Jackets Fire Head Coach Scott Arniel, Todd Richards Named Interim Coach
by Mike MacLean on Jan 9, 2012 10:27 AM EST
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Some might say that this move should have been made earlier.
Some might say that the Jackets' terrible season isn't the coach's fault, but rather the players are to blame.
At any rate, something had to give. This team was built to win now. Ownership approved a large hike in payroll, putting the Jackets near the salary cap. General Manager Scott Howson made a substantial trade in the summer, acquiring Jeff Carter, and dipped into free agency to acquire veterans James Wisniewski and Vinny Prospal. This was all to supplement the talent already here in Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Derick Brassard, Antoine Vermette...the list goes on.
The result?
The Jackets have been in last place in the NHL virtually all season.
The old saying goes, "you can't fire 23 players when things are tough, so you fire the coach". That applies here, but only to a point. In addition to costing Scott Arniel his first NHL head coaching job, the players should be on notice-the team will be cleaning-house, between now and the deadline.
One question that pops into my mind is whether you can classify this group of players as coach-killers. Without being too dramatic, it seems as though (as they did with former coach Ken Hitchcock) they quit early on in the season. We'll never know for sure if the players tuned him out, and if so, it's strange to think that a coach has lost his room after less than two full seasons.
Todd Richards will take over for the rest of the season on an interim basis. Given last night's injury to Jeff Carter, and with James Wisniewski out and Steve Mason looking like anything but an NHL goaltender, I highly doubt we'll see a Blues-esque turnaround.
What we can hope for is a visible change in culture, with every player giving his all every game, competing for ice time and contributing to the overall team concept. The players weren't doing these things on a consistent basis to this point and it cost Scott Arniel his job.
I wish him all the best in the future.
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Shades of Grey
Arniel bears his share of responsibility for day-to-day lineups and such, but there isn’t much he can do about the clear issue of psyche and fragility. It’s crystal clear that when Steve Mason is in goal, the team just seems to KNOW that they’re not going to win and/or that Mase is going to let in a softy or two.
The fact that Arniel was being asked to make chicken salad with the chicken shit in goal for the first month-plus of the season isn’t his fault (looking at you, Howson), but just the same I remember a night when Brassard or Johansen (can’t remember which) was scratched and the lineup featured Boll, Dorsett, and Dane Byers. Unacceptable when your team isn’t scoring.
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Hey Columbus
I was stopping by for a totally unrelated reason (see the FanShots if you are curious) and saw this news.
I have always been a fan of the Jackets, via being a huge fan of Rick Nash and just of the idea of hockey in Columbus, so I am always hoping your guys are doing well. I know this season has been… painful, and I hope T-Rich can at least stop the bleeding for you. I have some pretty strong doubts, having watched him allow the Wild to implode twice in two years, but I hold out hope that he can help your squad.
The talent on this team is far better than what the record shows, so who knows, maybe they get the message and simply begin to play better on their own. Good luck the rest of the way!
Editor:Hockey Wilderness Editor:In Lax We Trust Now with more Twitterness: ReynoldsSBN
Master of unsustainable passive regression.
At this point, Scott Howson’s options and excuses are running out. He has been in control of the roster since 2007 and has had only 1 winning season to show for it. I think it is clear that Arniel wasn’t working out so this move was inevitable, but I can’t imagine that Howson remains after this season. For all the “roster-ninja” praise that has been pushed on him, Howson has never been able to build a winning team without a rookie netminder playing out of his mind.
Each season, we’ve been left looking at the team and wondering where the defense and goaltending are going to come from. Certainly Arniel made a mess of the forward combos and choices, but he had very little to work with on the back end. That’s something Howson has had 3 and a half seasons to work on, and it’s perhaps in the worst shape of his tenure.
I don’t know how an eventual GM (Howson or otherwise) will try to balance the need to acquire defensive talent with keeping the offensive pieces in place, but Howson hasn’t even done that in most years – it was only just this year that he finally tried to pull together a competent forward core.
I guess I’m ultimately partially relieved and partially in suspense for what comes next. The season is clearly lost, but I don’t want a sudden turnaround to result in a (relatively) poor draft pick. And the shakeup is starting, but I don’t want to see obvious cornerstones (Carter, Nash) get moved for no reason. I’d rather see this end up like the 06-07 Flyers – have an awful season, get a reasonable draft pick and turn it on the next season. But I guess that would require having a decent roster in place to begin with…
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For all the "roster-ninja" praise that has been pushed on him, Howson has never been able to build a winning team without a rookie netminder playing out of his mind.
