\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Ruth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4156553_web1_260420-Jets-Arniel-2-.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
Ruth Bonneville \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Monday he\u2019ll keep on evaluating what the club can do differently next season to get back to being a Stanley Cup contending team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, that one\u2019s for me,\u201d said Arniel, noting that he still had thorough conversations planned with his own coaching staff and management during the coming days. \u201cOnce I do have those answers, that\u2019s what I\u2019m working to implement for September.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arniel is preparing to tackle an off-season project over the course of the next four-and-a-half months that will help the Jets avoid the inconsistent play that cost them a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs just one year after capturing the Presidents\u2019 Trophy and bowing out in overtime of Game 6 in the second round of the post-season<\/p>\n
He will attack that project with vigour in an effort to come up with the solutions that were tough to come by at various points, including an 11-game losing skid (0-7-4) which left the Jets with a deep hole they were unable to dig out of.<\/p>\n
During his opening remarks, Arniel spoke about the importance of being taught by his parents to take responsibility for his actions and expressed his disappointment for the unexpected step back the franchise took in going 35-35-12 this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the answers today but at the end of the day that\u2019s part of my job and we\u2019ve got to get back to where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not falling on a sword,\u201d said Arniel, who is preparing for his fifth season behind the Jets bench after returning as an associate coach on Rick Bowness\u2019 staff in the summer of 2022. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that I need to cover and that\u2019s what happens when you\u2019re not playing at this time of year. You have to have answers, and the players want answers, management \u2014 you guys \u2014 want answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have the answers today but at the end of the day that\u2019s part of my job and we\u2019ve got to get back to where we were.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had an opportunity to provide a clear endorsement for Arniel, but he fell short of ensuring he would be back for a third season as bench boss.<\/p>\n
Cheveldayoff praised the work ethic of Arniel and the coaching staff, but because he and Arniel hadn\u2019t gone through their own exit interviews with each other, he wasn\u2019t ready to make an official announcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re extremely prepared. They do those kinds of things to make sure that they try to give the best opportunity to the players,\u201d said Cheveldayoff. \u201cI\u2019m not going to sit here and make any bold proclamations because (with) this evaluation process, I owe it to the organization, I owe it to ourselves, I owe it to the fans and I owe it to the players. Like I said, we\u2019re not ready to turn the page on anything yet. We\u2019ll keep on evaluating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since a thorough evaluation of the entire organization is required after a team goes through a 34-point dip in the standings after winning the Presidents\u2019 Trophy, committing to the head coach or potentially offering him a contract extension isn\u2019t something that is usually done just days after a disappointing season comes to a close.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Arniel has one more year left on the three-year pact he signed with the Jets when he was promoted to head coach on May 27 of 2025. In his two seasons as bench boss of the Jets, Arniel boasts a regular-season record of 91-56-22 (.604) and playoff record of 6-7 (.462).<\/p>\n The expectation is that Arniel will be given an opportunity to try and help the organization get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, even if Cheveldayoff wasn\u2019t ready to announce anything publicly.<\/p>\n What became clear over time was that this version of the Jets strayed from its identity, especially during the first 50 or so games of the season.<\/p>\n Instead of a team that was fast and aggressive in all three zones, the Jets showed plenty of cracks in their defensive structure.<\/p>\n And despite a 9-3 start, Arniel pointed to concerns in the underlying numbers and analytics and it wasn\u2019t long before the expected dropoff in play showed up in the results.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t regret what I did. I don\u2019t regret that I\u2019ve got two players that have amazing chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jets had several examples of outstanding production, but there was also a sharp decline in play for a multitude of players, as secondary scoring essentially became a season-long struggle<\/p>\n With some additional time for a mini training camp during the Olympic break, the Jets put together an impressive stretch of hockey that got them back in the race, but they couldn\u2019t quite get over the finish line.<\/p>\n One of the hot button topics for the fan base revolved around why Arniel didn\u2019t try breaking up Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor to see if they could each drive their own line.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t regret what I did. I don\u2019t regret that I\u2019ve got two players that have amazing chemistry,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cI\u2019ve been a firm believer\u2026 it works in twos. There\u2019s pairs that work and the chemistry that happens and then the third guy is always a piece that adds to it. There\u2019s history that these guys have been elite in this league for the last few years. My kind of rationale (for) it was that (the Jets are) already having a tough time scoring goals. Now I\u2019m going to take away the line that actually can give me a chance to stay in a game, to win a game for us? That was more of where I was at with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with several young players \u2014 whether it be forward prospects Isak Rosen or Brad Lambert \u2014 showing what they can do after the NHL trade deadline, there are still some questions about making room for youth in the effort to augment the core.<\/p>\n \u201cOur group isn\u2019t intimidated by somebody coming and taking their job. They\u2019re not intimidated by young guys,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cThey\u2019ve been here long enough, they\u2019ve had small tastes of it \u2014 of being the top team. They all want to win.<\/p>\n \u201cI can say this without a doubt. They\u2019re not saying, \u2018We don\u2019t want these guys because they infringe on my ice time, infringe on us moving forward.\u2019 We have to make sure that it\u2019s something that compliments what we have. There is a great core there. We just have to make sure we have a supporting cast. We got to continue to build that supporting cast for those guys as well to get back to where we were last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Answering the call\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi is set wear the Maple Leaf at the upcoming world men\u2019s hockey championship in Switzerland.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi will join Scheifele and Dylan DeMelo on Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF world men\u2019s hockey championship in Switzerland. Vilardi recently suited up in all 82 games for the first time in his NHL career and also delivered career-highs in goals (30), assists (39) and points (69).<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Jets defenceman Elias Salomonsson (concussion protocol) was back on the ice on Monday and the hope is that he will pass his baseline test on Wednesday and join the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League for the Calder Cup playoffs. Jets forward prospect Nikita Chibrikov got banged up late in the season and still hasn\u2019t been cleared medically to rejoin the Moose.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n