Scott Arniel not worried about Jets job after 7-0 loss

This one was over early. Stuart Skinner got pulled for the 2nd game in a row, and it happened on his 28th birthday.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

If this was Timbits hockey, Rod Brind'Amour would be telling his players to make 10 passes before every shot. And they'd be playing running time, of course. That's it for Stuart Skinner. He gets a second straight mercy pull, this time on his 28th birthday.

The Timbits line is a joke, but it tells you how the afternoon went. Carolina passed the puck around however it liked, and the Jets kept chasing. Pyotr Kochetkov hardly had to do anything at the other end, and he still came away with a franchise record.

Cory Lavalette

@corylav

Hurricanes win 7-0. Kochetkov sets a franchise record with his 10th straight win and his second shutout of the season.

That's 9 straight losses now. The skid was already 7 games long after Thursday's 6-4 loss to Tampa, when Arniel told his team that pro hockey players have a job to do, and the Jets left that game 4-6-3. Hot seat lists had Arniel on them before this weekend. Winnipeg missed the playoffs last year, and this was supposed to be the season they fixed that. Instead he spent Sunday afternoon in Raleigh answering questions about his own job.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

#NHLJets HC Scott Arniel, speaking with me here in Raleigh, calls today’s 7-0 loss “embarrassing for the organization.” I asked if he’s worried about his job status? “It’s not on my mind. I’m not worried about it. I’ve been in this game a long time. That’s beyond my control.”

Calling a 7-0 loss "embarrassing for the organization" is about as blunt as a coach gets. The "beyond my control" part is also just true. The question was fair, too. Arniel went 11 games without a win last season, he's on a 9-game losing streak now, and he doesn't have a deal past this year. When he was asked if his message is still getting through to the room, he said that was the media's call to make. That isn't the answer of a coach who sounds sure about it.

The lineup isn't helping his case. Tyrel Bauer, a defenseman, played forward for the 2nd straight game. Meanwhile Brayden Yager is still in the minors, and the Jets are carrying 3 goalies plus a couple of forwards the staff obviously doesn't trust. When the roster looks like that, people start pointing at whoever is setting the lines.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

The fact the #NHLJets are using Tyrel Bauer at forward for a second straight game and not bringing up someone like Brayden Yager just blows my mind. Instead, they're still carrying 3 goalies and a couple players they clearly have 0 faith in (Niederreiter, Lambert)

The most telling thing came from the captain. There wasn't a closed-door players' meeting after the game, and the room went about its business like normal. Then Adam Lowry was asked whether changes were coming, from the players up to the coaches, and he didn't defend anybody.

Mike McIntyre

@mikemcintyrewpg

I asked #NHLJets captain Adam Lowry here in Raleigh if changes could/should be made to his group, from players up to coaches, following 9 straight losses. "If it goes on, there's going to be changes for sure. If you don't start winning, you've got to find an answer somewhere."

"If it goes on, there's going to be changes for sure" isn't a captain saying the coach is gone. It isn't him backing the coach either. Arniel is in the last year of his deal, his team keeps getting blown out, and his captain is talking openly about changes. If the losing streak reaches double digits, his job status stops being a question reporters ask and becomes a decision management has to make.