I think this has been part of his problem. He kept convincing himself that a tweak here or there could recapture that magic of Mason circa 2009. He neglected that position so badly (no disrespect to Mathieu Garon, who was what he was signed to be, basically, or to Curtis Sanford who has been far better than anticipated) that no amount of moves in other areas could cover it up.
Howson’s Columbus GM Tombstone will no doubt be more centered on his wagon-hitching to Steve Mason than to any other thing, IMHO.
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Good first step
Now Howson, your in the hole and Priest, your on deck.
Wasnt all Arniels fault, but part of it definately was. He needed to go. I never like to see people get fired, but i hope he has some better days in front of him. I would like to see him coaching the NHL again (Go to the preds, haha).
I hope to not be seeing Richards behind the bench next year, and i doubt he will. I also think we will be seeing a different GM hosting the coaching search.
We will see, hopefully Howson doesnt just sit back thinking the job is done now. More needs to be done.
Trade deadline day: 49 days. Scott Howson should be fired in 50.
What do you have against Richards? I mean, right now, I don’t really care one way or the other. But what if the team plays better in front of him to end the season?
To me, that’s one of the problems of canning Arniel so late in the season. Now the team really has no reason to play, with the playoffs so far out of reach, so that makes the whole situation that much tougher for Richards. What do they base his performance on? Still, I’m more than willing to give him a chance to show what he can do. I don’t see him doing any worse of a job than Arniel did.
Base it off his (not exactly good) time in Minnesota and how we finish the season. Give him a chance after the season, but i would personally rather see a different coach. For the most part, its hard for an assistant coach to become the head coach since most assistant coaches create an overly friendly relationship and it doesnt translate as well when becoming head coach. Thats really just my opinion based on observing practices, but who knows.
I just see other good coaches out there that would be a better fit. I wouldnt be surprised to see Richards to better than Arniel. Its not exactly like it can get much worse.
I don't blame you for being unexcited
Todd Richards really failed to give his team an identity. If Bryan drops back in, I’m sure he’ll second the sentiment.
The Wild played a lot of dump and watch hockey, never really establishing a permanent forecheck or style. You could tell that the forwards were really confused a lot of the time as to what they were supposed to do and how to achieve any type of offensive flow.
On defense, they were abysmal. The squad gave up odd-man rushes left and right. The in-zone coverage was one that gave the opposition the middle of the ice. The wings weren’t expected to do much to help the play. The goalies were hung out to dry way too many times.
Maybe he’s evolved since last year, but his system was really a mess in Minnesota.
You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Regressing all the way back to high school hockey.
Mikael Granlund = Suomi Savior
Sounds like Arniel.2
Only a little better. Guess thats why he said he was only going to make minor tweeks
Finally.
I’ll never understand why Arniel was on such a long leash to begin the season. They went 14-6 to start last season, but have played horribly since then. I know there are the reasons such as Howson not wanting to admit that “his coach” failed spectacularly, but for whatever reason that’s just not enough in my mind. I understand the concern with turning over too many coaches too soon and the effect that has on a franchise (my Cleveland Browns have a similar problem), but Arniel was so inept at adapting to the injuries/suspensions/rookies etc. I don’t think anyone would have put the onus on the GM for “changing too much” if they canned him two months ago.
Mason’s failures have been many and spectacular. The defensemen in front of him also were terrible for the start of the season and aren’t exactly locking anyone down now. That said, Arniel’s offensive strategy has done this team no favors. I think that even with a league average goaltender, this team would still have struggled mightily at the start of the season. Consider it took them eight games to score more than 2 goals, a feat they’ve only accomplished 14(!) times this season, and that Arniel’s big adjustment was to get more conservative.
Had to happen, but I am surprised they didn’t wait for the season to end first.
Ohio's premier Russian fan.
The season ended two months ago.
[rim shot]
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Better late than never...
It’s a start. I’m happy for it. I’ll start watching some games, just to see how the team responds to Richards, if at all. Of course, there are still so many more problems to take care of, but got to start somewhere.
But does anyone else find it ironic that the Dispatch calls for his head, and a couple days later, it’s done?
Exactly. That’s what I thought, too. The paper skimped around the real issues and never pointed to Arniel as a problem until all of a sudden. Then BOOM! Just like that, he’s gone.
I’m just glad we have blogs like this one, so we can get true, unbiased fan opinions, rather than soft coverage that’s basically controlled by the team itself.
I'm not so sure....
Just listening to Howson talk about it disgusted me. He said that in November, he “liked” what he saw, as we went 7-5-3 during a 15-game stretch (probably once Sanford stepped in) and thought that was the start of a turnaround. To me, after such a terrible start, it’s sad that a stretch where they essentially went 7-8 (though they at least got three points for the OT losses) is considered an improvement. But then, in December, he said we went “off the rails” and “regressed” back to the team of old.
