Jets Final Home Game and for Wheeler?
So let’s get to the heart of the matter, that’s this quote provided by Mike Russo from the Star Tribune:
As some asked me today, while I was blissfully unaware, what does this mean?
Before dissecting this quote, taken away from the other words Wheeler certainly said before and after dropping this bomb, it’s probably worth stepping back to look at a bigger picture. To do so let’s ask this two-part question: did Blake Wheeler want to or was he aware that he would be part of such a dramatic shift to the youth movement in Winnipeg?
In my opinion this is why he may have said the quote above. He didn’t know or understand how this season would play out, particularly after the team progressed so well last year, making the playoffs for the first time as an organization since 2007. Unlike his close friends Ladd and Byfgulien, Wheeler does not have a cup ring nor does he have much playoff experience aside from last year and 13 games in 2010 with Boston and 8 the year before. This is a hole for a very competitive and caring player. Ask anyone who has talked to Wheeler with microphone rolling or not, they will tell you he cares. They will elaborate about the cliche term of ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ and how that applies to Wheeler so well. They will tell you about his intensity and his desire to succeed and by succeed we know it means winning.
Wheeler has had a career best year, with 22 goals and 50 assists for 72 points in 78 games. He is only one point behind former team mate and all-star centre Tyler Seguin. He sits ahead of Tarasenko and Ovechkin, Bergeron, and Giroux yet seems so widely unheralded. Only Patrick Kane is ahead of Wheeler in points as a right wing and perhaps what he brings to his team. Imagine where the Hawks and Jets would be without either of these players?
So yes, Wheeler cares, and he puts his heart and soul on the ice. It’s cliche, it’s not nuanced or even technical, but it’s still important and relevant. So whether you see him is a good to great player on bad team or a talent undeserving of the situation he did not create the quote above has to be a concern.
Wheeler signed a 6 year deal in the summer of 2013 along with extensions signed by both Little and Bogosian. It pays 5.8 million a year for three more years and expires after the 2018-19 season. So based on his contract that the year 2020 there is a perfectly logical reason to think he might not be a Jet, even from the player himself.
But why 2020? Well that’s basically an error from the rather presumptuous hockey news cover from last year. The one that predicted the Jets to be Stanley Cup champions in 2019. From the outhouse to the penthouse in 3 years would be quite the feat.
But think more immediately, is it likely tat Wheeler even finishes his contract in Winnipeg? Why ask that question Tessier? Because with a near last place team, a dramatic shift in development direction and roster period of transition does a player with 3 years left at great contract value really need to be around to see the change through?
It’s not that Blake Wheeler lacks value for the Jets organization, he doesn’t. However does his value fit with what the Jets are now embarking on-the second phase of draft and develop?
I think Wheeler is wondering too and being the forthright, honest and open person he is, he is curious about where he fits now. Is it his last home game as a Jet?
I wouldn’t go so far as to say yes, but I would also not rule it out. I’d even go so far as to think that should the Jets earn one of the top picks in the upcoming draft that Wheeler really may want to think about where he fits compared to where his career aspirations are.
There’s nothing wrong with that type of logic and process by any player, least of all Blake Wheeler. Should any fan challenge Wheeler wanting to look for a different opportunity they have not been fair to the player or the situation he and the team are facing. Think of it another way, if Mathews or Laine were to end up in Winnipeg would it not make sense for the GM to accelerate the change to the youth?
Wheeler has a lot of value. Here are some comparable players to consider when looking at Wheeler and thinking about what he does.
The bigger point here is that Wheeler may have no desire to change anything right now but he knows enough to understand what lies ahead and where the team is going, in the short term and hopefully the long term. This simply sentence may not mean he wants to change but that he’s letting the GM know, in a rather passive way, that it’s time to look at Blake Wheeler’s future too, not just the team’s. I’m okay with that, in fact I’m okay with how Wheeler does most things as he doesn’t ‘cheat’ on the ice or off it. You should know exactly where things stand with Blake Wheeler and the only confusing thing about the quote above is that this time it leaves everyone a little bit unsure. I’m still okay with that.
As far as tonight’s game goes it’s the end of the line for the Jets at home. There’s nothing left to show the fans other than a hard game against a division rival that is still battling for position. The team awards are out tonight as well as fan appreciation and Bryan Little bobblehead night. Something that seems a little odd considering he suffered a spinal injury earlier in the year but these things planned a long in advance, or so I’ve been told.
The fans deserve a good effort and final home game after the season they have endured. It’s not Oilers bad but it’s been trying. Maybe thats another thing that fans and management should take away from the season Blake Wheeler has had, even in adversity he came in every night and played to the best of his ability which in many fans eyes is more than the GM can say about his efforts.
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