Wheeler shoulders blame for Jets’ subpar season

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This article was published 21/04/2022 (1234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A subdued, reflective Blake Wheeler pointed the finger of blame at himself Thursday for the NHL team he captains falling well short of its goal of making the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The veteran Winnipeg Jets winger suggested it’s a major step back for the organization.

“It feels like we’re back at square one,” Wheeler, 36, said via Zoom after the Jets’ morning skate in Raleigh, where they’ll close out the road portion of the schedule tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. “We built so long to get to a championship level and sitting here is pretty deflating.

“I certainly take the responsibility for where this team sits. Hopefully we have a locker room full of guys doing the same thing. Like I said, I’ve tried to build this into something we can be proud of, something that can be a championship level every year. And when you fall short of that you’ve got to take responsibility for it.”

Winnipeg (35-31-11) was officially eliminated from post-season contention late Wednesday night, meaning these final five games will be for nothing but pride. That’s not even close to meeting lofty pre-season expectations, which had the Jets pegged as a potential championship contender.

“I said it before the year, be careful of what the word expectations means. There have been years in the past where the expectations were really low and we had really good teams and were competing for championships. This year, it seemed like expectations were high and we’ve obviously fallen well short of those,” said Wheeler, who has battled both COVID-19 and a major injury this year.

“This is the best part of the year to be a hockey player, except when you’re in our shoes, then it’s the worst. It’s really disappointing. It’s hard to put into words, the feeling and you know, what it feels like.”

Several Jets players, including Kyle Connor, Paul Stastny and Pierre-Luc Dubois, have spoken candidly in recent days about issues plaguing the team — from a potential lack of motivation inside the locker room down the stretch, to an inability to match the speed and energy of opponents. That has become obvious during this season-ending road trip, in which Winnipeg has lost three straight in regulation to Floria, Tampa and the New York Rangers by a combined score of 16-5.

“Well I think I would have to take responsibility for that. It’s been my job to build the culture here and I’ve taken a lot of pride in that over the years. I certainly look in the mirror on that one, and where we’ve gotten to, the team that we were and the team that we are now – I don’t hide from that at all,” said Wheeler.

Winnipeg has officially missed the playoffs in seven of the 11 seasons since the NHL returned. They reached the Western Conference final in the spring of 2018, followed that up with a first-round loss the following year, were eliminated in a qualifying round play-in during the COVID-impacted 2020 season, then managed to upset the favoured Edmonton Oilers in the first round last spring before getting swept in the second round.

With the summer additions of defencemen Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon, management appeared to address some holes in the roster, but Winnipeg’s play has taken a significant step back as a whole.

“You know what, it’s probably nothing that I care to share publicly,” Wheeler said when asked what needs to change.

“I think the offseason will be critical to having some conversations and travelling down that road. For now, it’s just a matter of finishing the year the right way and playing hard. Obviously we’re going to have four home games in front of our fans, so showing them that we’re still in the fight and playing hard for them, so we can end with some self respect.”

The Jets will fly home following tonight’s game and play the final four at Canada Life Centre, starting Sunday with a visit from Colorado.

“For me, it doesn’t change. I’m trying to win the game,” Wheeler said of his mindset.

“I hate what’s going on right now. I hate losing. That’s not just me, we have a lot of guys who don’t like losing and don’t like the results that we’re getting. Try to win, that’s it. Win the game tonight and get some sort of good feeling back in our room so, like I said, go home and end on the right note.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg