Who Is The The Next Head Coach In Winnipeg?
Scott Arniel is the Leading Man But A Few Others Could Surprise

The Winnipeg Jets 2.0 have had a problem getting past the second round of the playoffs. Since moving to Alberta, Canada for the 2011 season, the Jets have moved past the second round of the postseason just once (2018) under head coach Paul Maurice who won 314 games in seven seasons in Winnipeg.
Owner Mark Chipman is looking for his third coach since Maurice left for the Florida Panthers in 2022. Former coach Rick Bowness retired after 38 years in the league after a first-round loss to the Colorado Avalanche this season. Let’s look at the Winnipeg next head coach odds.
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Scott Arniel 
There’s a reason why Scott Arniel was -250 as the overwhelming favorite when the NHL odds released. Every NHL insider thinks the Winnipeg Jets will select their current associate head coach to fill the void left by Rock Bowness on Monday.
Arniel has head coach experience after compiling a 45-60-18 record with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010-2012. He added to head coaching experience the year after in Chicago with the Wolves of the American Hockey League (37-30-9). Arniel may be the favorite now. But the team is doing its homework, especially after Sheldon Keefe was let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Arniel has publicly stated that he wants the job many thought Bowness was grooming him for. Although expected to be a smooth transition, detractors argue that the areas Arniel was responsible for, such as the penalty kill, did not meet expectations—a sore subject to bring up.
NHL stats show that the Jets PK finished 21st in the league with a 77.1% success rate and just 62.5% in the postseason, only the Los Angeles Kings were worse.
Todd McLellan 
With the Toronto Maple Leafs job opening, it looks like discussing anyone but Arneil for the Jets would be silly but here are a few names that may pop up. Todd McLellan has already interviewed for the Leafs job along with Craig Berube. It looks like one of them will be the next man in Toronto, which is looking for a veteran coach to push them over the hump. McLellan’s odds stretched to +400.
McLellan has won the Jack Adams Trophy twice in his 16-year career compiling a record of 598-412-134. Since 2013, the veteran coach has been able to guide just one team (2013 with San Jose) past the first round of the playoffs.
Sheldon Keefe 
The 43-year-old has five seasons of head coaching experience compiling a 212-97-40 (.665) regular season record but just 16-21 (.432) in the playoffs. The Boston Bruins knocked Keefe’s Toronto Maple Leafs out of the NHL playoff bracket in the first round. Again. But with less pressure in Winnipeg, perhaps Keefe could thrive in this environment.
The struggle in Toronto is a coaching problem, it’s always been a management problem after another year where the Leafs ownership group failed to take care of the team defensively, forcing Leaf netminders to take face 174 shots this season (10th in the NHL).
Toronto’s NHL scores today are always entertaining but fast-break hockey doesn’t win in the postseason unless you have the blueliners and goaltending to cover mistakes. Until ownership decides to be a little more defensive-minded, it doesn’t matter who they bring in.
We conclude our Jets’ next head coaching odds, we suggest waiting until they post numbers on Keefe who may be the right fit or at least a better value play than laying -250 with Arniel.
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