The Winnipeg Jets are coming to a crossroads with Dustin Byfuglien.

Do they try to sign him to a long and expensive contract extension, keep him around for a year and risk letting him walk away in free agency or trade him this off-season when he could bring back a significant return?

It's not an easy decision for general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and already polarized fans may be second-guessing it for years to come.

Sun hockey writer Ken Wiebe and sports editor Ted Wyman delved into the issue this week and now present their arguments as to which direction the Jets should take.

Sign Buff to a long-term contract: Wiebe

Finding a way to get Dustin Byfuglien's signature on the dotted line is the best option for the Winnipeg Jets.

After bouncing back and forth between defence and forward during the past two seasons, Byfuglien moved back in December out of necessity and took his game to another level.

Though there were still some lapses, the high-risk element was more under control.

The physical component was much more consistent -- just ask the likes of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty -- who found themselves on the receiving end of some big hits that ended up on Byfuglien's expansive highlight reel.

Byfuglien suffered a rib injury late in the season, was hit with a four-game suspension for cross-checking New York Rangers forward J.T. Miller and never got back to an elite level during the four-game sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks.

Was that because of the injury that never fully healed, because he was trying to do too much or was Byfuglien victim to some old bad habits?

When he's on top of his game – as he was regularly last season – Byfuglien can be a dominant force. But when he freelances too much, Byfuglien can be a liability.

What can't be argued is that few players in the NHL combine his physical tools and skill-set.

Byfuglien is an outstanding passer, has a big shot that he can get through and is a powerful skater that isn't afraid to join the rush.

Finding a defenceman with the potential to be a 20-goal scorer is incredibly hard to do.

Byfuglien's defensive-zone play still needs some work, but it's significantly better than when the Jets arrived in 2011.

The Jets were able to survive Byfuglien's absence during the stretch run and still make the playoffs, but don't forget his strong play was a big reason the Jets were in the mix this season.

So what's the problem?

Naturally, the business side of hockey is the biggest issue at play.

Byfuglien is going into the final year of his contract, which carries a cap hit of $5.25 million and a salary of $6 million that makes him the highest paid player on the roster. He will surely command a long-term contract upwards of $7 million per season as an unrestricted free agent.

Whether Byfuglien wants to continue to be part of this organization and sign a contract extension this summer (he's eligible to sign one on July 1 under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement) remains a mystery.

While Jets captain Andrew Ladd was quick to say he was open to discussing an extension this summer when pressed on the subject, Byfuglien's intentions are unknown, since he chose not to speak to reporters before heading home for the summer.

The truth is that Byfuglien wouldn't have shed much light on the situation anyway, since he's a private individual who prefers to stay out of the media glare.

To assume that Byfuglien wants to go to a market that is out of the spotlight would be a mistake, since he was able to thrive as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in his career.

Byfuglien, who turned 30 in March, is a big part of the Jets' leadership group, wants to see this team succeed and figures to be right in the middle of things if the team can take the next step of getting back to the playoffs and winning the first series in franchise history.

Which brings us back to money and term.

As a point of reference, Johnny Boychuk signed a seven-year deal worth $42 million with the New York Islanders last season to avoid becoming an unrestricted free agent and Dion Phaneuf of the Toronto Maple Leafs will carry a $7 million cap hit through 2020-21.

So the cost of keeping Byfuglien is obviously going to be high and there's inherent risk in signing any player for seven years.

Do the Jets try to free up money by trading another defenceman? Even if the Jets convince rising star Jacob Trouba to take a bridge deal when his entry-level contract expires after next season, the blue-line is going to take up a big chunk of the payroll, with Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom and Tyler Myers all making north of $5 million per season.

Trading Enstrom might make some sense but the Jets still will have a surplus of right-shot defenceman. They had challenges trying to spread out the minutes to Byfuglien, Myers and Trouba when all three were in the lineup last season.