I mean, obviously firings don’t happen overnight, so there’s no denying the idea probably crossed their minds well before the Dispatch article was written. I’m just saying that it legitimately seems like Howson believed that Arniel was the answer, and that his coaching really had nothing to do with the meltdown. I don’t know. His justification of a less-than-mediocre run being the only thing that held Arniel’s job down as long as it did was rather disturbing to me.
I don’t disagree with you that Howson was in an extreme case of denial. He was desperately clinging to Arniel with the hope the team would turn it around and so he could avoid having to admit the failure of hiring a poor NHL coach – his coach. In fact, I firmly believe the opinion of some people on this board (zekebud I think pointed it out first) that his blind commitment to Arniel will be the final straw that gets Howson fired as well and will be the foundation of his CBJ “legacy”.
IMO, ownership and management have seen the decomposition of the franchise and have been putting pressure on Howson to cut it loose. At the very least, I have to believe Patrick raised some red flags when he came into the organization.
However, there are so many problems on this team that Howson could make the argument that “coaching is not a problem.” In the end, I believe it was Arniel’s press room breakdowns and attacks on the press that forced ownership’s hand. You can’t let an overwhelmed coach’s nerves destroy whatever goodwill the franchise has with the media and the fans.
My point was that I believe there was some conspiracy theory that the Dispatch is calling the shots regarding coaching behind the Columbus bench.
I dont think it had anything to do with the media situation the other game. If that were the case, Tortorella would have been gone ages ago because of media arguments
The Rangers aren’t in the same abysmal situation though. Everyone is willing to forgive if the team is winning. Once Arniel was publicly loosing his composure, it was impossible to ignore all the other signs any longer.
This is long overdue to say the least. I’m not a GM or anything of that nature, but I’ll never understand why Arniel was held on to for so long. The writing had been on the wall for quite some time. He just didn’t and doesn’t have what it takes to be a successful NHL coach. I think Howson has a stronger case for sticking around, but he too has fallen short. I hope Arniel is just the first shoe to fall. The players certainly aren’t without blame in all of this, but I think after 10-plus years of this nonsense, it’s time for sweeping changes to the organization’s brass.
FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!
Okay, agreed, goaltending wasn’t Arniel’s fault. Yes, the defensive corps have been weak, especially Methot and Clitsome. (On the other hand, Nikitin has been a pleasant surprise.) But Arniel’s mystery lines, giving Dorse more ice time than Nash and Carter, refusal to play talented youngsters who have proven they belong (Moore, Atkinson, Mayorov, etc.) definitely ARE Arniel’s fault! I mean, come on, he has been playing Johanson on the 4th line! And the way he’s treated Brass is a crime.
Will Richards immediately turn this team around? No. But I’ll bet you he stabilizes the lines, offering more offense. I’ll bet you he, at least, starts getting players to give a damn.
Next moves: trading Mase (or burying him in Springfield), firing Howson and hiring Craig Patrick as GM.
There was a case on Atkinson and Mayorov going down. I am not as upset about those two as others. However, when injuries came upon us and we needed a player, I did not understand why neither Atkinson nor Mayorov were the first choice to come up over Bass, Byers, and Russell. Arniels refusal to play young talented Brassard is more beyond me more than anything. The way he got dropped to the fourth line last night was embarassing.
Lets hope for some more changes. I am not sold on Patrick as GM as i dont think he will want it, but i would not not be happy with it either. But i would like to see Howson, Priest, and whomever else gone.
I could be wrong about Patrick, but then a lot of people thought I was wrong predicting that Richards being named head coach if Arniel was fired. We’ll have to agree to disagree about Atkinson and Mayorov being sent down. In my opinion, the first “nail in the coffin” for Arniel was sending Mayorov down. However, we are in complete agreement about Atkinson and Mayorov over Bass, Byers and Russell (And Giroux. Let’s not forget Giroux!).
by Westside Paul on Jan 9, 2012 3:54 PM EST up reply actions
Mayorov had one goal in 8 games and was a minus 2. Wasnt doing much out there. I would have liked to see him a little long, but i can at least see where Arniel was coming from. Atkinson is same way. one goal in 5 games, but he was a minus 6! Count +/- as much as you want, but i still think it can be a warning. I think he was overratedd by a select few bloggers on twitter in his short time here. I can see him being a good player here, and just like Mayorov i would have liked to see him here a little longer as well, but i can see where Arniel was coming from on that one too.
