Note: Happy Canada Day.
Note II: It was an end of an era on Friday as the Jets placed Blake Wheeler on unconditional waivers for purpose of contract buyout which makes him officially the last of the Thrashers (he played 23 games with Atlanta after being dealt there by Boston). He will be a free agent this morning and is rumoured to be interested in signing with a team in the Eastern Conference.
Note III: For the first time in years Jets prospects will be heading to Winnipeg in July for Development Camp. A really good crop of prospects for fans to check out next week. Check out the full list of prospects attending and times of skates here.
Note IV: Today is the start of NHL Free Agency at 11 AM CDT. Of course you should start your Saturday with us on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show which gets underway at 9 AM. We will be joined by Associate Editor and Prospect Analyst for Daily Faceoff Steven Ellis.
Jets news:
Sportsnet: Despite Wheeler buyout, Jets’ Cheveldayoff still facing unknowns in free agency. Ken gives you the lay of the land and then looks ahead to some of the possible names that the Jets may be contemplating once free agency gets going this morning.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Winnipeg Sun: Thanks for the memories, Blake Wheeler — even for the F-bomb. If you stood in a scrum with the former Jets captain most knew that you could easily draw his ire. Sometimes it was warranted, other times it wasn’t. Of course Frieser isn’t one to particularly care if he is on the receiving end of something like that in his quest to get answers to his questions.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets buy out former captain Blake Wheeler. Is Blake Wheeler still capable of being a productive hockey player? The answer is yes. But could he still be that on a Jets team? That answer was no. This was needed for both the organization and the player.
Winnipeg Free Press: Wheeler era is over: Jets buy out former captain. (Paywall). Even though he only played 23 games for Atlanta he was the last active Thrashers player still with the Winnipeg Jets. However if you are looking for some fun facts with your friends as I illustrated to our good friend Jesse Pollock of Bardown, he won’t ‘technically’ be the one to end the Thrashers era in Winnipeg.
The Athletic Winnipeg: Jets buying out former captain Blake Wheeler’s contract: What it means for the veteran forward. (Paywall). Murat chimes in with his thoughts on the state of the Jets.
London Free Press: Londoner’s ‘surreal’ ride from university student to NHL draft pick with Jets. Quite an interesting pick that of all the ones made by the Jets on Thursday, he seemed to be the one folks knew the least about. That will change when he gets to Winnipeg next week.
Jets video:
TSN: Could Connor Hellebuyck be an immediate target for teams if they miss out on UFA targets? Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler are both out of the picture in Winnipeg so the focus now shifts to Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck. If other GMs can’t land their UFA targets, would July 1 be the perfect time to make a go for the Jets’ goaltender?
TSN: Top 5 prospects from Western Conference Canadian teams. TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button examines the top 5 prospects of each Canadian Western Conference team after the draft. (Jets prospect talk begins at the 2:10 mark).
Winnipeg Sun: Breaking down whirlwind week for the Jets. The full Winnipeg Sun sports crew is here for the latest edition of Jets Setting. Ted Wyman, Paul Friesen and Scott Billeck breakdown a whirlwind of a week for the Winnipeg Jets, who shipped out Pierre-Luc Dubois, bought out Blake Wheeler and sandwiched a draft in between over the past few days.
Sportsnet: Why Toronto doesn’t seem like a great fit for Wheeler, but Tampa or Boston does. Kyper and Bourne discussion on where they can see Blake Wheeler landing in the free agent market, and why Toronto doesn’t seem like a good fit.
