After a disappointing Labour Day weekend for Winnipeg sports fans, one that saw the Blue Bombers drop their third straight game, the Jets had some news to share. The club announced that they had extended captain Blake Wheeler’s contract, with the two sides agreeing on Tuesday morning to a five-year deal worth a total $41.25 million.
“They’re willing to pay the price to make a championship contender,” Wheeler told a group of reporters when asked what the fans should take away from his new deal.
The 32-year-old led the team in points last season with 91, and his 68 assists had him tied for the league lead alongside Flyers winger Claude Giroux.
The deal will pay Wheeler $8.25 million annually beginning in the 2019–20 season. His cap hit for the following season will remain at a very reasonable $5.6 million.
While we could sit here and deliberate whether this was a smart signing in terms of money and contract length, it was a deal the Jets had to get done. Allowing questions to loom about your captain all seasons provides an unnecessary distraction, especially when you’re trying to put together a championship contender. With Wheeler signed, the Jets have put those questions to bed and shown that they’re all-in to win now.
And that’s exactly why this deal is perfect, in the short term.
In four to five years, it may be a different story. After all, he’ll be 38 by the end of this contract—although very little of Wheeler’s game or conditioning suggests to me that he won’t still be an effective forward late into his thirties. With his vision, intelligence with the puck, and work ethic I could see him aging as well as Joe Thornton has.
Another comparable player, and one who I find plays even more like Wheeler than Thornton does, is Dallas Stars centre Jason Spezza. That said, after putting up just eight goals and 18 assists last season, he may have begun his decline at 35 years of age.
Wheeler just seems to be getting better with age. Consider the fact that he just put up a career-high in points in his tenth season. With the talent he’ll be surrounded with this season, I believe he has a chance to surpass that total.
All things considered, the front office accomplished a lot on Tuesday, locking up a key part of their core. But they still have a lot of work to do over the course of this season, with the contracts of forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, and defensemen Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba, coming up at the end of the season.
Before that happens, they’ll have to reach an agreement with defenseman Josh Morrissey, who still finds himself a restricted free agent ten days before training camp. It was made public in late August that talks are indeed fluid between the two sides, and both parties are working hard towards getting a deal done as soon as possible. What kind of deal Morrissey will sign is unclear at this point.
A Morrissey contract would be just what Jets general manager Kevin Chevaldayoff would need to put the cherry on top of his offseason. He signed starting goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and 2018 Vezina Trophy finalist, to a six-year contract. He got deals done for restricted free agents Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry, and Tucker Poolman. He even cleared some cap space by dealing Steve Mason, who had one year left on his contract, paying him $4.1 million.
After maneuvering through his first cap crunch since becoming general manager, however, know that Chevaldayoff will be tested even more as the months roll by.
