The Winnipeg Jets made the safe call Wednesday morning when naming Blake Wheeler the captain of the franchise. The Jets gave the captaincy to a player that works his tail off night in and night out and exemplifies what it means to be a leader in today’s NHL. Since former captain Andrew Ladd’s departure, Wheeler has always been viewed as next in line and he got his letter upgraded from an ‘A’ to a ‘C’ as many expected.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

“Leading by example is not a strong enough statement” to describe Blake Wheeler – says #NHLJets HC Paul Maurice — Ken Wiebe (@WiebeSunSports) August 31, 2016

“Blake Wheeler is the captain of this team because he’s earned it.” – #NHLJets HC Paul Maurice — Ken Wiebe (@WiebeSunSports) August 31, 2016

It very well could’ve been Mark Scheifele who was given the nod and thrusted in to the captaincy, but instead he was named an assistant captain. The 23 year old is the face of the Jets new regime and it makes sense he was put in to a leadership role in his 4th NHL season. One would think he’ll be a prime candidate to become the Jets next captain when that time comes.

It’s only fitting that the other assistant captaincy is handed to Dustin Byfuglien. A symbol of how far he has come on and off the ice since asking for the title of assistant captain to be removed from his duties after the Jets inaugural season. Byfuglien doesn’t need a letter to signify the fact that he is the leader of the team. He commands respect and is well respected by his teammates.

Something else to notice with the structure of the new leadership group is Mark Stuart being stripped of the ‘A’ on his chest. Stuart is one of the most ridiculed and criticized Jets by fans, and rightfully so. Stuart is a 6th or 7th calibre defenseman on most teams and while he usually finds himself on the Jets bottom pairing, he still logs an average of 16:21 of ice time a night. Having the assistant captain title removed could signal less playing time. It’s pretty hard to have your assistant captain be in and out of the press box and if the Jets are realistic and think this could be the right way to use Stuart, that could be the reason for the decrease in leadership responsibilities.

That situation is reminiciasnt of the situation that unfolded in Edmonton last offseason when the team stripped defenseman Andrew Ference of his captaincy. The move was done because the team realized Ference wasn’t realistically going to be in the lineup every night, there could be a few healthy scratches mixed in and you can’t have your captain sitting in the press box. Last season, without the ‘C’ on his chest, Andrew Ference’s ice time dropped from 18:52 in 2014-2015 to 13:03 in 2015-2016.

Surely Jets fans are crossing their fingers a similar situation unfolds with Mark Stuart.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The way the Jets re structured their captaincy and assistant captains is much needed for one of the youngest teams in the NHL. The Jets had an average age of 26.7 last season and that number could drop as the Jets will likely be even younger in the upcoming season. Because the Jets will be so young, you need the young talent to step in to an environment that has not only good players to play with, but players that are good votes within the room and a good leadership trio.

Scheifele, Wheeler or Byfuglien could have each served as great captains for the Jets and while there can only be one captain, that doesn’t mean there can only be one leader.

Leadership is such a key component to a team and the Jets have structured it properly.



