Report: Jets Expected to Buyout Blake Wheeler If Trade isn’t Feasible
The impending breakup between Blake Wheeler and the Winnipeg Jets will likely come to a head later this week.
Wheeler, entering the final season of a five-year, $41.25-million contract, has been rumoured to be seeking a change of scenery this summer amid the franchise’s current roster retool. It’s unclear where the 36-year-old will play next season, but it won’t be with the Jets.
Winnipeg’s front office has reportedly been working to find a trade partner for the veteran’s services this off-season, although general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff’s attempts have proven unsuccessful thus far. If that continues, this complex situation could shift towards a buyout.
While reporting on Tuesday’s Pierre-Luc Dubois trade to the Los Angeles Kings, TSN’s Darren Dreger mentioned the Jets might need to buy out the final year of Wheeler’s contract after acquiring RFAs Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and Alex Iafallo, leaving them with just under $9 million in cap space.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also believes a buyout could become a realistic outcome for both parties, especially if the Jets can’t trade Wheeler before July 1st, meaning they would have until 5 pm E.T. on June 30th to buy out his contract.
Most believe Winnipeg would be required to retain 50 percent of Wheeler’s $8.25 million cap hit in 2023-24 – and possibly include additional assets – to facilitate a salary-dump trade involving the former captain. But it likely makes more sense to spread out that figure instead.
Buying out Wheeler – whose contract includes a full no-move clause and a five-team trade list – would save the Jets $5.5 million next season, resulting in $2.75 million cap charges in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Either way, whether it’s via trade or buyout, Wheeler’s 13-season tenure with the Jets/Thrashers organization appears to be reaching its conclusion. While his production tailed off over these last few years, he’ll be remembered as a franchise cornerstone long after his departure.
The 6-foot-5 winger holds the record for the most games played (897), assists (550) and points (812) in franchise history. He also ranks third in goals behind Mark Scheifele (272) and Ilya Kovalchuk (328).
Wheeler, a two-time All-Star, is an eight-time 20-goal scorer and has reached 60 points or more in nine of his 15 NHL seasons, including consecutive 91-point campaigns from 2017-19. He also owns 10 goals and 45 points across 65 career playoff games – 44 with Winnipeg.
The Jets, of course, have other logs on the fire outside of Dubois and Wheeler, as Cheveldayoff is also reportedly fielding offers on goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Scheifele – both of whom have made it known that they’re not interested in signing long-term.
Hellebuyck ($6.17M cap hit) and Scheifele ($6.125M), like Wheeler and previously Dubois, are also entering the final season of their respective contracts in 2023-24. Thus, both will need to find new homes before the start of next season.
Since the opening round of the 2023 NHL Draft kicks off Wednesday night, there should be ample opportunities for Cheveldayoff to continue discussing potential trades surrounding his disgruntled franchise stars.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
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