To remedy that, the Jets should move one member of that trio to the left side as a way to get enough ice time for all of them on the top-two pairings.

With the February blockbuster under his belt, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has shown he can make tough and creative decisions in order to try and help his hockey club.

Moving a defenceman this summer remains a necessity.

Same goes for keeping Byfuglien in the fold.

— Ken Wiebe

Trade Dustin Byfuglien: Wyman

It won’t be an easy decision to make – and it certainly won’t be popular – but the Winnipeg Jets should seriously consider trading Dustin Byfuglien this off-season.

No question, Byfuglien can be a dynamic player, a rarity who can easily shift from defence to forward and back again and a big presence who can dominate physically while making significant contributions on the scoreboard.

But he can also be a liability on the blue-line, as evidenced by Claude Noel’s decision to move him permanently to forward in 2014 and Paul Maurice’s decision to keep him there for the first 26 games of last season.

And then there’s the issue of his contract status, which complicates the matter considerably.

Byfuglien is entering the final year of his contract and the team needs to either re-sign him to what will surely be a long and expensive deal, risk him walking away as an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, or trade him this summer.

The first option is a major risk, given Byfuglien’s history of inconsistency. Yes he can deliver thundering hits when he wants to and can be electrifying when he jumps up in the play. But he also gets caught out of position far too often and plays a big role in far too many goals against. This was very evident in the playoffs when he got burned several times and finished with a -4 rating and only one assist in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks (he did have a dislocated rib, which likely hampered his play).

His boneheaded decisions at the end of the season – the vicious cross-check on JT Miller that led to a four-game suspension with the Jets fighting for their playoff lives and the rabbit punch on Corey Perry in the playoffs – did not help. Byfuglien is one of the leaders on the Jets and those were actions nobody should ever follow.

The second option – letting him walk away as a UFA – is obviously not desirable, but one could argue that Jets could benefit from having Byfuglien in a contract year at least. Motivated, as he was when he was moved back to defence for 37 games this past season and was named an all-star at the position, Byfuglien can truly be one of the better blue-liners in the NHL.

The third option – a trade this summer – makes the most sense. Byfuglien is 30 years old and will likely be looking for a contract of seven years with a price tag upwards of $7 million per season. No one even knows for sure if he wants to sign a long-term deal with the Jets.

The Jets have plenty of other players they need to pay in the coming years – up-and-coming defenceman Jacob Trouba for instance -- and if they sign Byfuglien to a long-term deal they will have a huge portion of their salary cap devoted to right-handed shooting defencemen (Tyler Myers is under contract until 2019).

Myers and Trouba can play the point on the power play, filling the void if Byfuglien is moved, and while the Jets will be a less physical team on the blue-line no doubt, they managed just fine this season without big No. 33.

In fact, the Jets went 9-3-1 when Byfuglien was out of the lineup due to injury or suspension this past season. They went 16-9-7 when he was at forward.

With Byfuglien on defence, the Jets went 18-14-5, which is not bad, but not as good as the 25 wins they generated when he wasn’t on the blue-line.

When the Jets played their best shutdown defensive games of the season, a 2-0 win over Minnesota, a 1-0 win over St. Louis and a 1-0 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche – the games that made the difference between making and missing the playoffs – Byfuglien was in the press box.

All this is not to mention the fact that Byfuglien will command a considerable return on the trade market – a quality top-six forward at very least and extras. Edmonton would be an obvious potential trading partner, with a plethora of young forwards but very few quality defenceman to surround superstar-in-waiting Connor McDavid.

And there are plenty of other potential destinations.

If the Jets decide to sign Byfuglien, which wouldn’t be a terrible option, they should definitely try to move Toby Enstrom, though finding a trading partner won’t be nearly as easy.

Of course, nothing to do with this decision will be easy for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

Whatever he chooses to do with the inconsistent beast that is Byfuglien will be a polarizing move with the fan base.