Byfuglien recently underwent ankle surgery

Inactive Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien recently underwent surgery on his ankle, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff confirmed on Thursday.

The procedure was needed to repair unresolved issues from a high ankle sprain the blue-liner suffered last season, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Byfuglien didn't attend training camp and was reportedly contemplating his future in the sport after being granted a personal leave from the team.

He was then suspended by the team without pay, which head coach Paul Maurice confirmed was a procedural decision that Byfuglien was aware of. The Jets were able to remove Byfuglien's $7.6-million cap hit from their books until his potential return to the club, though McKenzie reports it's too early to determine whether the defenseman will play this season.

Byfuglien's recovery is expected to carry into the new year, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Former Jets blue-liners Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot found new teams over the summer, which, in combination with Byfuglien's surprising absence, has led to Winnipeg's depth issues on the back end. The Jets have struggled out of the gate to a 6-7 record and rank 24th with 44 goals against through 13 contests.

Despite being limited to only 42 games in 2018-19, Byfuglien registered 31 points and led all Jets skaters in 24:22 of ice time per night.

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