Chevy...Please sign Wheeler to Extension before Camp!

[KingBogo]

Anything other than offering Wheeler a 5-6 year contract will make Winnipeg look cheap and hurt the organization. While other organizations think nothing of signing players until they hit 40, it will send a clear and precise message to players in their 20s:

" When you hit 30, we don't want you playing here anymore." Do you value job security where you work? Hockey players are no different.

You lost me at job security for professional athletes.

 

[surixon]

Anything other than offering Wheeler a 5-6 year contract will make Winnipeg look cheap and hurt the organization. While other organizations think nothing of signing players until they hit 40, it will send a clear and precise message to players in their 20s:

" When you hit 30, we don't want you playing here anymore." Do you value job security where you work? Hockey players are no different.

How often does that work out for the Team?

Detroit had to pay someone to take Datsyuk's deal because he retired, Zetterberg is going to be dead cap space next year. Chicago had to move out Hossa's dead cap space. The Lightning had to buy out Lecavier's anchor deal, the Rangers Richards awful deal.

Chicago has screwed themselves by signing those massive deals to Toews and Seabroke.

Other teams have suffered horribly by signing aging players to huge deals. It very rarely if ever works out for the team. You may call it cheap but I call it prudent and being on the right side of the direction that the league is trending in. Pay for players through their prime and don't pay for loyalty and past performance on players you know won't be worth it.

 

[AWSAA]

Yeah assists don't mean anything. It does not matter that Wheeler has led the Jets in points most of the past 7 seasons (and in the 2018 playoffs). Gretzky may as well return all his Art Ross trophies back, and resign from the Hall of Fame.

There you go comparing him to HOFers again. The All-time scoring leader no less.

 

[Jack722]

No sorry, you seem to be confusing average players, who tend to fizzle out and retire when pushing 30, as opposed to elite players like Wheeler. I am honestly shocked at the lack of respect people in this city give to Wheeler. He has been arguably our best player since day 1, and has only been eclipsed in scoring by four players in the entire NHL the last three seasons. Yet some posters think he is "old" and should be shipped off so our "young core" can succeed. Good luck on that..

It seems like you're putting too much emotion into it. I love Wheeler, but the last thing I want to do is lose one of Connor / Laine / Ehlers / Morrissey / Lowry so that we can sign him to huge dollars.

We already have *three other wingers* who produce like top line forwards. It could be as soon as this very season in which Wheeler is better served on the 2nd line than the 1st. Is your idea to keep Laine on line 2 for the next 6 seasons?

Again, I love Wheeler and he is an awesome captain, and along with Buff is certainly our Jets 2.0 MVP... so far!

 

[robertocarlos]

I'd trade Ehlers to keep Wheelers.

 

[Board Bard]

Anything other than offering Wheeler a 5-6 year contract will make Winnipeg look cheap and hurt the organization. While other organizations think nothing of signing players until they hit 40, it will send a clear and precise message to players in their 20s:

" When you hit 30, we don't want you playing here anymore." Do you value job security where you work? Hockey players are no different.

You lost me at make Winnipeg look cheap and hurt the organization. Keeping players past their prime at inflated salaries because you don't want to "look cheap" would hurt the organization way more than pragmatic action would.

 

[Whileee]

I'd trade Ehlers to keep Wheelers.

Yikes. Ehlers will have way more value over the length of his contract than Wheeler will.

 

[Jets4Life]

Yikes. Ehlers will have way more value over the length of his contract than Wheeler will.

You can't say that with certainty.

 

[Adam da bomb]

You can't say that with certainty.

If that was put to a vote and was a gambling man I'd put a lot of money on Ehlers being the better player in 3-4 years.

 

[scelaton]

Yikes. Ehlers will have way more value over the length of his contract than Wheeler will.

Not sure how you define value, but Wheeler's has been sky-high.
He is team captain, league MVP candidate, mentor to Scheifele and stabilizing influence on a very young team.
Over the past 4 seasons, he is second only to Patrick Kane in points scored by a RW.
Last season was his most prolific yet, so he has not begun to regress.
Elite players in superb condition should not be expected to regress rapidly in their early thirties, so the next 4 years may not show as much of a decline as some are predicting.

Ehlers is a very good young winger, but has not scaled any of those heights yet. If he does indeed have "way more value" than Wheeler over the coming years, he will be considered one of the best wingers in the game and we will be that much closer to mapping out parade routes.

I would not think the Jets would consider letting either of them go.

 

[Daximus]

I'd trade Ehlers to keep Wheelers.

And I'd be standing on the side walk of the BMTSC with a sign that says..

"Fire Robertocarlos

- Signed, Everyone."

 

[Jets4Life]

You lost me at make Winnipeg look cheap and hurt the organization. Keeping players past their prime at inflated salaries because you don't want to "look cheap" would hurt the organization way more than pragmatic action would.

Who said anything at inflated prices? Blake Wheeler would be tenured market value. I simply do not understand why so many posters are insisting Blake Wheeler is "past his prime." Are we watching the same Winnipeg Jets team? I had heard that in the last 3 years, only four NHL players have more points than him, but I guess age is more important than on-ice performance.

I guess you must object to Byfuglien's contract too, since he was roughly the same age as Wheeler when he signed his 5 year $7.6 million contract a couple of years ago.

 

[Jets4Life]

If that was put to a vote and was a gambling man I'd put a lot of money on Ehlers being the better player in 3-4 years.

Bookmark this thread, and we will come back to it in 2021-22.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Bookmark this thread, and we will come back to it in 2021-22.

Done.

 

[Jets4Life]

How often does that work out for the Team?

It's worked out nicely with Dustin Byfuglien so far...

