Poor Wheeler - I really hope he doesn't read SM. I think the way he's being talked about is obscene, especially with his body of work with the Jets, both on and off the ice.
Yes, he's overpaid, but that's the model in the NHL. One a player gets to a certain age, you know you're going to have to overpay in later years to retain them. You can't blame the player.
Every team in the NHL has guys who are overpaid and have non movable contracts. You just have to accept that. We should be happy that we really only have one of those players on our roster.
Blake Wheeler loves the Jets, loves Winnipeg, and gives everything he has to the team. If he was a whiny little bitch who half assed it like Laine did I could see the fans being critical of him but that is simply not the case.
I'm not saying people are wrong to want him to play down the lineup a bit. I think he'd be great on a third line with Copp and Lowry, with PP1 time net side.
He be fresher and make the 3rd line a scoring threat that could match against the oppositions best players.
I want the Jets to honor his contract and have him retire as a Jet.