Jets' Blake Wheeler is Not Happy After Losing Captaincy

Blake Wheeler will no longer serve as captain of the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced today. Clearly, new head coach Rick Bowness, along with management, do not see Wheeler as the leader of the group. Although, the team's official stance on the subject suggests the move is an effort to get other players more involved with leadership.

Nevertheless, the move was an obvious slight to the six-year captain of the Jets, and he -- expectedly -- is none too pleased about the decision. Watching his nine-minute long press conference today, the heavy disappointment was evident from the opening frame.

Naturally, Wheeler's demeanor came across prickly in the face of such intense questioning, and it was just crystal clear that he was seriously unhappy about the decision to rescind his captaincy.

As far as the rationale behind it, he refused to speculate. Bowness clearly felt one way about the team's leadership and that's that.

After snapping at a couple reporters, Wheeler expressed humility and gratitude having serving in the NHL's captains fraternity for six years. In light of his humility, he did pose the question of whether or not a long-term relationship is the best interest of either party.

Blake Wheeler's name has appeared in trade rumors all summer long, and this captaincy situation only exacerbates the odds of him being moved before long. The question, then becomes, what is Wheeler's trade value at this point?

He is a 36-year old winger who just got the 'C' ripped off his chest. He's scored at or near a point per game pace for seven consecutive seasons, but his play is noticeably slipping with time. Perhaps he will have a chip on his shoulder in '22-23, but it is difficult to envision paying a premium for him and his $8.25 million cap-hit.

Clearly not happy, Wheeler's time in Winnipeg is likely coming to a conclusion. The full interview is far more telling than any article could possibly be, so to get the true feel of the tension, I highly recommend taking the time.

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