Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele (L) and Tampa Bay Lightning's Brian Lee battle for position during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Tampa, Florida February 1, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Carlson (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT ICE HOCKEY)
Mark Scheifele’s junior coach says the 19-year-old had too many things working against him to stick with the Winnipeg Jets.
Dale Hawerchuk says the lockout, the Jets roster and financial considerations hemmed Scheifele into a corner he never did get out of, as the Jets sent their first-ever draft pick back to the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts, Wednesday.
“It being a lockout year... and now a shortened season, the pressure to win every night — it’s always a lot easier to go with guys that have mileage up there already,” Hawerchuk told the Winnipeg Sun. “They’ve got some pretty good top-six type forwards there. Whereas other teams might have a need for that.
“The other thing you’ve got to remember, too, you’ve got a lot of guys you’re paying big bucks to. You’re not going to start sitting them out. You say, ‘Hey, we could wait a year and have an extra year on his contract.’
