Scheifele calls rumors of Jets' dressing-room issues 'a bunch of baloney'

Mark Scheifele insists his Winnipeg Jets don't have chemistry problems.

"People can claim whatever, but I know we have a tight-knit team," the 26-year-old center told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger on Thursday. "We have great guys in our room. And there's no question in my mind about the character we have in our room, the unity that we have."

Reports of discord within the Jets' dressing room have led to speculation about the team's state of affairs, but Scheifele made it clear he's not going to get caught up in what's being said outside that room.

"That other stuff, that's the stuff as a team you block out," he said. "You know what's going on in your room. Anything extra is a bunch of baloney."

No Jets players or coaches have confirmed issues inside the dressing room, but head coach Paul Maurice hinted at it after Winnipeg was ousted from the first round of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

"We’ve got a few ruffled feathers in there that we're going to have to flatten out before we get going," the bench boss told the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre at the time.

McIntyre also wrote in April that he and colleague Jason Bell had heard from multiple sources that "things are anything but rosy with this group."

The Jets fell out of first place in the Central Division down the stretch, winning three of their final nine regular-season contests before losing to the Blues in six games.