Missing playoffs doesn't sit well with Jets' Wheeler

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Blake Wheeler, the Plymouth native, former Gopher and likely future Winnipeg Jets captain, will head to Boca Raton, Fla., for a little vacation after the season.

"I can't stomach going down to Minnesota and watching these guys in the playoffs," Wheeler said.

"These guys" are the rival Wild, which are vying for a playoff berth.

It's been a disappointing season in Winnipeg. The Jets had high expectations after making the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Atlanta last season.

"It's been a tough year," said Wheeler, who entered Sunday's play ranked 11th in the NHL with 72 points and added an empty-net goal. "We had a lot of hope coming into camp this year. Guys thought we were going to make that next step and be right in the thick of it again.

"We had a lot of youth on our team this year, a lot of guys stepping into an NHL lineup having no experience and sometimes that's unrealistic."

Still, most feel the future's bright in Winnipeg with a lot of young talent on the way.

"Hockey News picked us to win it all in 2020. I don't even know if I'll still be here then," kidded Wheeler, who had three years left on his contract. "We have a lot of guys … we can be really excited about. There's some solace in that knowing that it isn't dark. Hopefully we can get back on track next year."

Wheeler's also glad to be on the same team as Minnesota's own Dustin Byfuglien, who crushed Ottawa's Mark Stone and Chicago's Tomas Fleischmann recently with clean checks.

"There isn't anyone like him," Wheeler said of Big Buff. "I was back pressuring the puck on the Stone hit and God, I felt that one go right through me, too."

Byfuglien recently signed a $38 million extension through 2021.

"I'm happy he's on my side for five more, because he can do some damage," Wheeler said.

Wild forward Charlie Coyle was appreciative of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith's phone call to apologize for slashing him in the face on Tuesday. Keith was suspended six games.

"He apologized, we had a good talk, he sounded pretty genuine and I respect that," Coyle said. "For a guy to do that and call and reach out, I give him credit."

Since the incident, some blogs inflamed things by using a poor angle of the incident to suggest Coyle provoked things by cross-checking Keith in the face, then slew-footing him.

As the NHL's suspension video showed, Coyle didn't.

"Obviously [Blackhawks fans] are going to try to back him, but even if I did anything, that shouldn't happen," Coyle said. "It happened and we move on."

For the first time it's believed to be since 2013, center Mikael Granlund started a game at wing. He played on a line with Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu, while Coyle moved from right wing to center between Jason Zucker and David Jones.

"I can't remember the last time I played center, so it's been awhile," Coyle said.

It's believed the last time was January.

The reasoning of the moves was to get Zucker going (two goals and two assists in 29 games) to get Coyle going (no goals and eight assists in 16 games) and to reunite Parise and Granlund. For the Finnish national team and his old Finnish pro team, Granlund played mostly wing.

Coyle was back at right wing with Parise and Koivu to start the second period Sunday, and Granlund returned to center between Zucker and Jones. But in the third, Granlund scored while on the line with Parise and Koivu.