TSN: Jets and Byfuglien working on a mutual termination

[Chainshot]

I know Friedge said last week that it looks like he won’t be ready to play this year but if that were true why would he agree to a mutual termination right now? Wouldn’t be wait until the offseason so he can at least get paid (if the legalities work out in his favor).

If he’s ready this year I see Colorado as a serious destination. Most cap space in the league. Currently playing left shot Ian Cole on the right side since they only have two RHD. They can give him more money than any other team and they have a glaring need for him while being considered a contender. I see the fit.

Perhaps he is trying to do the Jets a favor and free up cap space for his old team?

 

[CorgisPer60]

Then he would have asked for a trade rather than do this....
He just doesn't care about hockey, I think that's it.

It's been widely apparent that hockey is not his number one passion. Shit, he actually unplugged his phone and disappeared for a while after he got drafted. He does things because he enjoys doing them. If he doesn't enjoy it, he's not going to work for it. I'm not surprised by this revelation, and I wish him all the best. I don't expect him back in the league.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Where in the world is Dustin Byfuglien

 

[DarthProbert]

Could he still play somewhere this year after a mutual termination?

Yes, he would become a UFA after passing through unconditional waivers.

When he signs though can he play right away? Or would the team that signs him have to waive him first?

Bad enough it's 8 pages of the same 4 posts cause nobody will read anything before posting but holy hell, at least read what you quote.

 

[Wpgjets61]

Buff has been nothing but supportive of the jets franchise and a true ambassador of the city. Have meet him personally while my son was in the hospital and have had some great conversation with him. He loves it here and can’t get any closer to home while playing pro hockey.

The guy is a true outdoors man and loves hunting and fishing. You be amazed at the amount of money he’s spent around our city to do just that. People forget that these seasons coincided with training camp and the regular season. I believe he’s chosen to focus his time and effort on enjoying the outdoors and no longer wants to put in the effort required to be a pro athlete.

 

[Kaner9]

Not surprised and good riddance. it doesn't make sense though... y u no want $?

 

[Chet Manley]

Sad that he's done at 34 years old. Such an entertaining player to watch. High events, man handling dudes that have probably never felt that before, wondering around anywhere with the speed/power to get back defensively, etc.

Don't really understand how injuries are basically forcing retirement vs him going on LTIR. Not injured enough to justify an insurance claim, but injured enough to not want to play through the pain anymore?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Don't really understand how injuries are basically forcing retirement vs him going on LTIR. Not injured enough to justify an insurance claim, but injured enough to not want to play through the pain anymore?

The way i see it, this was basically Buff going "i don't feel like playing this year, let's see if i can work the system and still benefit from it financially".

And it failed.

If this whole thing started with the injury, then LTIR route makes sense. But he first approached the team about taking his time to decide what he wanted to do and THEN he was supposedly dealing with this injury, paid for his own treatment etc. What made it even worse was the timing of that decision. He probably thought he was going to play earlier in the summer but then decided otherwise later handcuffing the management.

Jets weren't buying it, they most likely think he's fit to play and not honoring his contract. If you're the employer in this situation, you want to exterminate the contract. At the same time, they probably weren't expecting the process to take this long.

In my opinion the injury thing is just a facade to an extent (not saying Buff is completely 100%, but if he wanted to i think he'd be playing, he's used to playing with all kinds of stuff) to keep this whole thing from blowing up in the media even more, behind closed doors both parties know exactly what's going on and the Jets can't be too happy.

Maybe im talking out of my ass, but this seems very obvious from the start.

 

[nucksauce]

Buff has been nothing but supportive of the jets franchise and a true ambassador of the city. Have meet him personally while my son was in the hospital and have had some great conversation with him. He loves it here and can’t get any closer to home while playing pro hockey.

The guy is a true outdoors man and loves hunting and fishing. You be amazed at the amount of money he’s spent around our city to do just that. People forget that these seasons coincided with training camp and the regular season. I believe he’s chosen to focus his time and effort on enjoying the outdoors and no longer wants to put in the effort required to be a pro athlete.

If so, why not just retire?

 

[Seattle Totems]

Yes you can.

The Jets are under no obligation to terminate his contract. If Buff wants out, he signs a limited duration Non-Compete meaning he cant play in the NHL for the remainder of the 2019-20 season and playoffs

Why do you guys keep posting such nonsense? The Jets are bound by the CBA. If they terminate his contract there is no clause after the fact other than the one that says he cant rejoin the Jets. Teams cant just create non-compete clauses that arent in the CBA just to suit themselves.

 

[Dread Clawz]

At his size, weight and age... taking a year off from hockey is practically like your body retiring for you. My bet is that we never see Byfuglien play another NHL game ever again. I think he's done.

Yeah, if he plans on taking it easy for awhile he's gonna balloon up to around 275, 300 lbs. He's most likely done.

 

[Bruce Granville]

Where in the world is Dustin Byfuglien

In San Diego?

 

[Curufinwe]

The way i see it, this was basically Buff going "i don't feel like playing this year, let's see if i can work the system and still benefit from it financially".

And it failed.

If this whole thing started with the injury, then LTIR route makes sense. But he first approached the team about taking his time to decide what he wanted to do and THEN he was supposedly dealing with this injury, paid for his own treatment etc. What made it even worse was the timing of that decision. He probably thought he was going to play earlier in the summer but then decided otherwise later handcuffing the management.

Jets weren't buying it, they most likely think he's fit to play and not honoring his contract. If you're the employer in this situation, you want to exterminate the contract. At the same time, they probably weren't expecting the process to take this long.

