When the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated in the first round of the postseason by the Vegas Golden Knights, the players were raked over the coals by their head coach Rick Bowness. Former captain Blake Wheeler later called out Bowness for publicly bashing his players, implied the head coach had been dishonest, and suggested that his comments would have been better received had they been delivered in private.
That’s not the only sign we’ve seen that things aren’t going well for Wheeler in Winnipeg.
Jacob Stroller of The Hockey News has named Wheeler as a potential buyout candidate for the Jets, which would be another hard blow to the veteran forward, who was stripped of the captaincy prior to the start of the season.
While Wheeler is a standout candidate seeing that he is coming off a 55-point campaign, there is a strong feeling that he has worn out his welcome in Winnipeg.
Rumours of significant changes coming to the Jets have emerged since their postseason exit and the fact that the Jets looked to trade out Wheeler last summer, but failed seeing they refused to retain a portion of the now 36-year-old’s $8.25-million salary, could lead to a buyout. Here is how Stroller puts it:
“Buying Wheeler out would turn the page on this long-standing core and count $2.75 million against the cap for the next two seasons. That may sound steep, mainly for next year, where Wheeler was never slated to be off the books. But it does spread out the financial burden across two years, and the Jets save $5.5 million in this upcoming season for a potential all-in run if goalie Connor Hellebuyck explores free agency after next season.”
While this would be the ultimate blow to Wheeler, the longest-tenured player in Jets 2.0 history, this could be his chance for a new opportunity and a change of scenery if a trade does not happens. Maybe then a buyout is the only option for the former captain.
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