Impact of Jets’ bench boss undeniable Arniel steering club towards a place they’ve never been before By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 4:30 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 31, 2025

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This article was published 31/03/2025 (563 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES – As it turns out, Scott Arniel was more than ready for this close up after years of rebuilding his brand.

After waiting patiently for more than a decade to get his second chance as an NHL head coach, Arniel has not only led the Winnipeg Jets to first overall in the league through 74 games, he’s also a leading candidate for the Jack Adams award.

Of course, there is competition from a number of others, including Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals, Pete DeBoer of the Dallas Stars and Dean Evason of the Columbus Blue Jackets, to name a few.

But the case for Arniel is a compelling one.

As the Jets prepare to open a three-game road trip on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings, Arniel’s impact has been undeniable.

The Jets lead the NHL in fewest goals against and are in position to claim a second consecutive William Jennings Trophy, but they’ve also increased their goal production dramatically from last season.

One of the biggest gains for the Jets has come on special teams, specifically on the power play — where they’ve gone from the bottom third last season to leading the NHL for most of the season before a recent dip pushed them to second among the 32 teams.

There have also been modest gains on the penalty kill, with the Jets sitting in the middle of the pack after finishing in the bottom third last season.

Arniel has a hand in those special teams but also deserves credit for the job he did in hiring new assistants Davis Payne and Dean Chynoweth to augment the coaching staff that already included assistant Marty Johnston, goalie coach Wade Flaherty and video coaches Matt Prefontaine and James Cochrane.

Surrounding yourself with quality assistants is integral to having success and it’s clear the staff understands the importance of their role and appreciate the ability to have a voice that is both heard and respected.

Arniel’s ability to get his players to buy into an aggressive system that can be taxing to play over the course of an 82-game marathon is another testament to the job he’s done.

The Jets commitment to structure has been a foundational piece in what has been a storybook season.

Whether it was the eight consecutive wins to start the campaign or the 15-1 start that supplied ample breathing room, the Jets haven’t had too many lengthy dips in their level of play.

The 11-game winning streak in January and February should have alleviated any doubt that this team wasn’t built for the high-pressure games that are right around the corner.

“We won in a bunch of different ways, which I keep saying is a real strength of this team as we are not a one-trick pony,” Jets forward Cole Perfetti said on Sunday when asked to assess the 3-1 homestand that concluded with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. “We can play any style and be successful at it. And I think we showed that.”

That’s something the Jets have shown over the course of the season.

This is a team with depth at all positions.

They’ve got some star power to be sure — and those stars are having career seasons when it comes to production — but they’ve also got a bunch of players providing secondary scoring as well.

When Mason Appleton delivered the game-winner on Sunday, he became the 12th member of the Jets to hit double digits in goals. Even Brandon Tanev has had a double-digit season — scoring nine goals with Seattle before notching his 10th marker with Winnipeg.

It’s a reminder that the Jets aren’t reliant on one or two lines to carry the mail on a nightly basis.

Speaking of carrying the mail, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is having a season for the ages, with a third Vezina Trophy all but locked up with eight games remaining.

Although the Jets have done a great job at reducing the workload in front of Hellebuyck when it comes to the volume of quality opportunities that he faces during the past two seasons, he’s on the verge of becoming just the third goalie in NHL history to lead the league in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts.

Jacques Plante and Bernie Parent are the others, and that’s good company to be in.

“He’s so steady Eddie back there,” said Appleton. “He’s so calm, he’s so quiet. Sometimes you do forget how dominant he is to lead the league in everything he is. To have the success he is having and being the MVP odds-on favourite.

“That’s a generational player. He’s our backbone, he means everything to this team. We try to put our best foot in front and do what we can in front of him. But at the end of the day we know we’ve got the best goaltender in the world back there. He can save your bacon when you’re a little bit off.”

And that’s the beauty of it.

There simply haven’t been that many nights the Jets have been off and, even then, their B or C game often requires the opposition to deliver an A-game to beat them, thanks in part to Hellebuyck’s dominance.

There are going to be potholes to navigate during the coming weeks, but the Jets have done an exceptional job of handling whatever adversity has come their way.

Whether it’s a tidy effort or an uncharacteristic showing that features poor puck management or coverage errors, the Jets go through the same process of assessing and moving on to the next opponent.

While that seems like standard operating procedure, it’s easy to get swept away on a winning streak and get an inflated ego on your press clippings, which can be a precursor to the details slipping.

On the flip side, it’s not uncommon for teams to watch a losing skid spiral out of control, causing the additional stress that comes with battling tooth and nail for a playoff spot.

Back to the original premise revolving around the Jack Adams award, which is voted on by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.

There is a bit of a ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ component to many past winners.

In some cases, it’s gone to the head coach of the most improved team or one that wasn’t expected to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Could that hurt Arniel’s chances of winning?

Perhaps, but it shouldn’t.

Yes, the Jets finished fourth overall in the NHL last season when Arniel was the associate coach and had to fill in for Rick Bowness on a number of occasions.

But that doesn’t take into account the further strides the Jets have taken this season — both individually and as a collective — that are related to Arniel having both hands firmly on the wheel and steering the group towards a place they’ve never been before.

Many out-of-market observers predicted a precipitous fall for the Jets, based on a mostly quiet off-season after the disappointment of another first-round exit.

The projected regression turned into improvement and the Jets seem poised to challenge the franchise record for wins and points.

Ultimately, this edition of the Jets will be judged by how things go in Game 83 and beyond, but what is abundantly clear is that hiring Arniel this past summer was much more than a safe choice.

He was the right choice.

Not only did Arniel earn this second chance, he’s making the most of it.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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