It’s entirely possible to smile with a tear in your eye as something amazing comes to an end yet still be disappointed that something more didn’t happen. This is the conundrum I find myself in when I look back at Blake Wheeler’s tenure as a Winnipeg Jet. Multiple sources have all but confirmed that if a trade isn’t possible with 50 percent salary retention, the former Jets captain will be bought out.
Wheeler’s tenure with the hockey club really had it all in on and off the ice. Like a soap opera, it was a story that had a permanent cast of characters and plenty of character arcs. Wheeler’s character arc was the 6-foot-5 forward coming to Winnipeg as an underrated power forward and transforming into a legendary playmaker filled with controversy.
Wheeler’s Positives
A True Two-Way Force in His Prime
In his prime, Wheeler was an extremely underrated and elite player. Every analytical model had him as a dominant two-way force who controlled play at both ends of the ice. The Jets only made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once between 2012 and 2017, but none of the blame could have been placed on him. In those six seasons, according to Money Puck, the Jets outscored the opposition at even strength by 45 goals when he was on the ice. He practically dominated the other team while being on an average Jets team.
He Stayed When Not Many Others Would
Besides Dustin Byfuglien in 2016, Wheeler was the only other star player to stay in Winnipeg when the opportunity of becoming an unrestricted free agent presented itself. Furthermore, there was no unnecessary drama about not wanting to be here. Even as a restricted free agent in 2013, he re-signed for six seasons. He set roots within the city and eventually started a family in Winnipeg as well. Looking back in time, he was the exception to the stereotype that no one wanted to play in Winnipeg.
The Positives Under Wheeler’s Leadership
Wheeler only missed 39 games in 12 seasons as a Winnipeg Jet. That is the definition of consistency. He put everything on the line every single night. That would include sacrificing his manhood for the team’s success, as on two separate occasions, he took a point shot to the gonads. While off the ice, he was a leader in the province of Manitoba, committing many hours to charity work and covering grocery bills for families in need. Wheeler was a model citizen for the city of Winnipeg, and the entire province enjoyed getting to call him one of their own.
Key Milestones & Iconic Moments
The most iconic moments in Jets 2.0 lore most likely feature Wheeler in them. The most memorable moment was the Jets’ Game 3 comeback over the Nashville Predators in round two of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets were down 3-0 and came back to win 7-4. He had three points, including the game-winning goal, and eight shots on goal. His iconic celebration still causes goosebumps whenever it is seen.
I had the privilege of seeing his 1000th career game played in person. In my opinion, Dec 5, 2021, was the most iconic sports day in Winnipeg’s history. It started with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beating their hated rival, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 21-17. This victory clinched a spot in the Canadian Football League (CFL) Grey Cup Final. The night concluded with Winnipeg fans frantically racing to Canada Life Centre to watch Wheeler play his 1000th career game. He would have two assists as the Jets crushed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 in a special moment for everyone involved.
Wheeler’s Negatives
The Negatives Under His Leadership
After the Jets didn’t win the Stanley Cup in 2018, the dressing room unraveled into a toxic mess. As my colleague at The Hockey Writers, Greg Liodice, pointed out in a recent article, there were reports that Mark Scheifele and Wheeler didn’t like Patrik Laine’s meteoric rise to stardom in Winnipeg. The two then demanded they play with each other and not Laine. This situation was just a gut punch for Jets fans, as many thought Laine just wanted to get out of Winnipeg. Now as the Jets frantically try to get rid of a 36-year-old Wheeler, Laine is signed long-term in Columbus. This whole ordeal is a very dark cloud that hovers over the “Wheeler era.”
Cheveldayoff Made a Huge Mistake Extending Wheeler in 2018
I want to make it clear that zero of this blame falls onto Wheeler, as playing hockey is his profession, and all the props to him for getting paid substantially for all the things he has done for the city. With that said, paying him an extremely high annual average value (AAV) and giving him term until he is 38 was a colossal failure by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
Chalk it up to blind loyalty all you want, but that contract extension was a mistake. First off, the Jets were littered with scoring wingers to replace Wheeler. Kyle Connor, Ehlers and Laine were already top-six mainstays, and the Jets were interested in superstar Mark Stone. The Jets could’ve had Wheeler and Stone for two playoff runs before transitioning the team to a new core without Wheeler, as his best days were clearly behind him.
Age curves aside, his final two seasons leading up to the new contract were a mirage. Not only did his two-play play disappear, but the substantial increase in points scored was merely due to power-play points and empty net points. He nearly doubled his power-play production, going from a career-high of 21 power-play points to 40. Another important part of this increase was the Jets’ unique power-play setup. The Jets ran a nearly all right-handed power-play set up, which is extremely rare in the NHL due to the disparity between left-handed and right-handed players.
Related: Winnipeg Jets Management: Everything That Is Wrong
Having the ability to pass to three separate right-handed shooters in Scheifele, Laine and Byfuglien is the reason for Wheeler’s huge outburst in power-play points. It is no surprise that once Byfuglien left in 2019, his power-play production came back down to Earth. Furthermore, in the year before his mega contract extension, Wheeler led the league in empty net points and 5-on-3 points. It’s unfortunate because you want to give the player the benefit of the doubt, but this contract extension was for too long and too much money.
All data/statistics in the previous two paragraphs are from (‘Dellow: Jets made a mistake with Blake Wheeler’s new contract’, The Athletic, March 5, 2018)
Lack of Accountability
As it stands right now, Wheeler’s final moments in Winnipeg are not a good look. He was stripped of the captaincy by head coach Rick Bowness and then publicly disagreed with Bowness’ assessment of the Jets’ poor effort in the playoffs. In a season where the Jets tried hard to reverse any rumours about a toxic environment, this end-of-year dispute erased all of that hard work.
Wheeler is the Greatest Jet of the 2.0 Era
Even though it may look like the negatives outweigh the positives, they do not. Wheeler gave his heart and soul to this franchise for 12 seasons. Plus, recency bias has some effect on the recent negative moments being more prominent. Without a doubt, he gave this city eight amazing and four controversial years.
One day, Wheeler will have his jersey retired to the rafters at the Canada Life Centre, and every Jet fan will welcome him back with open arms. Tears will be shed for multiple reasons as that jersey slowly rises into immortality. First off, for celebrating what an epic chapter of Jets hockey Wheeler was a part of. Second, a bittersweet ending to a chapter that somehow didn’t end up with Winnipeg raising the Stanley Cup. If this is the end, thanks for giving fans the honour of watching you play in their living rooms and downtown at the arena. Thank you, Blake.
