Blake Wheeler finalizing buyout with Winnipeg Jets
Blake Wheeler is ending his time in Winnipeg. The Jets captain will be bought out of the remainder of his deal, representing a true changing of the times in Manitoba. The former Bruin is expected to receive league-wide interest, with the Dallas Stars near the top of that list, Darren Dreger confirmed the buyout Friday.
The Winnipeg Jets are processing Blake Wheelers buyout. He will be on waivers today. There will be a number of teams with interest in signing the veteran as a free agent, including the Dallas Stars.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 30, 2023
Wheeler, 36, still has gas left in the tank. He put up 55 points in 72 games as the Jets fell in the first round of the playoffs to Vegas. Potentially joining the Stars and giving them much-needed forward depth makes a ton of sense. I would not go as far as saying he is the missing piece, but it would help their cause a lot. However, he is definitely going to get a lot of calls from all over.
Winnipeg Exodus
The winds of change are blowing very hard up north. 2023 Vezina finalist Connor Hellebuyck is walking towards the exit door. Pierre-Luc Dubois is now a Los Angeles King. Now, Wheeler, who has served as Jets captain from 2016-2022, will be bought out of the remaining year and $8.25 million of his Winnipeg contract. Things have been souring ever since head coach Rick Bowness stripped him of the captaincy ahead of last season.
The relationship between Wheeler and Bowness is obviously beyond salvageable. They were butting heads in the playoffs after the Knights smoked them in five games. This is looking more and more like a case of a team that has tried year after year with the same core. It just hasn’t been enough and it will now start to break down.
With Wheeler gone, it now makes you think of all the other pieces that could become available. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers could make any team more dangerous. Josh Morrisey just put up 76 points in 78 games from defense. Perhaps they should take note of their neighbors in Calgary and tear things down. The number of assets a general manager could get in a rebuild of this team would be astonishing.
Unfortunately, the Winnipeg Jets are in no man’s land. Not bad enough to be in the lottery, but nowhere near cup contention. Now, it’s time for their front office to make some tough decisions.
