Winnipeg Jets to Strip Blake Wheeler of Captaincy, Opting for New Leadership Structure

Rick Bowness was only recently hired by the Winnipeg Jets, and he did not wait very long to drop a nuke in the room. The team announced today that Blake Wheeler will no longer serve as captain of the Jets, and they are restructuring its leadership group heading into the upcoming season.

The Jets' leadership will be a group of assistants rather than a specific captain. Wheeler had held the role since former coach Paul Maurice tapped him in 2016. Rumors of a toxic locker room environment have come out of Winnipeg all summer long, and while this news doesn't outright confirm them, it does present more questions on the subject.

What a brutal stroke for Blake Wheeler, though. They strip the 'C' off his chest then strut him before the media to answer questions about it. That is rough, I don't care how many millions of dollars someone makes; that is just weird business. Perhaps Wheeler opted to make the appearance and just get ahead of it, but that is still a brutal start under a new coach.

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