Can Blake Wheeler Be Traded?

[Phil]

I'm asking realistically, not literally. I don't fault Drury at all for trying to make this work, but it just isn't. He is so slow and just doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the lineup. Waivers is also an option, but I feel like a veteran player like this, Drury's more likely to look for a trade to spare him the embarrassment.

 

I just don't know where. I feel like it has to be back out West where his size and lack of speed are mitigated some. He's really drowning in the Metro because nearly every team is built on high-end speed. Maybe the Wild?

[Pete]

Ask yourself, who'd want a 37 year old player who's scored 6 points in 23 games on the best team in the league, while having some of the worst analytics on the team?

 

League minimum is a plus, but ... tough sell.

[RangersIn7]

12 minutes ago, Phil said:

I'm asking realistically, not literally. I don't fault Drury at all for trying to make this work, but it just isn't. He is so slow and just doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the lineup. Waivers is also an option, but I feel like a veteran player like this, Drury's more likely to look for a trade to spare him the embarrassment.

 

I just don't know where. I feel like it has to be back out West where his size and lack of speed are mitigated some. He's really drowning in the Metro because nearly every team is built on high-end speed. Maybe the Wild?

It will be difficult.

We have to assume that every other team has seen him play. 
Also, he does have an NTC. Not sure the details, but it’s there, so that’s another obstacle.

 

 

[Keirik]

I'd say not really. Not while things are rolling. There are more likely to just start platooning him. Given his age and him on such a small contract, it might affect their future ability to get a veteran in the same situation if they think there is no respect given towards uprooting a family to NYC at the tail end of a career like that. 

 

If we were to take a huge nosedive in the standings?  I guess maybe that changes things a bit. 

[Br4d]

They can just let Wheeler and his family have a nice holiday season doing all the touristy stuff in NYC.  Then we'll see where things are in January.

[Cash or Czech]

He's below the threshold of cap penalty if you send him down to the AHL, just saying. I get being classy to a veteran, but in today's NHL where Drury is literally calling up and sending down guys each day to make the cap work, you do what you've gotta do. Wheeler hasn't shown he can keep up in the East. You can try to do him the courtesy of exploring options, but at the end of the day Drury has a team to run efficiently.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Cash or Czech

[Pete]

16 minutes ago, Keirik said:

I'd say not really. Not while things are rolling. There are more likely to just start platooning him. Given his age and him on such a small contract, it might affect their future ability to get a veteran in the same situation if they think there is no respect given towards uprooting a family to NYC at the tail end of a career like that. 

 

If we were to take a huge nosedive in the standings?  I guess maybe that changes things a bit. 

Get what you're saying, but then you have Quick and Bonino to counter that. They are playing, Boneroo got elevated, because he was doing his job. Wheeler isn't.

[BlairBettsBlocksEverything]

I doubt there's anyone who would want him at this point. 

 

I think the potential upside of keeping him very much outweighs getting rid of him. I'd rather keep him in the hopes that a 37 year old understands that he's gonna be counted on to bring something in the playoffs and he's probably just not killing himself to be at his best early in the season, vs the 0, maybe even negative return on him without really giving us much cap relief either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RangersIn7]

15 minutes ago, Pete said:

Get what you're saying, but then you have Quick and Bonino to counter that. They are playing, Boneroo got elevated, because he was doing his job. Wheeler isn't.

My Boneroo gets elevated too

[RangersIn7]

1 minute ago, BlairBettsBlocksEverything said:

I doubt there's anyone who would want him at this point. 

 

I think the potential upside of keeping him very much outweighs getting rid of him. I'd rather keep him in the hopes that a 37 year old understands that he's gonna be counted on to bring something in the playoffs and he's probably just not killing himself to be at his best early in the season, vs the 0, maybe even negative return on him without really giving us much cap relief either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a good chance that it shakes out the way you’re saying, which if I’m reading you correctly, he’s a 13/14th forward. 

[Pete]

12 minutes ago, BlairBettsBlocksEverything said:

I doubt there's anyone who would want him at this point. 

 

I think the potential upside of keeping him very much outweighs getting rid of him. I'd rather keep him in the hopes that a 37 year old understands that he's gonna be counted on to bring something in the playoffs and he's probably just not killing himself to be at his best early in the season, vs the 0, maybe even negative return on him without really giving us much cap relief either.

I think you have to move him just because you can't play him or health bomb him every night.

