Insider Identifies Who is Next in Line for the Winnipeg Jets' Captaincy
As his first order of business as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Bowness made the bold move of stripping Blake Wheeler of his captain's 'C.'
In spite of having a captainless team, the Jets have fared much better than expected so far in 2022-23. Winnipeg (32-19-1) currently sits 2nd in the Central Division and 7th in the entire NHL. Just one point behind the Dallas Stars, they have to be considered - at the very least - fringe contenders for the Stanley Cup.
But will Bowness take the Jets into the playoffs without a captain? Only he can say for sure.
Elliotte Friedman - in Tuesday's 32 Thoughts blog - hinted that defenseman Josh Morrissey is next in line, should Bowness decide to name a captain before the postseason arrives.
Morrissey, 27, is having a monster year, so recency bias could be a thing here. That said, the homegrown 13th overall pick from 2013 has all the makings of a leader for the Jets.
He currently holds an alternate captaincy and is on pace for 84 points on the season. Morrissey sits third in the NHL in scoring among defensemen, behind only Erik Karlsson (SJS) and Rasmus Dahlin (BUF).
To reiterate, Bowness hasn't confirmed one way or another whether naming a captain is a priority. He could easily hold the belief that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
But if there was a choice for captain, Morrissey most definitely fits the role.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 31 | 245 ANSWERS Insider Identifies Who is Next in Line for the Winnipeg Jets' Captaincy Who should be the Jets' next captain? | ||
| Josh Morrissey | 74 | 30.2 % |
| Blake Wheeler | 54 | 22 % |
| Mark Scheifele | 67 | 27.3 % |
| Other | 50 | 20.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||