*Photo from CBS Sports*
There's a tweak that's just been made to the Winnipeg Jets dressing room. Jets RW Blake Wheeler has been stripped of his captaincy, according to an announcement on Friday that was made by the Jets.
New Jets head coach Rick Bowness said that "We want the core group to grow a little bit, so it's not just one face coming out here talking to the media every day when things don't go well. Blake is still going to lead. He is. Whether you have a 'C' or an 'A' or you don't, he's still going to lead us. I've been around the League in some capacity for 47 years, some of the best leaders I've coached never had a 'C,' never had an 'A.'"
This season, the Jets will be led by a group of alternate captains. Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrisey were alternate captains last season alongside Wheeler as the captain, and figure to be prominent leaders once again. Wheeler had served as captain of the Jets since the 2016-2017 season.
Wheeler reflected on the news, saying "Having the kind of year, the first conversation with the new coach was surprising. But I've had time to let it sink in, so he gave me a little headway. I've had time to process it. There's nothing in my life that I've taken more pride in than, outside of being a husband and being a father. Every day since I was named captain, that's what has gotten me out of bed. How can I be a better teammate? How can I be a better leader? How can I be a better player on the ice for this city and for this team and for this organization? So yeah, at a certain point, that can wear thin on you. I'm just incredibly grateful that I've had this opportunity. That's how I feel."
In his career, Wheeler has spent 11 1/2 seasons with the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers, and is the team's longest tenured player. His 757 points ranks first in team history, as does his 511 assists. He ranks second in goals with 246, and second in games played with 825.
Wheeler continued on, saying that "I don't need a letter on my jersey. There was a time in my career where that validation was important to me. I don't need that anymore. I'm really looking forward to watching a lot of the guys I've had a privilege watching kind of grow up, step into sort of an expanded role. If you think that because of this I'm just going to fade into the back and not be a leader on this team, you're sorely mistaken."
Last season was Wheeler's 11th full season in Winnipeg. He ended the season with 17 goals and 43 assists, recording a -15 plus/minus rating over an average of 19:32 of ice time per game in 65 regular season games for the Jets, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 4 years.
Over his career, Wheeler has played 14 seasons, split between the Jets/Thrashers and the Boston Bruins. He has 296 goals and 571 assists, posting a +68 plus/minus rating over 18:33 of average ice time in 1,046 regular season games. He has 8 goals and 31 assists in 60 career playoff games.
Scheifele reacted to the news, saying that "Blake Wheeler has been the captain of this team for so long. He's a guy we've all looked up to, we all model ourselves after. We all still look up to him. Obviously, it's going to be weird with him not actually having the 'C,' but I think it just gives the opportunity for more guys to step in and feel like they're able to talk."
The Jets had a tumultuous season last year, failing to make the playoffs with a 39-32-11 record, finishing 8 points out of the wild card. Paul Maurice resigned suddenly as head coach in December, with Dave Lowry serving as the interim head coach. Bowness was named permanent head coach this offseason.
The uncertainty of last season carried over into the offseason for the Jets, who surprisingly stood pat for the most part. Sam Gagner and David Rittich were brought in to replace Paul Stastny and Eric Comrie, and Pierre-Luc Dubois reportedly wants a trade out of Winnipeg.
By removing Wheeler as the captain, the Jets become the 7th team currently without a captain. The Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, Buffalo Sabres, and Anaheim Ducks are the other teams without a captain.
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