Jets' Scheifele 'definitely didn't agree' with benching vs. Maple Leafs

Sean Reynolds and Ken Wiebe break down the Winnipeg Jets loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the impact that benching Mark Scheifele had.

Saturday night's showdown between North Division heavyweights featured a strange sight: Mark Scheifele, sitting on the Winnipeg Jets bench, for 17 straight minutes without a shift.

Scheifele sat for the majority of the second period of Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, head coach Paul Maurice choosing to bench his top centreman and thus sending a message to the player and the team.

When asked about the benching on Monday, Scheifele told reporters that while he understands his coach's perspective, he didn't agree with the decision.

"I understand where he's coming from. I don't agree with him benching me, but we don't have to agree on everything. He's my coach, I'm the player, we don't have to agree on everything. That's the business of sports," he said ahead of Monday's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. "I'll be ready to play tonight and that's about it."

Maurice's decision came after an 88-second shift for Scheifele at four-on-four, which ended with Scheifele coasting to the bench from the Leafs' zone in what was at the time a one-goal game. As Scheifele exited the play, Maple Leafs forward John Tavares took advantage of a rush and made it 3-1. The benching lasted for 13:01 of the second frame, with Scheifele making his return to the ice four minutes into the third period of the game, which ended in a 4-1 Jets loss.

“We have some things that we value as a group," Maurice said after the game. "Mark’s a real competitive guy. Sometimes that gets the best of him, I think. We just need to adhere to our core values."

When asked about the emotions he was going through at the time of the benching, Scheifele said, "Everything."

"You're definitely pretty pissed off," he said. "I understand where he was coming from, but like I said before, I didn't agree with it, I didn't agree with it at the time it took place and the magnitude of the game. I definitely didn't agree with it so we'll leave at that."

As for his mindset moving forward, Scheifele had this to say:

"Go work on your game... Go to work, come to the rink and work hard, and that's about it."

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