Former first round draft pick in 2004, Blake Wheeler, has stunned the Phoenix Coyotes by not signing an entry-level deal with the team and thus making him a potential unrestricted free agent on Monday.
Wheeler, 21, will not be joining the likes of Peter Mueller and Kyle Turris as potential superstars in the Coyotes organization, rather choosing to go somewhere else to play. There will be a lot of teams looking to add a player of Wheeler's size (6'4") and talent, but he will still have to come under the guidelines of an entry-level contract.With the loss of Wheeler, the Coyotes will get a compensatory pick in the second round. They will gain the 35th overall pick in the draft.
This does have an eerie 'Lindros-look' to the whole thing, doesn't it? I don't know about you, but reading that Wheeler is from Michigan and the Red Wings are in the Cup Finals now... it does seem like he might try and punch his own ticket home. I suppose on that sort of reasoning, Wheeler did play for Minnesota in his college years. Could there be a trip to the Wild in store for him? Wheeler could end up being a pretty big prize, no matter which team he chooses, before the draft happens.
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