Former Jets captain Blake Wheeler has made himself available for the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On February 15, Blake Wheeler went down with a serious leg injury. For the 37-year-old, it appeared as though his season was done. Teammates and friends alike actually wondered if that would be it for his playing career.
Although he may never suit up for another NHL game again, the veteran forward has put in the work to get himself back into game shape after snapping his right ankle in the awkward February collision against Montreal.
This past week, after months on the Rangers' long-term injured reserve, Wheeler re-joined his teammates in a regular practice sweater, indicating his clearance for contact at team skates.
"I think once you get rid of the red jersey, and the fact they take me off of the injured reserve, I think that's been my goal the whole time since I got hurt: to be an option and be available again. And that's where we're at," Wheeler told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski."It's going to be in the coach's hands from there, but I'm ready in any capacity I can to help out."
With the Rangers having now made it to the Eastern Conference Final, the 37-year-old is now an available player for head coach Peter Laviolette. But he's not alone. Youngsters Matt Rempe and Filip Chytil are also hoping to draw into the lineup as available players.
The former Winnipeg Jets captain had the final year of his contract bought out by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff last summer and promptly signed a one-year, $800K deal with New York - a team he deemed had a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup.
His willingness to put in the work in his recovery after the team deemed him 'done for the season' following the injury shows his true aspirations of a championship run. Now, whether he gets into a game or not is the next question.
“It is amazing to see the work that he put in,” Laviolette said. “It is incredible the way he attacked this. He is now back and is on the ice and doesn’t have a different color jersey on and he is working every day to make himself part of the conversation.
“That’s not always the way that it is, but this is a guy that has been around this game for a long time and he has done some amazing things," he continued. "He also realizes there’s an opportunity, and he is going to do everything he can to make himself a possibility.”
Although an uncharacteristically poor offensive season from Wheeler (nine goals, 21 points in 54 games) this season, he will look to do more to help his teammates than excitedly banging on the glass outside the ice surface.
“It is difficult because of how bad you want to be out there,” Wheeler said about not being able to play. “But at the same time, you know that’s not really an option.
“Certainly challenging to watch this time of year, but these guys have done such a great job, it has been one heck of a ride.”
The Rangers kick off the NHL's third round with a 7:00 PM central showdown with Paul Maurice's Florida Panthers in Game 1 on Wednesday night. The game can be viewed live on Sportsnet in Canada and ESPN in the United States.