There’s no doubting Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is a big guy. We saw him looking a bit bigger than normal in September at former teammate Dave Bolland’s wedding. The summer before that saw him arrested for drunken boating and weighing in at over 280 pounds.
Fast-forward to today where the Winnipeg Free Press’ Gary Lawless opines about Byfuglien weighing in at 302 pounds at the end of this season. Lawless says GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has a harder job to do now because Big Buff won’t stay slim.
No, the Jets can’t dump Byfuglien on someone else’s lap unless they are willing to accept a deep discount on the return. Not now.
Cheveldayoff’s best bet is to turn the trick no one has been able to -- that’s to somehow reach Byfuglien and get him into shape and playing a more disciplined game.
The validity of that number is in doubt, however, as Lawless cites Hockeybuzz.com’s Pete Tessier as the source of the information. That site’s reputation isn’t exactly pristine when it comes to information but Lawless puts himself on the line to back him up.
That said, if Jets management isn’t aware that this is how things go for Byfuglien (bulks up in the offseason, gets in shape during it) then perhaps they need to move him just to spare themselves of frustration. As it is, Cheveldayoff and the Jets might not have to look so hard to find a team willing to add a player of his talent.