 

[Jets4Life]

There you go comparing him to HOFers again. The All-time scoring leader no less.

I noticed on several threads you seem to have a extreme dislike to Blake Wheeler in general. You are seriously being critical of Wheeler's scoring totals ( top 10 in league) saying he "only had 20 goals this season" (Wheeler scored 23)? You also do not even know how many goals Wheeler scored in the playoffs (3 goals, 18 assists).

Having said that, all I can say is time will vindicate me. You can take that to the bank.

 

[Daximus]

You are seriously being critical of Wheeler's scoring totals ( top 10 in league) saying he "only had 20 goals this season" (Wheeler scored 23)? You also do not even know how many goals Wheeler scored in the playoffs (3 goals, 18 assists).

Having said that, all I can say is time will vindicate me. You can take that to the bank.

I remember when people said the same thing about Ladd. Truth is older guys usually don't stay the same. They regress. They all do, it's just a matter of when. If it came down to keeping Wheeler and Ehlers I take Ehlers 100% of the time. It keeps our window open far longer.

 

[Jets4Life]

I remember when people said the same thing about Ladd. Truth is older guys usually don't stay the same. They regress.

Just like Byfuglien has, in his first two seasons of his 5 year contract he signed at age 31?

 

[1stDan]

Wheeler raises the compete level of the whole team. He is a true Leader and he can play wing better than all but a handful of players in the league.

Let's not forget he blocks shots like a low pair D man who only gets PK minutes. And he is as gritty as they come.

This man is not expendable.

 

[1stDan]

.

 

[1stDan]

It seems like you're putting too much emotion into it. I love Wheeler, but the last thing I want to do is lose one of Connor / Laine / Ehlers / Morrissey / Lowry so that we can sign him to huge dollars.

We already have *three other wingers* who produce like top line forwards. It could be as soon as this very season in which Wheeler is better served on the 2nd line than the 1st. Is your idea to keep Laine on line 2 for the next 6 seasons?

Again, I love Wheeler and he is an awesome captain, and along with Buff is certainly our Jets 2.0 MVP... so far!

Lowry has big potential but his durability is a question mark.

 

[Halberdier]

It's worked out nicely with Dustin Byfuglien so far...

With mixed success. I did love 17-18 Dustin Byfuglien, even if his offensive production was not there. (Don't be fooled by his 2nd assists on PP1. He gets those since his role is to stand there and pass the puck back to Wheeler.)

I did love to watch Byfuglien also 16-17, but frankly he was more hurting Jets opportunities to win than helpet Jets to win. Really enjoyable to watch, but I do think I know why PoMo has grey hair... ;-)

Buff 17-18 was still a monster, but a monster with discipline (most of the times, at least), and that was not the case 16-17. Buff was huge on playoffs too.

Edit: I have to add kind of clarification that 16-17 Buff was pretty much hit or miss. Pretty much "+/- 0" or "neutral", being other day THE reason Jets won and other day maybe the biggest culprit for the defeat. But really enjoyable to watch him doing high risk pitching etc.

 

[KingBogo]

Who said anything at inflated prices? Blake Wheeler would be tenured market value. I simply do not understand why so many posters are insisting Blake Wheeler is "past his prime." Are we watching the same Winnipeg Jets team? I had heard that in the last 3 years, only four NHL players have more points than him, but I guess age is more important than on-ice performance.

I guess you must object to Byfuglien's contract too, since he was roughly the same age as Wheeler when he signed his 5 year $7.6 million contract a couple of years ago. After reading some of the replies, I just thank God we have Chevy as GM.

Actually Buff is a good example on how long Wheeler should be extended for. Buff signed a 5 year deal at age 31 bringing him to age 36. The equivalent for Wheeler would be for him to sign a 3 year deal at age 33 bringing him to age 36. I think everyone around here would be happy with that with a cap hit in the $8 M range. Many including myself are willing to go to a 4 year deal. Understandingly, most have reservations going past this and are certainly not willing to sacrifice some of our young rising stars to do so.

People taking this stance are not being anti Wheeler, many of us like him very much as a player. And I don't believe it is fair to try and paint it that way. People are just well aware that all players regress at some point in their 30's it is just a matter of when. Sometimes this regression happens very quickly and when it does you are in big trouble against the cap if you still have 3-4 years left on a deal. Teams in that position have resorted to paying a floor team a steep price to get rid of a contract.

I'm hopeful Wheeler appreciates this and is willing to sign a 3-4 year deal at a market value. If he is still a valuable player after that contract then sign him for 1-2 years at market value for is level of play at that time. Joe Thornton has been doing this since his late 20's with San Jose and it has worked out very well for both the player and team.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Wheeler has been a good player, but had a great year last year. Can he continue at last years pace? That will determine his value. How many other teams would be willingly to offer him a 8m X 4 years? I'm doubting any team would
The Jets might be the only that want value him as much as others teams . Chevy shouldn't be bidding against himself in any deal.

 

[tacogeoff]

Wheeler has been a good player, but had a great year last year. Can he continue at last years pace? That will determine his value. How many other teams would be willingly to offer him a 8m X 4 years? I'm doubting any team would
The Jets might be the only that want value him as much as others teams . Chevy shouldn't be bidding against himself in any deal.

almost worth a gamble to not look at an extension and see how he performs next season. If he is back down to high sixties to mid seventies in point production for the year we may have a better bargaining chip to work with.

I cant see us trading Ehlers to make room for blake. the kid has hit the 60 point plateau twice at the age of 21. Blake did not crack that mark until he was 25. Unless people think that Ehlers has peaked already it is silly to assume he wont reach or surpass Blake's ceiling in the future.