Mark Scheifele has had a rich 10-year career with the Winnipeg Jets. He was the team’s first draft pick and ranks first in all-time goals in the Jets’ 2.0 era. He has blown the roof off the Canada Life Centre, and it wouldn’t be hard to spot a #55 jersey walking around the city.
However, as Winnipeg plans to move into a new era after the recent trade of Pierre-Luc Dubois, it would be smart to start thinking about what life without the star center would look like.
Restructuring the Jets’ Locker Room
Scheifele was the center of some controversy this season. He and recently bought out former captain Blake Wheeler were reported to have isolated themselves from the rest of the team. His demeanor changed as he got older, too. Once the bright-eyed kid who was just happy to be in the NHL, he developed a scowl that rarely left his face.
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Wheeler is now with the New York Rangers, so Scheifele will have to reacclimate himself to the locker room and show everyone that he’s the leader the Jets expected him to be when they signed him to an eight-year, $49 million contract in 2016.
For years, we’ve heard about the problems in the Jets’ locker room. Scheifele seems to be the final piece of the pie and should be moved. If he stays, it’s unlikely anything will be different in a culture that desperately needs to change.
When veterans Cody Eakin and Kevin Hayes were acquired in May 2022, former Winnipeg Ice head coach James Patrick heard it was the “worst dressing room they’d ever been in.” For two veterans who have played on a handful of teams in their careers, that was telling.
How Does the Team Feel?
Scheifele is one of the league’s best goal-scorers. He had his first 40-goal season last year, and before that, he scored 20 goals in seven straight seasons. On paper, he makes the team better, maybe even a playoff team that could win a round or two, but what does his presence do for the Jets’ morale in both the short term and long term?
There’s an argument that Scheifele’s presence could be a black cloud over the organization. He did not get along well with Patrik Laine before he was traded, and Laine is buddies with Nikolaj Ehlers, which begs the question: how does Ehlers feel about Scheifele? Ehlers has never been the type of person to hold a grudge, but if two critical pieces of the roster are at odds, it will be problematic moving forward.
Scheifele’s Mindset
You have to wonder what Scheifele is feeling about the Jets in general. After the 2021-22 season, he went scorched earth and openly questioned management and their plans. If they didn’t align with his goals, he’d likely prefer to play elsewhere.
For the first half of the 2022-23 season, Winnipeg ranked atop the Western Conference, and it looked like all was well in Manitoba – until it wasn’t. The Jets suffered a monumental collapse after the All-Star break, just barely sneaking into the playoffs, and after their 4-1 first-round defeat to the Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights, people started talking again.
Now that the team looks drastically different, and with his best friend in New York, what does Scheifele want?
It would be best for him to move on. On NHL Network, Elliotte Friedman speculated that the Boston Bruins might be interested. He does fit the profile, and with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s future uncertain, he would slot in perfectly. He wouldn’t be a team leader, so all he would have to do is worry about playing hockey instead of politics.
Yet, on the 32 Thoughts Podcast (Goodbye Draft, Hello Free Agency, 33:00), Friedman also wondered if Scheifele could be convinced to stay. “After making a good trade (Dubois), do you go to Scheifele and say ‘Hey if we make you the captain, do you feel better about this?” he noted. “Can we get the full buy-in from you?’ And they’ll have to sign him.”
However, would making Scheifele captain be a smart move? After all, he’s rarely understood the word “accountability.” Whenever push came to shove, he left the answers to his teammates. When Laine left, Wheeler had to answer for it, while Scheifele remained silent. When the team disappointed in 2021-22, Paul Stastny said everyone needs to be held accountable, while Scheifele pondered his future in Winnipeg (from ‘FRIESEN: Memo to Chevy — ditch Scheifele, find tough coach, for starters,’ Winnipeg Sun, May 3, 2022).
“…we’ve got to have more respect for each other. When you don’t have that, when you don’t care about the teammate next to you, potentially, and you just care about what you’re doing or certain individual things, that starts bleeding into the game.”
– Paul Stastny, May 1, 2022
Stastny is a respected NHL veteran. When a player like him senses trouble in the locker room, that’s when the franchise needs to make changes. A few months later, when free agency began, Stastny immediately signed with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Sensing a trend here?
Can the Jets Make it Work?
The Jets would like to retain Vezina-caliber goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Scheifele. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff told the media at the draft and doubled down in his free agency press conference “that the loss of both players creates major holes in their franchise.”
However, Murat Ates of The Athletic speculated that the trade market for both is very cold (from ‘Where the Winnipeg Jets stand after Day 1 of NHL free agency — and no trades,’ The Athletic, July 1, 2023). Winnipeg would probably want a haul and then some for the two veterans, but Scheifele’s trade value diminishes every day as he is set to enter the final year of his deal.
Related: Winnipeg Jets Need a Culture Overhaul
Hellebuyck has built a respectable reputation around the locker room, so there’s no concern should he return. The worry lies with Scheifele. Can he win over the locker room? Can he show that he’s a leader? Can he work with younger players and help them develop? Those are important questions leading into next season should he return – especially if he signs an extension.