Winnipeg Jets forwards Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois were the subjects of media trade gossip late last season and during this summer. Their names could resurface in the rumor mill depending on their performances and how their team fares in the coming season.
Scheifele, 29, drew headlines at the end of 2021-22 with his comments about his future and the direction of the Jets. He subsequently downplayed those comments as did general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.
The Jets were said to have spoken with other clubs about Wheeler. Dubois, meanwhile, dismissed rumors suggesting he wanted a trade after signing a one-year, $6-million contract in July.
On Sept. 12, The Athletic’s Murat Ates revisited the rumors that swirled about the trio. He reported there was a chance the Jets would’ve attempted to trade Scheifele had they managed to sign the 24-year-old Dubois to a long-term contract.
Ates also believes the Jets looked into trading Wheeler during the offseason. However, the 36-year-old’s $8.25-million average annual value through 2023-24 proved too difficult to move.
The coming season will be a crucial one for those three Jets forwards. Scheifele and Wheeler can become unrestricted free agents at the end of 2023-24. So could Dubois if he signs another one-year contract next summer.
How they respond under new head coach Rick Bowness could determine if they’ll have futures in Winnipeg beyond 2024. If things go badly for the Jets, at least one of them could be shopped leading up to the 2023 trade deadline.
