Blake Wheeler retires after 16 seasons
Blake Wheeler retired from the NHL after 16 seasons, he announced Wednesday.
The 38-year-old didn't play this past season after going unsigned as an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
"More or less, right after last year, I knew I was all done," Wheeler said during an interview with "Jets @ Noon." "I just haven't felt a rush to make a formal announcement or anything. But yeah, after my injury and kinda the way things ended last year, I just didn't have anything left in the tank for it. So yeah, I was at peace with it almost immediately after last year, and yeah, I'm just enjoying being a dad and kinda slowing things down a little bit, and being around my family."
Wheeler spent 13 seasons with the Thrashers/Jets organization, serving as Winnipeg's captain for six campaigns. He also played parts of three seasons with the Boston Bruins to begin his career, then spent his last year with the New York Rangers in 2023-24.
He missed the final three months of the 2023-24 campaign due to a leg injury before returning for one playoff game, which turned out to be the final appearance of his career.
"I tore the ligaments on both sides of my ankle, and then I broke my fibula," he said. "Once I got hurt, I was already kinda feeling like that was gonna be sort of my last year when I was playing, even healthy in New York. And then when the injury happened, it just felt like that was some sort of sign. I hadn't really been hurt my entire career, more or less."
Possessing a great combination of size and playmaking ability, the 6-foot-5 winger amassed 943 points in 1,172 career games. His best season came in 2017-18 when he tallied a career-high 91 points, an NHL-best 68 assists, and finished eighth in Hart Trophy voting. He also added 21 points in 17 playoff appearances that spring, guiding the Jets to the Western Conference Final.
"I think, 2018, we can all agree we were the best team in the league, and we let that one slip away," Wheeler said. "I wanted to, with every ounce of me, win a Stanley Cup in Winnipeg."
Wheeler, a native of Plymouth, Minnesota, ranks 14th among American-born skaters in points. His 812 points are the most in Thrashers/Jets franchise history, though Mark Scheifele, sitting at 804, will likely pass him this season.