The NHL’s first buyout window closes Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the Winnipeg Jets are poised to exercise it by casting aside a big name. As first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Jets are processing a buyout for longtime star right winger and former captain Blake Wheeler. He will be placed on waivers and become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
The Jets confirmed the news Friday by announcing that they were placing Wheeler on unconditional waivers for the purpose of the buyout.
Wheeler, 36, has more than 900 points across his 1,118 game career. He’s an eight-time 20-goal scorer who has eclipsed the 90-point mark twice. One of the better playmaking wingers of his era, Wheeler has 610 assists to his name, ninth-most among active players. He’s a one-time second-team all-star and has played in two All-Star Games. The point of listing all those accolades being: he’s been an important part of the Jets franchise for a long time. He was the last remaining player whose tenure dated back to the Atlanta Thrashers era, having arrived via trade from the Boston Bruins in 2011.
Wheeler is the franchise’s leader in games, assists and points and held the captaincy from 2016-17 through 2021-22, equalling Andrew Ladd for the longest tenure at six seasons. Wheeler was stripped of the captaincy following the 2021-22 season, however, as the Jets move toward a restructuring of their leadership. Wheeler’s influence on the dressing room was perceived to be a bit too strong and divisive according to certain reports. Following the Jets’ five-game elimination to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup playoffs, coach Rick Bowness was openly critical of his star players, and Wheeler retaliated by publicly slamming Bowness, claiming, “I didn’t like how he handled himself after that game.” The writing was on the wall for Wheeler’s departure after that.
He has one season remaining on his contract at an $8.25 million AAV. The buyout will cost the Jets $2.75 million in each of the next two seasons, according to CapFriendly.
While Wheeler’s play has declined as he approaches his late 30s, he will still draw interest from teams looking for a veteran playmaker to help their top six and power play. Over his past three seasons, he has still managed to post 161 points in 187 games, good for 71 points per 82 games. Dreger reports that the Dallas Stars have interest in pursuing Wheeler.
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