The Winnipeg Jets are in complete free fall. After starting the season with four victories in six games, they haven't won since, dropping nine consecutive contests — seven of those in regulation — since Oct. 15.
The latest loss, a 7-0 beatdown at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon, was maybe the most concerning.
And there is no more Connor Hellebuyck to stabilize things between the pipes. Although that saga is over and the Jets insist they've turned the page, the goaltending trio of Stuart Skinner, Clay Stevenson and Nico Daws hasn't been able to stop the bleeding.
Is it time for the Jets to move on from head coach Scott Arniel and insert a new voice behind the bench? Asked about his job security, the 64-year-old focused on what he could control.
“Not in my mind,” Arniel told reporters in Carolina, per NHL.com's Kurt Dusterberg. “I’ve been in this game a long, long time, and that’s beyond my control. My job is to get these players ready to go, and I’ve just got to keep doing my job. I’m telling them to keep doing their jobs. It’s all of us finding a way to be better when we go into Montreal.”
A former NHL player, Arniel spent nearly two seasons behind the Columbus Blue Jackets bench in the early 2010s before working as an assistant with several other franchises.
He was named head coach of the Jets in May 2024, and in his first campaign led the franchise to the Presidents' Trophy.
Winnipeg was a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the 2025 postseason after finishing 56-22-4, but bowed out in the second round to the Dallas Stars in a hard-fought six-game series.
Arniel was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL's best coach. The team looked to be on a great trajectory with Hellebuyck between the pipes, but things came apart in 2025-26.
The Jets finished 35-35-12, missing the playoffs one season after capturing the Presidents' Trophy.
That led to Hellebuyck's trade request, which hung over the organization for the entire offseason and the first month of the 2026-27 campaign.
But even with the American now a member of the New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg can't find a way to right the ship. And the clock could be ticking for Arniel.
Article Continues Below“It’s pretty frustrating, pretty embarrassing as an organization,” he added. “I’ve got to keep hammering home that you’ve got to defend first and foremost, you’ve got to compete first and foremost, then you have to execute first and foremost. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll get the results that happen tonight.
“I’m doing everything I possibly can with my coaching staff to hopefully get these guys ready to go. Once the puck drops, once it’s on the other side of the ice there or on the boards there, these guys have to also take some responsibility as well.”
Regardless of who is to blame, the season is slipping away from the Jets. And if they can't stop the slide soon, the pressure for change will only grow in Manitoba.
Things don't get any easier Tuesday night against a Montreal Canadiens team that has won five consecutive games.