Jets' Wheeler spars with reporter: 'You looking to get into a pissing match?'

Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler wasn't pleased Saturday when a reporter raised questions about the team's leadership group.

With the Jets enduring a rocky 2021-22 season, Jeff Hamilton of The Winnipeg Free Press asked Wheeler how much responsibility for the team's outlook falls on the players who wear letters on their sweaters.

"Well, I guess that's the real joy of being in that position. When things go good, nobody says a word about you, and when things go bad, it's your fault," Wheeler responded. "So I'm comfortable if you need to write a negative story, you can write it about me. No different than in the past. I think the fact that I'm still here talking to you instead of doing something else speaks volumes."

Hamilton replied by asking Wheeler if he feels he hasn't garnered enough praise during his time in Winnipeg.

"I was just being a little bit sarcastic," Wheeler said.

He added: "I mean, are you looking to get into a pissing match, you and I?"

The Jets currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 22-21-9 record. They're in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have just five wins in their last 18 contests.

Longtime head coach Paul Maurice abruptly stepped down from his role in December, leaving Dave Lowry to take over in the interim. Maurice said at the time that the club needed a new voice and that he knew he needed to resign.

Wheeler, 35, started the season with just seven points in his first 17 games but is now up to six goals and 34 points in 38 games.