from Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press,
If Dustin Byfuglien's comments at the NHL All-Star Game about Winnipeg and re-signing with the Jets were seen as vague or lukewarm -- that was a common theme from some corners last weekend -- he has now left little doubt about his stance.
Asked after Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars if he'd like to re-sign with the Jets, the big defenceman was unequivocal in his answer.
"Yeah. I'd love to. I've met a lot of good people and now some really good friends," said Byfuglien, voted the game's third star. "I've been here for a long time. You never want to leave home. I've been here long enough; my family has been here and I've had two kids here.
"It's somewhere you don't want to leave."
The Jets have stepped up negotiations with the Byfuglien camp in recent weeks, meeting with his agent Ben Hankinson in St. Paul, Minn., last month. Meanwhile, contract talks with captain Andrew Ladd -- also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer -- have cooled. Ladd's agent J.P. Barry said Tuesday he and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said hello at the Prospects Game in Vancouver last weekend, but nothing has changed in terms of hammering out a new deal.
continue for more on the Jets...
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