Winnipeg Jets Rumors: 2 Trade Candidates for 2022-23 Season

The Winnipeg Jets are looking to bounce back in a major way in 2022-23. The team has a new head coach in Rick Bowness, no captain, and a fresh outlook on this upcoming season. If things go south for the Jets, more changes will be on the way, and major ones at that. Here's two players who are prime trade candidates for Winnipeg this season:

Blake Wheeler

An obvious target, Wheeler had his 'C' ripped from his jersey as the team is looking for a fresh voice in the room. It's certainly become an awkward situation for Wheeler who continues to say all the right things and is adamant his role doesn't change with the team regardless of the letter being missing from his jersey. The 36-year-old is coming off a 60-point season in 65 games and has two seasons left on his deal, at $8.25 million annually. The Jets will need to retain some salary if they're going to move on from the veteran forward, but it's only expected to take place if the team struggles out of the gate. Wheeler holds lots of say in the matter as he has a modified trade clause as he's submitted a list of five teams he's willing to get traded to for this season.

Brenden Dillon

At 31 and considering the type of style Brenden Dillon plays, he's a player to watch out of Winnipeg. The team has Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola chomping at the bit for regular minutes, making the urgency to move Dillon rather high. He's signed for two more seasons at $3.9 million and the Jets will likely have to wait for a team to suffer a major injury on their blue line for interest levels to increase in the bruising defenseman. It's likely it won't be until the trade deadline when we see Dillon moved as Stanley Cup contenders will be looking for some depth on their back end and some added toughness for their playoff run.

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