Off-season ratings: Wheeler, Stahl, Bundesliga, Ekman-Larson

Former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler On the verge of parting ways with his team this summer, on TSN’s Insider Trading show, Pierre Lebrun made it very succinct, saying that Wheeler “will not be playing for the Jets next season.” But it remains a mystery as to where he will end up being a two-time All-Star next season, as well as the exact method that will be used to complete his exit from the Jets. LeBrun reports that interim Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and Wheeler are working together to find a solution for Wheeler, and the potential outcomes include not just a traditional trade or acquisition, but also a combination of the two where Wheeler is traded to another club and then bought out by his new team.

The Jets have taken this path with players in the past, as they did in 2018 when they lined up Joel Jeremy And the Montreal Canadiens draft moves to Montreal to purchase the goalkeeper’s contract Steve Mason. Acquiring Wheeler would cost a team $2.75 million apiece for the next two seasons, and with the acquisition deadline approaching next Friday, the Jets would have to either accept a deal for Wheeler with another club, whether they were involved, or another club. Will be in trouble to buy Wheeler.

Some other notes across the NHL:

• He was always expected to be the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes Jordan StahlThe pending unrestricted free agency was more a formality than anything else, and the 34-year-old center would eventually re-sign with the franchise he’d been with since 2012. Dreger reported that Staal’s side had “presented” the Hurricanes “a number of options” on a new deal, but their negotiations were “at an impasse”, and owner Tom Dundon would have to “step down” to re-sign. his captain. If that doesn’t happen, Dreger adds, “we could definitely see Staal as a free agent on July 1st.” This would be a horrific outcome for Stahl and hurricanes, though it now seems like an odd possibility that hurricane fans might need to start preparing for.
• The player looking to enter the free agent market at the start of the league’s new year is the Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting. TSN’s Chris Johnston insider trading reported that while Bunting “would love to stay” in Toronto, “there have been no substantive negotiations” about a contract extension. Johnston adds that Bunting “will likely enter the market” where he can receive contract offers beyond what the Maple Leafs are capable of. Ponting, who turns 28 in September, scored 23 goals and 49 points last season and established himself as a legitimate NHL scoring option in his time with Toronto.
• While the Vancouver Canucks made the decision not to pay Olivier Ekman-Larson For future play, it looks like other open market teams will be more than happy to add the veteran 902 to their lineup. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports on Insider Trading that Ekman-Larsson’s next contract “could be for a year or as long as four,” and it won’t come with a huge interest rate just because Ekman-Larsson already owes money to Vancouver. Dreger adds that Ekman Larsson would like to sign with a rival team and can expect a trip into the free agent market Ryan SouterIn 2021, when Sutter was awarded a four-year, $3.65 million contract extension with the Dallas Stars.