JetsNation has no direct affiliation to the Winnipeg Jets, True North Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Winnipeg Jets And Dustin Byfuglien Agree To Grievance Resolution And Contract Termination

Photo credit: © Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

By Art Middleton

Apr 17, 2020, 12:08 EDTUpdated: Apr 17, 2020, 12:22 EDT

Comments

@Dustin Byfuglien is now officially a former Winnipeg Jet.

The long-awaited news was made official by the NHL and @Winnipeg Jets on Friday morning.

NHL Public Relations

@NHLPR

·Follow

The @NHLJets and Dustin Byfuglien reach agreement – Player’s contract terminated.

3:30 PM · Apr 17, 2020

921

Read 50 replies

The seven month long saga started back in September of 2019 with Byfuglien not reporting to Jets camp resulting in a suspension without pay by the club, and then a grievance filed on his behalf by the NHL Players Association in November. In all amongst that was news that Byfuglien on his own without an official go-ahead from the Jets went for surgery on his ankle in October.

It had appeared that the case of Byfuglien and the Jets started to be picked up by the NHLPA and the NHL who each realized this one issue could balloon into something with far more league-wide implications on how teams and players interact at the end of each season with medical exams and that the case was going to be heard in arbitration. with the PA / Buff having a solid case that the Jets may have erred in how they diagnosed Byfuglien.

In the end though, it was rumored that Dustin has stopped rehabbing his injury altogether, thus taking away the need for arbitration.

Frank Seravalli

@frank_seravalli

·Follow

Replying to @AavcoCup

Grievance case was actually pretty strong in December and January after his surgery. He basically stopped rehabbing, which essentially ended the case because he was no longer pursuing path to play.

4:05 PM · Apr 17, 2020

Read 1 reply

It’s a bit of a sad if not predictable end for a player loved by pretty much all Jets fans and one of the more unique personalities in the game today.

Winnipeg Jets

@NHLJets

·Follow

Thank you Dustin Byfuglien for your contributions over the years to the Winnipeg Jets! As a member of our organization, Byfuglien played 636 regular season and playoff games and tallied 441 points in that time.