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Blake Wheeler a free agent


petey23

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A chance to play with the wild?

That would be awesome. Just awesome.

An underachieving top 10 draft pick going to an overachieving (at least during the regular season) NHL organization.

And just for clarification:

Seems I was right all along. Gretzky was an idiot to waste a top 5 pick on this guy. I have no problem with him drafting Wheeler, but he should have traded down and gotten the extra pick that year. That way he would have another pick that may be approaching NHL ready to compensate for Wheeler taking a walk.

Now he gets a compensatory pick that, at best, is 3 years away from competing for the NHL.

Was Wheeler Gretzky's first pick as GM? If so, that could explain the pick. Simply evaluating good talent too high.

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Interesting. He turns down an offer that is more than anyone else can offer him. Wonder what he's waiting for??

They obviously offered him a 2 way deal which means he gets squat. Most top 10 first round picks get guaranteed contracts when they sign. Yes Wayne screwed up when he picked Blake 3 rounds early but he didn't screw up twice and pay 4th or 5th round talent a guaranteed contract and got him to go elsewhere and replace him with(if they don't screw it up) a better prospect with the 35th pick in this years draft.

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They obviously offered him a 2 way deal which means he gets squat. Most top 10 first round picks get guaranteed contracts when they sign. Yes Wayne screwed up when he picked Blake 3 rounds early but he didn't screw up twice and pay 4th or 5th round talent a guaranteed contract and got him to go elsewhere and replace him with(if they don't screw it up) a better prospect with the 35th pick in this years draft.

I was under the impression that all rookie are under two way contracts?

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I think it depends on which CBA you are drafted under as far as one way or 2 way contracts go. I seem to remember Zach Parise getting credited for a full year when he left UND under his contract terms even though he didn't even play a game that year.

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It's way too early to call him a bust. If and when he fails to live up to expectations in the NHL, then and only then can he be called a bust. He's been one of the best players in college hockey the past three years, so other than irrational and obsessive hatred for the college team he plays for I can't for the life of me understand why you would say he's a bust. :lol:

Generous assessment on your part. I agree though, you cannot call him a bust because he hasn't lived up to expectations so far, he is still young. He is only 21, or the same age as Zajac and Stafford who were both drafted behind him.

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It's way too early to call him a bust. If and when he fails to live up to expectations in the NHL, then and only then can he be called a bust. He's been one of the best players in college hockey the past three years, so other than irrational and obsessive hatred for the college team he plays for I can't for the life of me understand why you would say he's a bust. :lol:

I wouldn't call him one of the best players in college hockey over the last 3 years...but since you are a gopher fan Dave, I understand your viewpoint. Barry Tallackson=Blake Wheeler

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I wouldn't call him one of the best players in college hockey over the last 3 years...but since you are a gopher fan Dave, I understand your viewpoint. Barry Tallackson=Blake Wheeler

:lol: I think Wheeler is a DECENT player but he isn't worthy of a first round pick.

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I don't think Wheeler was worthy of a 1st round pick, but hindsight is 20/20. Gretzky and others saw the potential in Wheeler. I believe he failed to develop properly at the U of MN-TC. Could he still become a decent NHL player? Absolutely. He has the size and some decent skill to carve out a role. He is probably a really nice kid. He is yet another player who failed to develop properly under the Lucia regime. Things will get way better now that the evil Mike Guentzel has been fired...I mean resigned!

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It's way too early to call him a bust. If and when he fails to live up to expectations in the NHL, then and only then can he be called a bust. He's been one of the best players in college hockey the past three years, so other than irrational and obsessive hatred for the college team he plays for I can't for the life of me understand why you would say he's a bust. :lol:

? ? ? ?

3rd team WCHA as a Jr. - no league awards as a freshman/sophmore (no all rookie team either).

He might have had the talent to be "one of the best players in college hockey" but face it - he did not produce.

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Generous assessment on your part. I agree though, you cannot call him a bust because he hasn't lived up to expectations so far, he is still young. He is only 21, or the same age as Zajac and Stafford who were both drafted behind him.

Who's expectations, as Red Wing said, a lot of this could be laid at Gretzky's feet. Wheeler didn't draft himself at #5. He was a mid 20's rated player, I believe. The Yote's drafted him there, the number 5 pick razz is tired. While Wheeler is open for critique of his play at times, his draft placement isn't. I think you may want to let this play out before you judge. If the Yotes were going to play him in the minors, he can get a much better deal elswhere. The point of who was drafted before or after is always easy after the fact and a poor arguement. The draft is based on potential. Output as a 21 year old is only part of it. I suppose you would have taken Tom Brady with the number one overall pick Petey? There are guys drafted after Sioux players who are better than the two you mentioned, if you bring the former, you have to acknowledge the latter. The Yote's offered him the max they could, do you really think they would rather have the pick?

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I don't think Wheeler was worthy of a 1st round pick, but hindsight is 20/20. Gretzky and others saw the potential in Wheeler. I believe he failed to develop properly at the U of MN-TC. Could he still become a decent NHL player? Absolutely. He has the size and some decent skill to carve out a role. He is probably a really nice kid. He is yet another player who failed to develop properly under the Lucia regime. Things will get way better now that the evil Mike Guentzel has been fired...I mean resigned!

Maybe Garth Snow was on to something! :lol:

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Good One!! Wheeler is overrated and obviously the 'Yotes realized that and tried to get a little something for him instead of being a complete bust.

Yeah, they really didn't want him, considering they offered as much as is allowed by the CBA. :lol:

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Yeah, they really didn't want him, considering they offered as much as is allowed by the CBA. :lol:

If so, why did he not sign the contract? Under the terms of the CBA, no other team can offer as much as Phoenix. Looks like Blake (and/or his agent) tried to play hardball and was given a lesson in humility.

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He's a bust. Nuff said.

Can we wait until he plays at least one game in the NHL before we declare him a bust? I actually think he'll make a better pro player than he was as a college player. He'll play his natural position at right wing as opposed to center which he was basically forced to play the last two years because the Gophers were thin at that position.

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Does not matter what they offered him, did they keep him? Uh No! There for they must not have wanted him too bad!

You just don't get it do you? They did everything they could to sign him. He turned them down. It's really not that tough to understand.

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