Blake Wheeler receives another brutal slap in the face from Jets coaching and management

The Winnipeg Jets enter an absolutely pivotal season, one in which there finish in the standings is going to dictate their offseason moves. The Jets looked to be a team on the rise a few years back, but after failing to make the playoffs last season there's real concern for their future. After all, star players like Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck aren't getting any younger. How much longer can this team continue to languish in the "good, not great" category of NHL teams? It's put up or shut up time for the Jets this season or else I suspect there will be full-scale changes to their personnel.

To that end, and with Rick Bowness taking over the team's coaching staff, the Jets have announced an entirely new leadership team since stripping the captain's "C" away from Wheeler. But get this... not only did they take the "C" away from Wheeler, but he won't even wear an "A" this season. The team announced today that it will NOT feature a captain this season and that Scheifele, Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry will all wear the "A" as Assistant Captains.

Check it out:

That's absolutely brutal if you're Wheeler. 

Here's a guy who has given absolutely everything to this franchise since moving from Atlanta back in 2011. He bleeds Winnipeg Jets hockey and he's been arguably the most consistent performer that the franchise has ever had. Personally, I was pretty surprised when the Jets made the decision to take the "C" away from him and today I'm absolutely shocked that he won't even wear an "A" this upcoming season. If he has really fallen in stature with the organization this much in the past calendar year, they should be making ever possible effort they can to move him via trade. I realize though that at 36 years old and with a contract that pays him $8.25 million both this year and next year that that may be difficult to do. But, here's the thing... Wheeler is still a great player. He's not cooked just because he's 36 years old. He scored 17 goals and 60 points in 65 games with the Jets last season.