Blake Wheeler to be a UFA

From Dave Vest of the Arizona Republic:

“I’m actually quite stunned,” Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said Thursday. “Quite frankly, we made him an offer significantly better than any other contract he can get (right now). But that’s his choice. I think (he’s received) bad advice, and I think he’s making a big mistake because of the commitment we’ve made to our young players and the young players we’re prepared to invest in.”

Here is the entire article courtesy of the Arizona Republic.

It appears that Wheeler wants to write his own ticket and choose his own NHL destination. While he obviously holds that right, I wonder why he would not want to join an up-and-coming Coyotes squad which has a ton of young offensive talent. Joining the like of Kyle Turris, Martin Hanzal and Peter Meuller would be appealing to most young players.