In my opinion the injury thing is just a facade to an extent (not saying Buff is completely 100%, but if he wanted to i think he'd be playing, he's used to playing with all kinds of stuff) to keep this whole thing from blowing up in the media even more, behind closed doors both parties know exactly what's going on and the Jets can't be too happy.

Maybe im talking out of my ass, but this seems very obvious from the start.

I agree with your overall point, but the injury could be something that is possible to play with, but that risks doing damage that will affect him for the rest of his life. Should a player be forced to play or forced to give up the money he's owed in that situation?

 

[CREW99AW]

I agree with your overall point, but the injury could be something that is possible to play with, but that risks doing damage that will affect him for the rest of his life. Should a player be forced to play or forced to give up the money he's owed in that situation?

If his reason for not wanting to return is injury related, why not go on LTIR?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

I agree with your overall point, but the injury could be something that is possible to play with, but that risks doing damage that will affect him for the rest of his life. Should a player be forced to play or forced to give up the money he's owed in that situation?

Nope, take the Hossa situation for example. But if the player feels that way then he has to work with the team doctors and follow protocol. As far as i remember Buff passed medical at the end of the year and did everything else on his own afterwards. Not only did he not follow the rules, but it added shadiness to the whole situation, first letting the team know he's contemplating retirement (for non-injury related reasons, at least per reports) and then brought up the injury once he had (i assume) made up his mind.

It's completely possible he just didn't feel like playing + saw that the Jets were going to ice a weaker roster than the last couple years and thought what the hell, let's just chill for the year. At least, that's what i believe. IIRC he took a year off in his junior days.. to fish.

But regardless of what i think, if the injury concern is the main thing for him, then he should've consulted with the team docs and work with the management to get the situation resolved and head over to the Robidas island. Instead he took matters in his own hands.

 

[Buffdog]

Here's what people who say "why doesn't he just go on LTIR and collect his $" are missing....

Not all injuries are permanent and can't be recovered from. Guys like Clarkson and Hossa (lol) will never recover to a point where they can play again.

By all accounts, buff's foot has improved to a point where the next step for him would be actually getting on the ice, skating and working towards returning to game shape. Maybe he just doesn't want to do it. It was also rumored that his convo with chevy at training camp was alongg the lines of "my heart isnt in it" (which would jive with the narrative that hockey was never his biggest passion).

The only question would be why termination over retirement? Could be something legal, no idea.

Also the idea that he wants out of winnipeg is unfounded. He walked into the GM's office at the end of his last contract and stated (paraphrasing) "my wife and I love it here and want to stay". Hes an avid outdoorsman and pics of him hunting/fishing in the area are commonly posted on social media.

Say what you want to about winnipeg but if you're an avid fisherman, this place is ground zero. Lockport (30 minutes) has world class channel cats, Lake Winnipeg is one of the world's best destinations for trophy walleye through the ice (and in the Red River when they run in in the fall), you can chase monster musky and smallmouth bass in lake of the woods two hours east (him and toews both have cottages out there) and I could go on.

 

[AK87]

Ok lets be realistic here, Buff has not played a single game this year. Has he been working out and staying in shape? I know he is a great even borderline elite D-Man but if you have sat out all year and out of shape do people really think he will make a huge impact on their team? I find it hard to believe...

 

[CupsOverCash]

Ok lets be realistic here, Buff has not played a single game this year. Has he been working out and staying in shape? I know he is a great even borderline elite D-Man but if you have sat out all year and out of shape do people really think he will make a huge impact on their team? I find it hard to believe...

He would definitely take some time getting back into game shape... Not sure he can really be a huge help to contending teams unless he comes back soon.

 

[stanley25]

Props to Big Buff, the dudes really living the dream. Not even being sarcastic Dustin found a way to retire a rich man at 34 yrs old while doing something he enjoyed and is now focusing on what really matters to him. Theres a lot of players in it just for the cash but he was honest enough to quit when it came his time to just cash in. And it's not like he was a detriment to teams he played at a very high level probably every season he was in the NHL.

 

[tntkid]

I wish Buff and his family the best.

I don't feel he ever plays another NHL game and his retirement is incoming.

 

[NikoEhlers]

Has there been any comment from Buff on his motivation to come back and end his carreer on a high note? He'd be a good veteran fit on a lot of teams, Leafs especially should take a gamble on him if he's up for it.

 

[DRW204]

Has there been any comment from Buff on his motivation to come back and end his carreer on a high note? He'd be a good veteran fit on a lot of teams, Leafs especially should take a gamble on him if he's up for it.

guy never speaks and likely will not

 

[NikoEhlers]

guy never speaks and likely will not

Fair enough, then from where do we know what ppl are writing about his motivation issues? Wish him all the best if the drive isnt there

 

[Luminiferous]

It would be cool if he just stayed in limbo.

 

[Heldig]

When this all started the story was Buff was contemplating retirement and Chevy talked him in to thinking about it, "take your time". Somehow after that Buff decided (his agent?) to go ahead with surgery forcing the team to suspend him (formality under the CBA).

I think this is coming to the natural conclusion. Buff is retiring. The team is giving him a chunk of change to avoid LTR.

I would be very surprised if he ever plays again. I suspect the game was no longer fun for him and he is going fishing with his kids. He has made multiple millions of dollars in his career. If he has been semi wise with his money he will never have to worry about money for the rest of his life. Not bad to retire at 35.

Wish him all the best. One of the great characters and unique talents in the game. He will be missed.