I agreed on Richards being interim if/ when Arniel was let go. I dont think we had much of a choice. I bet Boughner wishes he would have stayed the course here, good chance he would be behind the bench right now.
8 games is a career? 5 games is a good measurement? How many games did that bump on a log Giroux play? Arniel gave him more of a chance than he did either Mayorov or Atkinson. How many solid, or good, or even star players began their careers with a poor showing in their first 5 – 8 games? And if you haven’t noticed, Atkinson is ripping up the AHL. How long before he gets a real shot at proving himself at the NHL level? Look, bud, I’ll credit you with intelligence, having read most of your comments. However, you also display a strong bias against playing younger players. Okay, maybe you’re right and neither Atkinson or Mayorov weren’t quite ready. But using +/- in games where the Jackets team was having trouble winning and scoring more two goals a game is misleading. What was everybody else’s +/- in those games? And may I remind you that you have repeatedly stated that Moore is not ready, yet a recent post to this very blog showed that he has steadily improved as he’s been given more ice time. How do we know that Atkinson and Mayorov wouldn’t have improved, if given more ice time?
Look, let’s face it. This year is a lost cause. About the only way the Jackets are making the play offs is to go on a 41 game win streak and that ain’t happening. So, what is there to lose? Bring up Atkinson and Kubilak and anyone else who is showing promise, but not injured. Give them a chance. Will they make mistakes? Sure. Will they have bad games. Does the name, Steve Mason ring a bell? But watching the games should be more fun, the staff will have a better idea of whom to watch in training camp and pre-season next year and all the youngsters will benefit from the experience.
by Westside Paul on Jan 9, 2012 8:26 PM EST up reply actions
The question of how to best develop young players is a tough one, which I am not sure has a right answer. You both raise valid points regarding if we should keep our young talent in Springfield to mature, or if we should let them get a shot with the big club as soon as possible. Personally I think it depends on two things; the individual ability as well as the psyche of the player. There are some young players who are a bit too fragile physically and psychologically to be thrown into the NHL at too young of an age and don’t bounce back very easily after such a "failure". If anything the Jackets have tended to rush their young players with damaging results in the past so I understand why Howson may be hesitant to do so now.
Even players of great ability can struggle early on, and sometimes they need a coach or an older player to support them in the right way. I just watched a documentary on Peter Forsberg, who after the first ten games of his first NHL season, asked his agent to be sent back to Sweden, because he wasn’t playing well and was getting beat up. After a talk with the coach who encouraged him to go out and play his game, he never looked back and became one of the greatest players in the world. He credited his coach’s pep talk for basically saving his career and acknowledged that it was tough to start out at such a young age in the NHL.
Although I can’t pretend to know how Arniel was in private with his young players, he seemed to embody the opposite approach based on what he has said in interviews. He almost went out of his way to criticize young players, even after they had a great game – especially Ryan Johansen and Hitchcock did the same with Filatov. However, to my eye, the difference between these two players is that Johansen seems to play better with more ice time while Filatov seemed to get worse. I also think that Johansen’s raw talent and physical size also helps him because he is not getting pushed around as much as Filatov. There are also cultural issues to consider. It may take a little longer for a guy from Russia, who barely speaks the language, to adjust than someone from the US or Canada.
So what’s the best approach? To let the young kids play in the NHL or to let them develop in the AHL? The Redwings let their young players learn the ropes in the AHL for several years and they are generally considered one of the best organizations at developing talent in the entire world of sports. On the other hand, there are many teams who bring up very young kids with great success, especially in the last few years.
I wonder if there is not a happy medium, where some of the younger players get a chance to play 8-10 games or so before being sent back, just to get a taste of the NHL. Since we have no chance of salvaging the season, wouldn’t it make sense to ease some of our young players into the Bluejackets lineup with a little less pressure to perform than during a "normal" season. I understand that there are contractual considerations and that the Falcons need these players, but ultimately it is a matter of developing players for the long term. Maybe, the silver lining of this failed season is that we have the luxury to give our young talented guys in Springfield a chance to be eased into the NHL with a little less pressure to perform.
I think you may have taken my comment the wrong way.
First off, I said above that I would have liked to see both Mayorov and Atkinson a little longer before sending them down. To further explain my reasoning on how I can understand (not exactly agree with) the reasoning Arniel sent them down is simply because I did not think their play was outstanding, nor was it poor. They were simply ok. When you’re a young player and your organization wants you to become the best player possible, sometimes it is necessary to be in Springfield and get the most playing time possible. No reason to keep Atkinson and Mayorov to play them the 10-13 minutes they deserved when they could be playing 20 minutes with PP/PK time in the AHL. You say that I “display a strong bias against playing younger players” but I am not sure where you get that from. Just two comments above I said “Arniels refusal to play young talented Brassard is more beyond me more than anything. The way he got dropped to the fourth line last night was embarrassing.”
Doesn’t sound like a strong bias against young players to me. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite forward on this team it would be Johansen and if I had to pick a favorite defenseman it would be Nikitin or Moore right now. One of my absolute favorite teams to watch is the Edmonton Oilers because of all the young players they have. I have also complained numerous times about the amount of playing time Dorsett has gotten compared to Brassard and Johansen.
I’m not quite sure when I said Moore is not ready since coming up this year. In fact if you go back to the article you referenced (http://www.jacketscannon.com/2012/1/3/2679389/silver-linings-the-play-of-ryan-johansen-and-john-moore), my comment on there are about how I was (past tense) worried about Moore’s development because of a poor season in the AHL last year.
Reasons to going to AHL
However, I will admit to saying I wish we had the defensive depth to keep Moore in Springfield for the remainder of this year as I think it would be beneficial for his development. This season, Moore has averaged 13:33 in ice time per game with only 1 second of PP TOI per game. Would you like our 21 year old promising defensemen to play 14 minutes a game in the NHL with no PP time or 20 some minutes with PP time in the AHL? This is where it comes down to personal opinion. I want my 21 year old promising defensemen in the AHL playing in every situation possible. Not many defensemen break into this league at 21 years old, it is tough to do. I would want to give him some games in the NHL at the end of the season to get his feet wet and ease him in to the NHL. Basically, I wish we had the defensive depth to have Moore in the AHL right now, however we do not and I am content with keeping him up here and giving him more minutes because of the good job he has done and because we don’t have much of a choice.
Mayorov is a little different of a situation. He has already been playing the AHL for a few years and he is a completely different role than Atkinson or Moore. He is going to be a solid bottom six line guy that can produce offense. Something this organization actually needs more of in my opinion. I think he was sent down a little early as I mentioned above, but I can also understand (again, not exactly agree with) Arniel sending him down. I strongly believe Mayorov would be back up with the club if he were able to stay healthy down in Springy. I get the feeling he was sent down as more of a kick start to his season to get going until he got it going and came back up. And then he got injured and has been off and on injured all year. I think the same goes for Calvert minus the injuries. He just was not getting it done up here and needed a kick start in the AHL, which seems to be starting to pay off for him as he has been on the socre sheet more often as of late.
And now, Atkinson. I get the feeling this is where most people disagree with me on and that is fine. I get the feeling Atkinson’s stay up here was a little overrated because of certain media bloggers on twitter that really like him. I remember at the beginning of the season watching him not noticing him that much doing things good, nor bad. Atkinson had one goal in the five games he was here and was a minus 6. While I agree with you that +/- does not mean that much, it can still mean something. And at minus 6, yes he was low on the team as our first 7 out of 8 games were 1/2 goal games. You point out that we were having trouble scoring, but we were also not letting in that many goals. Also, according to Behindthenet.ca, Atkinson was facing the fifth easiest quality of competition amongst forwards that have played 5 or more games. The only ones with easier quality of competition were Boll, Mackenzie, Letestu, and Giroux. He also has the most offensive zone starts among anyone who has played a game for us this year at 66.7% offensive zone starts. Juice is the only one close to him at 62.5%, but he has only played 2 games. These two stats show that Atkinson probably should have been producing more, and at the very least not been a minus 6 with the offensive zone starts and quality of competition he was facing as he started in the offensive zone a lot and faces what is considered some of the easier competition.
Furthermore, Atkinson was averaging 13:40 TOI with 2:25 PP TOI per game here in Columbus. I am sure with the Falcons he is getting much more time than that on both the PP and ES. And let’s face it; he played five games with the Falcons last year. So basically, if he were here right now he would be making the jump directly from college to the NHL. That is a big pace difference, and especially at his height, not many people can do that.
I am well aware that he is ripping up the AHL. I listen to their games when I get the chance and I follow their stats closely. It is great he is doing that and hopefully he keeps it up.
When you say that we might as well pull up all our young players so they can play in the NHL and learn from their mistakes, that is where I strongly disagree with you. While we both agree the season is lost, you believe in pulling everyone up to get them to learn from their inevitable mistakes, and I believe in keeping a lot of them down to get them more playing time and the winning mentality. Prospects get better by winning. This has nothing to do with me having bias against our young players not playing; it is just a difference in opinion. In fact, it is just the opposite as I want our young players playing MORE in the AHL where more ice time available without the media and fan pressure on them. Let’s let them win the AHL to help them become better players instead of playing here and losing so that they become winters and they know losing is unacceptable.
