now the NHLPA is getting involved to retroactively get his money back? I don’t even know if Buff even cares about the money. The NHLPA could be doing this on their own as their entire job is to get their players the most money possible and don’t want this strange situation to set a negative precedent in the future. The Jets organization could be just as eager to get this whole situation settled by arbitration just to get them out of limbo on the money owed and cap ramifications so they can know what they can and can’t do with their roster going forward. Meanwhile Buff’s biggest concern might be the frazzle ice developing on the Red and Lake Winnipeg is really going to hurt his ice fishing fun.

 

[Huffer]

This is a good point. With everything he has done for the Jets he deserves for the full story to come out before people jump to conclusions. I'm hoping this is purely a technical fight between the NHL and NHLPA and Buff and the organization are just caught up in it and they have a peaceful resolution after it all plays out.

My thoughts as well. His family is skating at the team facility with the mascot just days earlier. It's not like they just decided to hate the org overnight. The recent filing doesn't indicate anything to me in terms of personal attitude to the org, seems more procedural between the NHLPA and NHL.

 

[ffh]

That isn’t a given. Insurance would not normally pay his salary if he wasn’t entitled to a salary due to retirement of failure to report. It’s easy for us to say what should have happened, he should have reported had the surgery then retired, but the insurance provider may not care, they may decide he that since he retired first he’s not eligible for coverage.

did buff retire. don't you need to file papers saying you are retired. he didn't retire. this whole story makes no sense. there is so much we don't know. why report to camp. couldn't he have just called chevy and told him he was thinking of retiring and stayed in Minneapolis. if your sure your retiring why come north. why bring your family and put your kids in school when in your mind your retiring just to pull them out and head back south again. bottom line is he should have filed a grievance if he didn't like what the jets doctors had to say and had and arbitrator listen and then rule on the case and not gone and had an operation with out even telling the team.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Yeah, people can only speculate but ultimately, we should be reserving our opinions until the facts come out.

I will ask again, will all the facts come out? That is, is the public made aware of the arguments put forward in an NHLPA grievance case or is it more like arbitration, where things happen behind closed doors and all you get told is the final ruling?

 

[TS Quint]

I will ask again, will all the facts come out? That is, is the public made aware of the arguments put forward in an NHLPA grievance case or is it more like arbitration, where things happen behind closed doors and all you get told is the final ruling?

I would guess we won’t hear anything. The Jets are always tight lipped and from what I see Buff doesn’t care what anybody thinks.

 

[Howard Chuck]

I will ask again, will all the facts come out? That is, is the public made aware of the arguments put forward in an NHLPA grievance case or is it more like arbitration, where things happen behind closed doors and all you get told is the final ruling?

Like everything in the media, we will be told what the team wants us to hear whether it's the truth or not. We will likely never know everything.

I just hope the best for Buff and the Jets, and we can move on.

 

[Jimmyjets]

Did Maurice not say at the end of last year that both Buff and Ehlers were playing with fractures?

He did. The issue is that the CBA gives the NHL team the right to determine the rehabilitation and treatment of all injuries so if he said this was an issue at his year end physical the Jets would have made him rehab it over the summer or maybe made him have surgery at that time so he'd be ready to go for the start of the next season.

The situation is made worse because he didn't report to camp where he could have said he sustained the injury in the Jets voluntary skate the day before and the Jets medical team would have treated it from there and he would have been paid.

Instead he didn't report and then ultimately didn't follow the CBA in determining how a second opinion is determined and if the Jets medical staff and the Doc giving the second medical opinion disagree the CBA determines how a third medical opinion is used. Then there is a list of approved Doctors to perform the surgeries and give additional medical opinions and Buff didn't do any of this.

The NHL needs to protect the rights for all the teams to determine the rehab and medical treatment their assets should receive to get them back playing the soonest and at the highest level.

IMO if Buff showed up to camp and failed his physical this would have been fine, the fact that he didn't show and didn't follow the prescribed CBA process in dealing with the injury means he has no leg to stand on. I wonder how much the media is ultimately going to be able to leak related to the nature of the grievance and the NHL's response, which they have 10 days to deliver.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

did buff retire. don't you need to file papers saying you are retired. he didn't retire. this whole story makes no sense. there is so much we don't know. why report to camp. couldn't he have just called chevy and told him he was thinking of retiring and stayed in Minneapolis. if your sure your retiring why come north. why bring your family and put your kids in school when in your mind your retiring just to pull them out and head back south again. bottom line is he should have filed a grievance if he didn't like what the jets doctors had to say and had and arbitrator listen and then rule on the case and not gone and had an operation with out even telling the team.

He had no need to retire. He was granted an LOA by the team. The team then went publics about how he is such an important member of the Jets Family, we always care about members of our family, blah blah blah. Then they suddenly suspended him 10 days later which in my opinion doesn't match well the public words from the team. If they were forthright, they would have said we always care about members of our family and are happy to grant LOA's when it doesn't cost us anything.