Comments on: If Scott Arniel is done, now who will Columbus look to hire?

By: gscheelar

gscheelar — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:34:27 +0000

Craig Ramsey? He did a good job with fair-to-middlin’ talent in ATL last year and could work well with the guys that CBJ has. This season is already a write-off, but Ramsey might be able to lay groundwork for something good next year.

That being said, Scott Arniel is getting a raw deal. He’s a good coach who just does not have the horses to win with. Coaching change is not going to make a real difference until the talent is upgraded at virtually all positions.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:10:28 +0000

Therrien’s a good bet. These things go in trends according to who last won the Cup. Dan Bylsma’s success led to a wave of teams hiring minor league coaches, i.e. Arniel, Boucher, Gulutzan, Payne. Claude Julien just won and he’s been around the block a couple times. That’ll be the trend now, and its already started with Hitchcock. Bob Hartley should make sure teams know his number in Switzerland.

By: sknut

sknut — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:33:34 +0000

It would be interesting to see Richards get another shot, not sure if he learned from his failures with the WIld. The players seemed to tune him out. The Jackets would seem to need someone to get on them right now.

By: silverdeer

silverdeer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:19:47 +0000

I think they should bring back Mike Keenan.

By: east96st

east96st — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:50:38 +0000

First off, NO one is going to take this team to the playoffs this year. Ain’t happening with the invisible man in net. Second, any changes made without the wholesale firing of the entire front office is just window dressing to try to get fans into the seats. Mike Priest is the man at top. As long as he remains, it will be the same old Jackets forever. No coach can change the fact that this team starts a goalie that would not be a starter for most college teams, has a bloated payroll of grossly overpaid mediocre players, and the draft has been a disaster, with the exception of Nash, from the very start. You can’t pin any of that on Arniel and it will be the anchor around the neck of the next poor sap that takes the job. If any coach has ANY other options (working at McDonalds might be better), they would be wise to pass on this job. It will be a temporary hire and they will be, yet again, another sacrificial lamb who gets fired down the line to try hide that this is the most poorly run organization in the NHL.

By: flyerscup2010

flyerscup2010 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:47:27 +0000

i’m throwing jacques lemaire out there, just for the lols

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:47:25 +0000

I think Therrien could be a very good fit for the Jackets, but I’m actually a bit confused by one of your statements about the former Pens coach. In the article you ask if Therrien has “grown up enough to lead such a young team.” Didn’t he coach a young, aimless Penguins team? I honestly think this is one of the strong points to a Therrien choice. He was able to take a last-place Pittsburgh, give them direction, and make them learn to follow a system as a team.

If he were hired, I think the question would be how long Therrien could last. As the team would grow with him, it’s very probable that they would outgrow his coaching style, even if they don’t outgrow his lessons. It’s what we saw out of the Pens – after 3-4 years of him, the team had grown and established a great foundation. It was only then that a switch made sense.

And for Columbus fans, that 3-4 years would be well spent. Superstar centers aside, this Columbus team sounds similar to what the Pens offered prior to Therrien’s arrival. The team can’t defend, they can’t hold leads, and they lack identity. To expect the coach to get the same out of the Jackets as he did the Pens would be foolish (taking two teams from mess to Cup Final is extremely unlikely), but I do believe that he could get the Jackets to win and hold leads more consistently. And really, given how things have been for Columbus, wouldn’t that be quite the accomplishment anyway?

By: contraryguy

contraryguy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:35:45 +0000

Just throw the dart at the board already. Pick someone, anyone. Or lose the fan base for good.