Dustin Byfuglien says 'nothing’s moving quickly' with Winnipeg contract talks

NASHVILLE – Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien indicated contract talks with the Jets are moving slowly.

The 30-year-old Byfuglien, who is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this July 1 and said there have been some conversations between his representation and the Jets. But not much more than that.

“There’s talks going back and forth, nothing big, nothing’s moving quickly that’s for sure,” Byfuglien said at All-Star media day. “There’s been a few talks I guess and just sits there now.”

Because of his contract status, Byfuglien’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors involving the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers. Byfuglien is believed to be seeking a deal for eight years at $55 million. His current deal is for five years at $26 million. Byfuglien reportedly has a five-time no-trade list, according to General Fanager. 

The Jets are 22-24-3 with 47 points – last place in the NHL’s Central Division. Winnipeg is nine points behind the Nashville Predators for the final postseason position in the West. Last year the Jets made the playoffs for the first time since the organization moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg. Byfuglien has 29 points in 49 games played this season. He’s averaged 24:15 of ice-time per-contest and ranks 14th amongst NHL blueliners for points and is tied for second in goals.

“(The rumors) are not easy but it’s something that you have to put aside,” Byfuglien said.  “You can’t let it bother you and when you do it’s something that can really play a factor in how you’re playing and what you do. It hasn’t been easy but so far I’ve been able to let it go and let my agent do the rest.”

Recently, there have been calls to trade captain Andrew Ladd, another pending UFA. Byfuglien’s heard those rumors, and understands that this type of chatter comes with the territory when a player is a pending UFA and his team is struggling.

“For both of us being in there from the get go, we had a talk about what this is going to do, but for the most part it hasn’t been kept up in the room,” Byfuglien said. “It’s something that’s been actually pretty nice and every once in a while the boys ask and stuff, but they know it’s business and we’ll talk when we’re ready to talk.”

Byfuglien has been critical in the past about 3-on-3 hockey, but he’s looking forward to the opportunity to get on the ice, skate for the All-Star 3-on-3 tournament and have a good time – away from the struggles of the regular season for the Jets.

“(It’s good) any time you get time away from the game and go out and have fun, just be with the family and get away from the focus of business every day,” Byfuglien said.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper