Parting ways with Wheeler likely costly but necessary move for Jets

WINNIPEG — The end of this relationship was always going to be somewhat messy, even if a clean break can still be provided.

With the pending separation/divorce for Blake Wheeler and the Winnipeg Jets coming to the forefront this week, it’s safe to say the former captain is going to be moving on from the organization he joined 13 years ago in a deadline deal between the Boston Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers.

Much of the discussion has revolved around the how, as in how are the Jets going to ensure this breakup can be the smoothest for all parties — and that’s why the situation is still in flux.

The goal for the Jets is to provide as graceful a departure as possible for Wheeler, who has his name firmly ensconced throughout the record book after 12 seasons of high-end production for this franchise.

The overriding issue is that it’s going to cost the Jets a significant portion of money for Wheeler to go away, a factor that seems relatively wild when you consider the right-winger still managed to record 16 goals and 55 points in 72 games as a 36-year-old in his 16th NHL season.

Making that production more impressive is that Wheeler maintained a high level even though his ice time was reduced by nearly two-and-a-half minutes per game, while battling back from a gruesome injury.

So why has it been so hard to move Wheeler in a normal hockey trade?

In what has become a virtually flat-cap world, with the $1 million increase confirmed by commissioner Gary Bettman at the NHL Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, giving up an asset for a player set to make $8.25 million in both AAV and actual cash at 37 years old isn’t something any of the 31 teams is going to sign up for.

Even if that player is going to give you everything he has and can easily be an impactful complementary player.

That’s part of the issue with keeping Wheeler in Winnipeg for the final year of his contract.

It’s time for Wheeler to be moved into a third line role, not as some sort of punishment, but because that’s where he can provide his greatest value.

Doing more with less can be accomplished.

By moving the Minnesota product alongside Adam Lowry and playing in the 14-to-16 minute range, he could probably still provide double digits in goals (he hasn’t been below 15 goals in any of his 16 campaigns) and probably eclipse 40 points.

Of course there would be time for him to contribute on the power play, even if it’s on the second unit — a transition that took place at times last season already.

If the Jets were closer to contender status, Wheeler might be willing to accept a lesser role here, but even that is complicated.

When you’ve been somewhere as long as Wheeler has and are used to being relied upon in virtually all situations, accepting a reduced role isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds.

That won’t apply if a trade or buyout is executed and Wheeler takes a team-friendly, shorter-term deal elsewhere.

As an aside, the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes are two teams that make sense to me on that front, though those options can be explored further once something actually happens.

Before that next step can take place, the Jets need to figure out which route to take with Wheeler.

With a straight-up trade off the table, unless the Jets are prepared to include a hefty sweetener, let’s delve into the two most likely options.

A buyout is the cleanest outcome, but if that was the preferred route, it probably would have happened already.

As mentioned previously, the Jets have only bought out one player in 2.0 history, popular D-man Mark Stuart, who had one season remaining on a deal that carried a cap hit of $2.65 million (and cost the Jets $583,333 for two seasons).

For Wheeler, paying him two-thirds of that $8.25 million means spreading out $5.5 million over two seasons, leaving considerable savings when it comes to cap space (as Wheeler’s cap hit would only be $2.75 million this season and next).

It’s important to remember the Jets will also need to replace him either in a trade or in free agency to fill his spot in the top-six if he’s bought out.

Another potential option that has been floated this week is perhaps the Jets can find a willing partner who needs to get to the cap floor and might be willing to help absorb some of the cost (perhaps up to 50 per cent) before buying out Wheeler themselves.

Those savings make sense for the Jets as well, but you can be sure that any team willing to help Winnipeg on this front would want something in return — though not as high of a draft pick as would be required if that team was taking on the full salary.

With general managers around the NHL looking at the Jets complex offseason situation, which includes possible trades for goalie Connor Hellebuyck and forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mark Scheifele, you can be sure they’re not exactly offering Kevin Cheveldayoff a lifeboat here, which is probably why a transaction of this nature hasn’t been completed yet.

Although it’s not my money and you can understand why the Jets don’t really want to be paying Wheeler to play for someone else, it’s time for both sides to move on and this will ultimately be filed under the category of the cost of doing business.

This isn’t about running Wheeler out of town unceremoniously, the relationship has simply run its course.

When the dust settles, history will show that it was a mutually beneficial relationship, though not one without its challenges.

Wheeler has given everything he could to this franchise and has done a lot in the community with his family.

There will be a time not long down the road where Wheeler will be celebrated and his No. 26 raised to the rafters by the Jets.

For a stretch, Wheeler was one of THE best right-wingers in the NHL, putting together consecutive 91-point seasons while distributing the puck as an elite playmaker.

He was a driver during what was the best season in franchise history, playing a vital role on a team that finished second in the NHL standings in 2017-18 with 114 points and won nine Stanley Cup playoff games before getting knocked out in the Western Conference Final.

His on-ice legacy is secure, but ultimately it’s time for both sides to move on.

By doing so, Wheeler can chase a Stanley Cup elsewhere and the Jets can officially usher in a new era.