"There's obviously some different things behind the scenes. There's still a work in progress there," Cheveldayoff told the Jets website. "Interestingly enough, Dustin essentially made the decision not to play this year and that essentially kind of squashed anything that might've happened for maybe someone to put him in their lineup this year. We can still trade him at any point in time, you know, with respect to the future as well, it's still a work in progress."
The Jets and the defenseman have been working toward a contract termination. If that were to happen, it would allow Winnipeg to remove Byfuglien's NHL salary cap charge of $7.6 million for this season and next.
"I think that would be our choice if we wanted to go down that path (on years remaining on Byfuglien contract)," Cheveldayoff said. "If we wanted to push a tolling type of situation, that's what they call it, that would be our choice. Again, I don't want to get into specifics because nothing has been determined one way or another."
Cheveldayoff said the Jets have not had difficulties with the salary cap regarding Byfuglien "since Dustin made the decision that he was definitely not coming back this year."
The 34-year-old, who signed a five-year, $38 million contract on Feb. 8, 2016, has not played since the Jets were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round last season. Byfuglien asked the Jets for a personal leave of absence and was granted it on Sept. 13, 2019. He had ankle surgery in October but has remained away from the team.
Cheveldayoff said he concluded in the past month that Byfuglien would not be playing this season.
"I guess it would be a couple of weeks ago when he should've progressed to the skating aspect of the rehab and he never did," he said.
Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the eighth round (No. 245) of the 2003 NHL Draft, Byfuglien has 525 points (177 goals, 348 assists) in 869 regular-season games with the Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Jets. He has 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 66 Stanley Cup Playoff games and won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.
