Winnipeg Jets Give Blake Wheeler Big Extension in Necessary Risk
Well, I guess the Winnipeg Jets won’t be needing a new captain. They just inked theirs to a five year, $41.25MM contract. Good stuff.
The Winnipeg Jets knew they needed to sign Blake Wheeler. I know we discussed the future of the team captaincy, but Wheeler was always coming back.
After just being named the captain, the team reaching new highs, and Wheeler popping off a career-high 91 points, he wasn’t going anywhere. The Jets knew this.
Was $8.25MM a lot? I was ready to say so, but it’s at the back end of the top 20 NHL cap hits. And at only five years, it’s not like Wheeler will be in his 40s when the contract ends.
Is it a little higher due to a somewhat muted length? Six more years of Wheeler is a good amount, but not too much. I think. When Jack Eichel, Carey Price and…Jonathan Toews are making more than 10MM per, Wheeler’s just fine.
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If he goes back to being the 70ish point guy he’d been for a few years, I think it’s still fine. Definitely high, but fine. If he goes upwards of 90 again, this contract suddenly looks pretty good.
Oh, and since he’s basically just getting a $3MM raise, the Jets cap situation only takes a $3MM hit in the future. Not insignificant, but hey, you’re signing the dude who led the team in scoring and captained a group of young guys to the Western Conference Final. It’s okay.
This also raises the question: What about the defense? Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey remain in contract limbo. Trouba is signed for this year, but still has no long-term clarity.
Morrissey is still without a contract for this coming season. I’m not sure why he remains unsigned. I’m not worried, though. I’m assuming they’re ironing out a long-term deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team is ready to move on from Trouba. Or Myers, who is a free agent after next season.
Next. The NFL Meets the Winnipeg Jets. dark
The defense is going to look different. For now, though, we know what the front office was working on the past week+. And now we have an extension for our captain, who will be with the team until 2024. The way of the road.