Wheeler Welcoming Opportunity with Rangers

Blake Wheeler is Broadway-bound.

The New York Rangers added the veteran forward as part of a free agency class that was inked on July 1st. For Wheeler - who is now 36 and spent the last 12 seasons of his 15-year NHL career with the Winnipeg Jets - this offseason came with uncertainty of where his next landing spot would be. As he considered potential destinations, the appeal of suiting up for the Rangers checked all of the boxes.

"When it came down to it, there were a lot of things that were attractive about the team," Wheeler said in his first media availability after signing with the Rangers. "In particular, there is a great lineup. The roster is full of great players. Madison Square Garden is my favorite place to play in the league. It's one of those games that you always look at on your calendar and get pretty fired up to play at. Given that they had mutual interest in me, it was an opportunity that my wife and I were really excited about."

In addition to joining the talented roster and aura of playing at the World's Most Famous Arena, there was already familiarity with Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, with whom Wheeler was teammates in Winnipeg from 2013-19.

"You look at the roster and there's world class players up and down the lineup, especially at the forward position," Wheeler said. "I see myself as being able to complement some of those elite guys that this roster has. I hope I earn that opportunity. If I do, I believe that I can make the guys around me better and I know those guys are going to make me better."

For the Rangers, the addition of Wheeler not only helps boost the right-wing position but offers a surplus of intangibles that one gains over the course of 1,118 regular season NHL games. In that span, the right shot has amassed 922 points (312G and 610A). His 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame also continues to bolster size among the Rangers lineup.

"I'm not looking for promises or guarantees," Wheeler said. "You just want an opportunity. If I can come in in good shape and ready to roll from Day 1, hopefully it's an opportunity that I can earn. It's exciting to have players up and down that lineup that you can maybe slot next to. Guys that you've been worried about playing against over the years and now you get to put on the same [uniform], is pretty exciting."

As Wheeler approaches the novelty of joining a new team, and one that's across the country from his hometown of Plymouth, Minn., he is embracing the opportunity wholeheartedly as he looks to append upon an already impressive NHL career and help the Rangers' pursuit towards success during the upcoming 2023-24 season.

"I know that I'm still capable of playing a big role and big minutes," Wheeler said. "The game has definitely changed since the first handful of years for me in the league. The game has gotten a lot faster, it's a lot younger. I still know that I can play at a high level and play with good players. That's part of the reason why New York was so attractive, just the quality of players on that roster. I believe that I can be a good fit to help make those guys better and hopefully make this team better."