ANALYSIS: New Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel up to the job

It came with small oregon nary astonishment to astir that Scott Arniel became the Jets’ caput manager this summer. Two years arsenic subordinate manager connected Rick Bowness’ unit and immoderate fill-in clip arsenic caput manager portion Bowness dealt with immoderate idiosyncratic issues, it made truthful overmuch consciousness for Arniel’s promotion.

And aft a beauteous bully NHL vocation arsenic a player, the Jets’ caller seat brag has had a accidental to larn from immoderate of the best. Without a doubt, Lindy Ruff, Alain Vigneault, Peter Laviolette and Bowness person near an imprint connected however negociate the modern-day player.

You besides person to anticipation that his experiences successful Columbus, arsenic the young — possibly excessively young — caput manager of the Blue Jackets would assistance physique his foundation. Sure, helium made mistakes backmost then. But you larn from your mistakes.

It besides doesn’t wounded that Arniel knows Winnipeg, the city, too. Playing and coaching present successful 3 leagues, I’m sure, makes Arniel recognize precisely what hockey means to a passionate, hardcore hockey town.

All that said, this is the biggest signifier Arniel has appeared connected successful his coaching career. This is simply a squad that is expected to marque the playoffs, and hopefully triumph much than 1 crippled successful the postseason. This squad has elite talent, immoderate of the champion astatine their positions successful the NHL. It’s going to beryllium up to Arniel to property the close buttons astatine the close clip for this radical to support its presumption successful the Central, which mightiness beryllium the toughest successful the NHL.

The modulation from Bowness to Arniel should beryllium seamless. Oh sure, the squad won’t play precisely the aforesaid mode with the caller caput coach. But it should beryllium overmuch easier than bringing a caller antheral successful from the outside, similar they person done successful Toronto, Columbus oregon San Jose.

Scott Arniel’s imprint connected this squad volition instrumentality time, possibly 2 months of play, oregon more. And that volition necessitate patience — from the coach, the players, absorption — and yes, the fans.