[BlairBettsBlocksEverything]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

I think you have to move him just because you can't play him or health bomb him every night.

Im not sure who would take him, for anything other than us adding a pick. 

 

Unless we're coming up on the deadline, and we need just a tiny bit of cap space to pull off a big trade that makes us big-time cup favorites, i don't think the pick is worth the small cap space increase we get from moving him, relative to the potential upside he can bring in crunch time 

[mbob]

He's making the min and basically a spare part.  Rather than trading him it should be more important that he understands some nights he will be scratched. 

 

 

[Blue Heaven]

I would assume if he were to be traded it would have to be a team that would be a playoff bubble team that would want some veteran leadership that needs a RWer.  Islanders?  Tampa?  

[Keirik]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Get what you're saying, but then you have Quick and Bonino to counter that. They are playing, Boneroo got elevated, because he was doing his job. Wheeler isn't.

Fair point for sure. I'm just thinking they are more likely to use him in platoon than try and dump him.

 

goodrow on the other hand......

[Br4d]

1 minute ago, Blue Heaven said:

I would assume if he were to be traded it would have to be a team that would be a playoff bubble team that would want some veteran leadership that needs a RWer.  Islanders?  Tampa?  

 

Western Conference plz.  Don't want a player with a chip on his shoulder playing rivalry games against the Rangers.

[Pete]

6 minutes ago, Keirik said:

Fair point for sure. I'm just thinking they are more likely to use him in platoon than try and dump him.

 

goodrow on the other hand......

I don't want to hijack the thread but don't see them moving Goodrow in-season, for a plethora of reasons.

 

Wheeler is pretty unplayable at this point, so the have to either health-bomb him or dump him.

[Pete]

7 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Western Conference plz.  Don't want a player with a chip on his shoulder playing rivalry games against the Rangers.

I would welcome Wheeler on the other side. He's trash.

[Valriera]

We don't need to trade Wheeler, if that's the decision. We signed him to a league minimum 1 year deal with no movement restrictions. Just waive/send him down. He has had more than a fair shot here. He's cost us nothing to acquire and we don't need to entertain nothing in return.

 

That said, I don't see a need to free him. Let him choose. Either rotate in/out with people who can play still or go play in the AHL. There's nothing to really be decided here, but obviously he's played (or not played) his way out of the lineup with Brodzinski coming in and being effective. There's only so many spots and Wheeler is obviously the slow guy out 

 

 

[Phil]

16 minutes ago, Blue Heaven said:

I would assume if he were to be traded it would have to be a team that would be a playoff bubble team that would want some veteran leadership that needs a RWer.  Islanders?  Tampa?  

 

Isles, sure, but we both know that trade isn't happening. Tampa, maybe? They're definitely a bubble team but their current RWs are all out-scoring Wheeler by a mile. It's not like they're in an injury hole and need a plug.

[Pete]

8 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

Isles, sure, but we both know that trade isn't happening. Tampa, maybe? They're definitely a bubble team but their current RWs are all out-scoring Wheeler by a mile. It's not like they're in an injury hole and need a plug.

Tampa would play Kuch 27 minutes a night before playing Wheeler.

[Phil]

2 minutes ago, Pete said:

Tampa would play Kuch 27 minutes a night before playing Wheeler.

 

They'd probably play Tyler Motte at 2RW before Wheeler.

I feel like Wheeler has to go west just to avoid the speed problem. On the whole, the East just laps him on the ice. There are too many water bugs here.

 

I don't know if/why they'd do it, but I'd be phoning Minnesota to see if they want him. Try to swap for Maroon.

[siddious]

I doubt he gets traded. I think eventually someone takes his role and he is a black ace. Just thank the hockey gods it was a 1 year deal. You cant blame drury for taking the chance.

 

 

[phillyb]

5 minutes ago, siddious said:

I doubt he gets traded. I think eventually someone takes his role and he is a black ace. Just thank the hockey gods it was a 1 year deal. You cant blame drury for taking the chance.

 

 

 

Good point. It could be worse. Drury could have handed out a THREE YEAR DEAL to Ryan fuckin Reeves lol. I'll take the 1 year deal on Wheeler and healthy scratch him whenever needed...and play him 5-8 minutes on the other nights.

[Br4d]

Maybe Wheeler gets past the holidays and decides to retire?  He could still stay in the area with his family until the end of the school year and then probably home to Minnesota.