I do not know about you, but I do not want to see any more Klesla’s and Brule’s going through Columbus because they were rushed to the NHL. Putting them in a losing environment early hoping they would learn from their mistakes didn’t work out too well for us.
What I am saying is basically what Detroit is famous for as Ville mentioned. They let their players play in the AHL until they are more experienced and 100% NHL ready before brought to the big club. And this method has brought multiple Stanley Cups to the city of Detroit. This is why they always get late round gems, they know how to develop their players and not rush them.
Re: Dorse
To be fair, I understand the frustration behind the meme of “Derek Dorsett gets more ice time than everybody!” but it’s simply not true. In terms of ATOI for the season for REGULAR forwards (i.e., not Juice or Kubalik or Byers, etc.), Dorse is actually ranked ninth, behind Carter, Nash, Umberger, Prospal, Vermette, Pahlsson, Brassard, and Letestu.
Dorse has also been one of our best PKers all season, which does explain a big chunk of his nightly ice time.
Just to be fair…
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Sorry, but one blogger (It was either Jeff at TMM or someone here) compared TOI numbers and Dorse lead all forwards. This wasn’t too long ago, so the numbers haven’t substantially changed. Honestly, give me Jody Shelley over Dorse and Boll.
by Westside Paul on Jan 9, 2012 6:51 PM EST up reply actions
Perhaps in a single night he was the leader on ice, but for the season Nikitin, Wiz and Tyutin lead all skaters, and Carter and Nash lead forwards in average ice time per game. Dorsett is fairly far down the list. Check out that kind of data and other sad, pathetic CBJ stats here
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Whats the order of TOI over the last 10 or so game? Ive checked the TOI almost every game for a while now, and he is always up there. But im guessing the TOI at the beginning of the year drew other people up above him.
It was the 6-5 Nashville game where Johansen scored 2 goals and ended with 9 minutes of ice time with Dorsett logging over 19 minutes. Lately, hes been up in the 16-18 around where Nash and Carter have been every night. I wouldnt be surprised at all to see him near the TOI as Nash, Carter, Prospal, etc in the last 10-15 games.
And to be fair, while Dorse is one of our best Pkers, every guy you mentioned above other than Pahlsson are our PP guys where Dorsett does not play. So those are a washout.
Then, someone is putting out bad info. Even so, Dorse getting over 13 min? More than Calvert, Johanson and MacKenzie? You know, guys with a good chance to actually score? That says a lot, right there.
Move in the right direction...
A big part of this teams woes this year did stem from poor coaching, in my opinion.
Arniels system just doesn’t work at the NHL level. Poor goaltending doesn’t account for the other problems evident in this team, such as the utter lack of offense, and poor defense.
My biggest gripe with Arniel is from his system, at the emphasis he places on shoot-first offense, and “getting to the dirty areas.” The few goals that we’ve scored have all been of the “dirty,” variety, ugly goals, rebounds and fluky/soft goals. The players cycle the puck along the boards in the offensive zone, you rarely see a cross ice pass on offfense. This is a system thing, I believe, since it’s not just one player doing it. It’s team-wide, and the players are executing this conservative offense exactly how it’s drawn up. We are #1 in the NHL with the fewest giveaways and in the top 10 in the league in shots per game. The problem is, this system works at lower levels, the AHL for example, where goaltenders are poorer quality, defense is poorer quality, etc. At the NHL level, goaltenders not named Mason don’t give up goals on low-percentage shots. NHL caliber netminders like Pekka Rinne, Tim Thomas, and Kari Lehtonen control their rebounds better than their AHL couterparts. Even shots in the slot, if a quality goaltender is in position, if you haven’t moved the puck east-west, a lot of those guys can make the saves they need to. How many times have opposing goaltenders been one of the three stars of the game? The Jackets will go on a 2 on 1 rush, and the puck carrier will fire a shot on net almost every time. I think this is a system thing, rather than saying it’s just Nash, he likes to shoot. Everyone in the Union Blue does it. Arniel wants shots on goal, and that’s what the players do, is shoot. Brassard will make some risky passes (which when converted, end up in goals, exhibit A being the setup for Clitter to get our lone goal against LA), and in the beginning of the season, he gave up a couple ugly turnovers. I feel that’s why Arniel scratched him, and kept him on the 4th line, punishment for deviating from the system.
