______________________________________________________If push comes to shove in terms of cap, I'm inclined to keep Connor over any forward not named Scheifele or Laine. I'm baised, though. I've been real high on Connor since I watched him play against Ehlers in the WJHC B tournament back in 2015. I literally cheered when we drafted him. I think he's gonna have a very, very good career, hopefully entirely with us. I wouldn't be surprised if he flirts with 40 goals a few seasons and pushes 80 points regularly.
In the upcoming season, I think Connor will be very close to 40 or more goals. I believe he had over 30 last season, and he missed 7 games. He is "by far" the best Jet for scoring goals in tight--like around from 6-12 feet in front of the net-"magic hands.' We still haven't seen goals from him from 25-30 feet out, but I hope he has a 'hard shot" as well. If he has a shot close to Ehlers-that be great.
If it comes to keeping Wheeler at 35 years old, or keeping Connor--I'd keep Connor all day long, if I was calling the shots. Wheeler will be in slow decline.