According to a Hennepin County police report, Byfuglien was brought to jail just after 11 p.m. He was later released at 2:23 a.m. Thursday morning. Official charges are still pending.

Byfuglien, a Minnesota native, was a fan favorite for the Hawks, especially during their Stanley Cup run. The 26-year-old commonly called "Big Buff" scored 11 goals in the playoffs for the Hawks in their title-winning season, famously tormenting Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.

Byfuglien was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers last summer as the salary cap forced the Hawks to break up their Stanley Cup team. He had an All-Star season after shifting to defense full-time, scoring 20 goals and recording 53 points. Byfuglien is now considered a cornerstone of the new Winnipeg Jets.

"We're aware of the reports. We're still gathering information at this time," Jets director of communications Scott Brown told the Winnipeg Free Press.

Darren Wolfson, a Minnesota radio contributor who broke the story, tweeted Thursday that Byfuglien refused to take a sobriety test. Wolfson also reported that Byfuglien weighed in at 286 pounds.

Byfuglien battled weight gain while with the Hawks. But he usually played around 250 pounds.