WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Jets final meeting of the season on Monday was brought to you by the letter ‘C’.
‘C’ for captain.
It was the word of the street down Portage Avenue at MTS Centre.
“It’s hard to find a good captain,” said Jets forward Mathieu Perreault. “I think we have some great guys that can be captain.”
Like Blake Wheeler. The forward is a frontrunner to succeed Andrew Ladd as the next captain of the Jets. It’s a role he said would be an honour to take over.
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“Obviously everyone wants to wear the ‘C’,” said Wheeler.
“There’s a lot of pride that comes with that. Given the opportunity, I would respect it.”
But Wheeler isn’t the only player in the captain conversation.
“I think a guy like Scheifele (would be good),” said Jets rookie Nikolaj Ehlers. “He’s a young guy but he has a good, big mouth.”
A characteristic coupled with consistent on-ice performance players say makes the best leader.
“Just a guy that plays every night,” said Jets forward Chris Thorburn. “A guy that others can look up to and get advice from. All that kind of good stuff.”
The Jets aren’t expected to name their next captain until the fall as they try to consider who is best suited for the liability that comes with wearing the letter.
“We’re in a small, Canadian city,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “There’s a different responsibility that comes with that. They need to be comfortable with all that’s asked with them.”
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