The Winnipeg Jets really have no choice but to blow up their core after Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor Hellebuyck made it clear they are done in Manitoba, and Blake Wheeler's comments about his coach have also all but guaranteed his exit.

It's almost certainly going to be a new-look team in Winnipeg next season, and as the trade rumors continue to swirl around Wheeler, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday that a buyout could be an option.

“As has been the case since the buyout period opened, this is an option for the Winnipeg Jets and Blake Wheeler,” wrote Dreger. “There is some trade interest, so the Jets continue to work through the process.”

It looks like Wheeler and the Jets will be splitting up after 13 seasons; the NHL's buyout window opened last week and will close on June 30. Free agent frenzy begins the next day.

The 36-year-old winger has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $8.25 million. A potential buyout would clear $5.5-million in cap space for the Jets next season, and leave a cap charge of $2.75 million for the 2024-25 campaign.

The veteran has still been a serviceable offensive player when healthy; he scored 16 goals and 55 points in 72 games with the Jets last season. He was also over a point-per-game in the postseason, adding two goals and six points over five games against the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1.

Blake Wheeler is the only player who has remained on the team after the franchise moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg. He was traded to the Thrashers in February of 2011 and has represented the team ever since.

After serving as the team captain from 2016 onwards, he was once the heart and soul of the organization, but after his captaincy was stripped before the 2022-23 season and he made negative remarks about coach Rick Bowness after the team's postseason loss, it seemed only a matter of time before he moved on.

“I thought [Bowness] had an opportunity to address us as a team. He could've been honest with us, handled it behind closed doors. I didn't like how he handled himself after the game,” Wheeler said about his coach at the end of April.

Over 1,118 career NHL games, Wheeler has amassed 312 goals and 922 points, and will remain a top-six player on whatever team he ends up on in 2023-24.