This conservative offense, shoot-first style just won’t work against NHL-caliber talent. Hopefully Richards will have the guys get the puck wide on the rush, start taking more chances and try to make plays. I’ll gladly trade a few more turnovers for a few more goals, or at least a product that is more fun to watch, plays aggressively, and tries to generate good scoring chances.
What baffles me about Arniels system, is that to me, it strikes me as suffocatingly conservative offensively, yet aggressive defensively. His self-described, “pack” mentality, encouraging physical play on defense has been a failure when combined with his offensive approach. The Jackets are in the top 10 in hits in the league. Entertaining to watch, yes, but going after the hit, and attacking the puck carrier pulls the defender out of position. The CBJ are dead last in blocked shots. Wiz committed that sin numerous times, stepping up on a guy entering the zone, going for the hit/turnover, and giving up the 2 on 1 rush against his partner. It’s not just his play, it’s a system wide thing. One player won’t make your whole team last in the NHL in blocked shots…that’s everyone. Guys get caught out of position too often. Granted, the Jackets are around the middle of the pack generating turnovers, and regularly outshoot opponents. Arniels system does control puck possesion fairly well…the CBJ regularly outshoot opponents, it just hasn’t resulted in wins.
I definitely see this as a failure of the system. It’s a combination of a poor offensive mindset that controls the puck but fails to generate scoring, an aggressive defense that also gets control of the puck but gives up too many chances. Take this puck-control style of hockey and match it with poor goaltending, and the result is pretty obvious. 11-25-5
Josh,
I agree completely with your analysis and wrote a fan post a couple months ago titled “What’s wrong with Arniel’s system?” which pretty much exactly mirrors your line of thinking. What worries me a little bit with Todd Richards being the interim coach is that his coaching system with Minnesota was almost identical to Scott Arniel’s. It was not by coincidence that he was picked as an assistant coach by Arniel.
I am certainly willing to give him a chance, and wish him all the best, but I don’t think that he is going to implement a creative style passing game any time soon. Please check out the link below to Shrapnel 6/9/11 where there is a great breakdown of Todd Richard’s time as the Minnesota coach. Personally, I think it sounds exactly like Scott Arniel’s experience with the Jackets, but I am hoping that he has picked up a few tricks since then. Either way, I can’t see him as a long time solution to our problems, but time will tell what he can do with this roster.
http://www.jacketscannon.com/2011/11/8/2548287/whats-wrong-with-arniels-system
http://www.jacketscannon.com/2011/6/9/2215539/a-look-at-todd-richards
Raw deal
The Bluejackets problems are not the coaches fault. You could put Scotty Bowman, Al Arbor and name a third coach behind the bench and they could not win with this group. Feel bad for Nash, Carter and RJ. GM needs changed and a wholesale change on the Ice. The good news is we should get the #1 pick. Silver lining!?
I completely disagree. There are certain coaches that can get the most from their team. Do you think Phoenix really has more talent than us? Absolutely not but Tippett has those player bought in and working hard every night. How about Nashville? They are probably close to our skill, but they havent been forever and Trotz continutes to get in the playoffs EVERY year with that group of guys. They were also able to beat a good Ducks team last year in the playoffs that has much more fire power than them.
Wild, Sens, Jets, and Stars are in similar positions, but one can say they are on the same new coach honeymoon as we were last season, so those are still up for debate.
Don't know who you are watching
First let me address the obvious one. Nashville has a ton more talent than Columbus. They have two stud defenseman and solid goaltending plus guys up front who can score a few. Who do you guys have on D and in goal? Yes Nashville does not have a Nash but they don’t need a Nash as much because they can play D and shut down an opponent. Columbus can’t. Phoenix in my opinion is about the same in talent. I guess you can make an argument if Tippett was your coach you would have a few more wins and only be 14 points out of the playoffs instead of 20 or so. Probably good enough to get the second or third pick in the draft instead of the first overall. My main point in this was the playoffs is a dream with this team regardless of the coach. No coach past or present could get this team to the playoffs. The GM is responsible for this collection. Change is necessary to make this a competitive playoff team regardless of who is coaching.
by OhioSabresfan on Jan 10, 2012 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
Trotz is known for getting the best out of a roster thats not as good as they play. Aside from three players (Weber, Suter, Rinne), but aside from that they basically have no one on defense and up front. We have Nash, Carter, etc up front. The reason they win more games is because defense wins hockey games. If they arent playing well, Rinne can steal games for them,something Mason cant do.
But overall skill up and down the lineup, relatively close. And even still, they are not a every single year playoff team or second round playoff team.
