Additional light is being shed on the Dustin Byfuglien situation after TSN's Bob McKenzie reported this morning that his leave of absence from the Winnipeg Jets is so he can ponder his future in hockey. Rick Ralph, a host with TSN Radio, says he was told the 34-year-old “lost his love for the game” at some point.
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According to Frank Seravalli, also of TSN, there is no timetable for Byfuglien's decision and the Jets are willing to give him all the time he needs to decide whether he wants to come back.
It has, without question, been a tough summer for Winnipeg. The team lost defencemen Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot to free agency, fellow defenseman Jacob Trouba was traded by the Jets to the New York Rangers in exchange for Neal Pionk and Winnipeg's own first round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, while forwards Brandon Tanev and Par Lindholm signed elsewhere. On top of all this, the Jets have yet to sign two key restricted free agents in Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, with the regular season opener about two weeks away.
There was talk last season of issues in the Jets' locker room. Over the summer, Mark Scheifele denied those rumours, but it's hard not to think there might be something to it given the recent departures, difficulty signing RFAs and, now, the revelations about Byfuglien.
The team is staying tight-lipped on the situation with Byfuglien. All head coach Paul Maurice would say is it's a personal matter and the Jets will respect the blueliner's privacy.
