What would trouba and wheeler fetch if they were both signed long term? Trouba for forward, wheeler for a d, just for fun which player would come back the other way in those two good ol hockey trades?
That is not a scenario which we could pull off, nor should anyone ever entertain that. Signing two high end players for the purpose of trading them forward gives you a bad reputation, and I don't think that Chevy wants to make his job as a GM any more difficult than it already is.
Personally, I think that we can only have one of Trouba and Wheeler. Trouba should be prioritized over everyone next summer, as he is not replaceable. If we can afford Wheeler in 2019, after handsomely paying Laine and the rest of the guys the year before, then we could keep him. The way I see it, barring a miracle, there is no cap space for Wheeler.
What do we do with Blake then? My answer is as follows: unless we still can't make the playoffs in 2019, in which case he should be rented, let him walk. That's kind of the reality of being a good team with a bunch of talented high end forwards: can't have them all. I can't see him signing a contract that straight up doesn't kill the interest of half the league, and on top of that, Blake will have a pretty wide NTC to block any trades he doesn't fancy.
If Trouba is the one being traded, any asset that is not a young top line C or D shouldn't be accepted. We are trading an elite defenseman, which are practically impossible to acquire from anywhere. We might as well ask for something that's a scarcity too. That ask goes for a trade occurring next summer (two years till UFA), or if a long term deal is in place at anytime.