I’m sure Blake Wheeler is a good dude. This isn’t meant to be a hit piece whatsoever. I appreciate the sentiment he’s shared on various media availabilities – high praise for the group, the guys have welcomed him and he feels right at home. Always good to hear that and genuinely happy he’s acclimating smoothly to the team we love.
It must’ve been a mixed bag of emotions leaving Winnipeg after 12 seasons as a Jet. He was granted the honor of being captain in 2016, only to have it stripped away for rather obscure reasons before the start of last season. The Jets released this cryptic statement where Rick Bowness claimed it was meant to expand the Jets’ leadership group, but I don’t really buy that. Regardless of what Wheeler told reporters, it was probably pretty strange to continue to play for the same team that blatantly disrespected you.
I give Wheeler a ton of credit though. He handled everything like a consummate professional, and in my opinion, with more class than Dustin Brown, when the same happened to him in 2016 with the LA Kings.
Early Impressions As A Ranger
Anyways, the issue I’m having is I can’t take my eyes off him when he’s on the ice. Not particularly in a good way, either. He’s a red laser and I’m the cat that’s completely at his mercy.
Of course, it’s early and probably premature to be making definitive statements about the identity of this club and where certain players fit in. Although, you get the sense this is a team that wants to play a fast game north/south, grind you down on the forecheck and beat you to pucks.
I don’t have the analytics to back it up, but it just feels like he’s slowing down that 3rd line alongside Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle. Both of those guys have looked great in the early going, accounting for the lion share of their line’s offensive production.
Prior to tonight’s puck drop in Edmonton, Wheeler has 0 points through the first 6 contests and a +/- rating of -3. Obviously, not ideal.
The stats aside, it’s more so the way he looks out there. It appears like he’s a step behind the play, he’s been losing puck battles and seems to be reaching more often than he’s moving his feet. Too many times you feel like Trocheck/Cuylle are generating momentum in the offensive zone and Wheeler takes the wind out of their sails.
Not sure many people expected him to be this ineffective, either. Wheeler has 312 goals to his name and registered 91 points in back-to-back seasons in the not-so-distant past. He’s also just generally a big presence on the ice, at 6’5 and ~225 pounds.
Following the signing, some people were talking about the 37-year-old losing a step and then he proceeds to look like a prime Rick Nash in the few clips that leaked from training camp and in flashes of preseason action.
What’s Next For Wheeler & The Rangers?
To be fair, this is a very different situation than Winnipeg. Instead of playing on the top line and special teams, Wheeler has been playing 12 or so minutes on the 3rd line and not even sniffing the first power play unit. It’s already an adjustment – on top of a new system, new teammates and new surroundings.
The good news for the Rangers? The team is off to a good start as a collective unit and Wheeler’s play isn’t causing anyone on the coaching staff to lose sleep. Additionally, Wheeler’s deal is only 1 year/$800k, the league minimum. This means they’re not necessarily married to him and have some freedom to explore different options as the season progresses.
One simple solution could be giving Tyler Pitlick an opportunity. Instead of subbing Jimmy Vesey out, you could sub in Pitlick and see how he fares on that 3rd line. Or bump Vesey up for that matter, and have Pitlick round out the 4th line. I tend to think both guys would thrive in a forechecking role alongside Trocheck and Cuylle, where they’re able to maintain possession for longer stretches in the offensive zone. With Vesey, he goes way back with Trocheck – the two have known each other since they were 8 or 9 years old and played in the World Juniors together. It’d be pretty cool to see them get an extended look playing together again.
Another idea is calling up Brennan Othmann from Hartford to see what he’s capable of. Although, I don’t love this idea just yet. You’d much prefer Othmann get some solid AHL experience under his belt and join the team only when he’s oozing with confidence (check out this blog for more on that). Calling him up solely because Wheeler isn’t playing up to standards wouldn’t help anyone involved.
Some of you might roll your eyes at this next one, but I’m at least curious how this affects Patrick Kane and his chances of returning. It’s looking like maybe there’s a spot to be claimed on the right wing and both Chris Drury and Kane know it. Obviously, there are a myriad of other factors at play (check out this blog for more), but it’s something to think about. If not Kane, maybe Drury looks for a RW replacement at the trade deadline.
Let Wheeler Rock
At least for now, it’s too early to be writing off Wheeler completely. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt here. I’m on board with continuing to throw him over the boards. It might be sorta ugly now, but maybe he’s able to get his legs underneath him in due time.
Truth be told though, he should be thanking his lucky stars Gerard Gallant isn’t still the coach. In which case, he’d be demoted to the 4th line, healthy scratched and then given a look as the water boy.
Laviolette seems to have more patience with giving underperforming players more opportunities to prove themselves instead of jumbling up the line combos. A sight for sore eyes in Rangers land.
With regard to tonight’s matchup against the Oilers, Wheeler has 5 points in his last 7 games against Edmonton. I have this weird feeling he gets on the scoresheet in a big way at Rogers Place and this blog loses some relevance. Totally cool with that.
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