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Cheveldayoff confirmed the team has a sense of how the rehabilitation process is going with Byfuglien.

“We get updates on how the progress is going,” Cheveldayoff said. “Are we directing it? No. The doctor who he had the surgery is directing it.”

But one of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind regarding Byfuglien and any potential return is, would he be welcome back with open arms?

The answer, if certain parameters were met, seems to be yes.

“Dustin Byfuglien is a big part of what we had planned going into this season,” Cheveldayoff said. “The first and foremost thing is Dustin Byfuglien has to decide in his mind that he wants to play. That’s the biggest hypothetical, so we can all answer those hypotheticals if that one gets answered first.

“He’s been off for quite a while now. If you look, I think he’s only played, in the calendar year, maybe 16 games … there’s a lot of work ahead yet. We all know Dustin. I’ve probably known him longer than anyone else and I know the impact he can have and the guys know the impact he can have, too. It just has to be right from a playing standpoint, because if you’re going make an impact, you have to be ready to make an impact.”

Speaking of impacts, the Cheveldayoff and the Jets have ventured into the past two trade deadlines looking to make one for those playoff-bound teams.

One worked. Paul Stastny was a solid addition.

One didn’t. Kevin Hayes went from the second line where they envisioned him, to the fourth line at one point.