Not sure how one can even say that Phoenix is as good as us on paper with a straght face. Starting to look like Tippett made Bryzgalov look like an all star goalie and hes doing it similarly with Smith right now. Most definately not a playoff team every year, but they continue to be because of coaching
Look at the stats
All I would say is look at the stats. You actually help make my point. Look at goals for and goals against. Columbus 101GF 142GA. Nashville 115 GF 115 GA and Phoe. 109 GF 111 GA. Defense and goalie play win more games than up front play. Yes you have Nash and Carter however they are being outscored by Vrbata and Whitney of Phoenix. Just take a look at the top three scorers of each team and the top three defenseman of each team. Also I think you are giving more credit to your bottom 2 lines than they deserve. Top to bottom clearly Nashville has more depth team wise. Flip a coin on Columbus and Phoenix. Not much difference. In your last line of defense position though clearly Columbus is behind. We will see how the new coach does. You may disagree but don’t think results will be much different. Looking forward to the number 1 pick.
by OhioSabresfan on Jan 11, 2012 9:48 PM EST up reply actions
Not enough
Treat the disease, not the symptoms.
Fire Howson!!
by WhoDeyBlueJacket on Jan 9, 2012 10:14 PM EST via iPhone app reply actions
Why are so many people bitching about this firing after all I read for the last month was everyone wanting Arniel fired? I dont think anyone in their right mind thinks this will fix everything, but its a good step forward.
The team needs rebuilt. Howson had his chances, enough is enough
by WhoDeyBlueJacket on Jan 10, 2012 12:36 AM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
now its time to send howson to the citgo as well
our drafting and player developement has been disgusting. anyone and everyone involved in those things needs to all go to the citgo as well
Once Guy Boucher said “no, thanks”, whoever took the job behind the bench was doomed to be “second best”. Scott Arniel is a good hockey man, and I hope he lands on his feet with an organization that can utilize his hockey knowledge.
I have to think that Howson now officially is on the clock in miracle performing. I expect the club to be very active by the trade deadline. The needs of the club are many. So many in fact, that even a top 4 draft pick and some minor trades won’t be enough. This club needs a blockbuster to shake it up. The problem there is, being the worst in the league, the other 29 clubs will expect to make a deal on their terms, not ours.
Co-Founder, Springfield Hockey Heritage Society
Editor of The Cannon, a Columbus Blue Jackets Blog. Check us out!
I agree getting the greatest value back is going to be tough, but one of the positives working for Columbus is that the league parity has made it so there are few sellers. If the Jackets do make some big moves, they can likely get enough potential suitors that the competing markets will drive up the pricetags on certain individuals.
I think the deadline, like last year, will be a seller’s market because there are so few sellers. Just a thought, though. I could be totally wrong.
You know you're a Wild fan if Spam Whoopie Gerald-buns comes up in conversation
Regressing all the way back to high school hockey.
Mikael Granlund = Suomi Savior
by JDesthubert on Jan 10, 2012 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
I just wanted to say that I’m extremely excited about the comments being posted here. The discussion has been fantastic, will well thought-out posts and I can see the passion you guys have. Keep it up!
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Manager of The Cannon, a Columbus Blue Jackets Blog
When you consider that the other two candidates for the head coaching job, Noel and Dineen, have gone on to take the teams from awful to being in the playoff race, it might be safe to say we picked the wrong guy, or rather, Guy. Granted that Florida has essentially been reconstructed but they certainly weren’t picked to be doing this well. Winnipeg (Atlanta) however, is essentially the same team,albeit still riding the wave of enthusiasm that the relocation has offered. Columbus is OhioProfessionalSportsFranchiseExtreme, I suspect that eventually,much like the Browns, the team will move, win the Cup, Columbus will get another team years later, and the cycle will repeat.
yeah, I used to play
Do you really expect them to move?
Seems to me they have at least 30 years before that might happen. A lot can happen in 30 years.
Florida has benefited from a great GM that was able to completed redo the team. Even with the changes, i didnt expect them to be as good as they are right now. But they were lucky. Garrison stepped up for them and has a bomb on the blue line, Theodore, Clemmenson when healthy have been good, and when called upon Markstrom has been great.
Winnipeg i am not as surprised by. They were right in the thick of things last year until they plummeted late in the year. But playing in front of a sold out building in Canada that has high anticipations for them should bring in a lot more wins. Which it has. The only thing im surprised y is the quick transition to Winnnipeg. Pavelec had that weird injuries in which he collapsed last season and it hurt them. Im not too surprised by them being in the hunt, and i think they would still be if Noel wasnt there.
It does appear we messed up with the coaching selection, but its hard to say. Boucher aint doing too hot in Tampa now either.
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