Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly found their next head coach.

Per TSN's Darren Dreger, Rick Bowness is finalizing a deal with the Jets to become their full-time head coach.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported Thursday that Winnipeg had narrowed its list of coaching candidates to five.

Interestingly, Bowness wasn't among that group. Scott Arniel, Rick Tocchet, Jim Montgomery, Jeff Blashill and Pascal Vincent were on the list.

Montgomery came off the board Thursday after reports the Boston Bruins were set to hire him.

Bowness announced in May he was stepping down as head coach of the Dallas Stars. Saad Yousuf of The Athletic noted the decision was likely "driven" by the Stars because "his contract ran out once the season ended so it can conveniently be framed as a parting of ways."

The Stars hired Bowness in 2018 as an assistant on Montgomery's staff. After Dallas fired Montgomery midway through the 2019-20 season, Bowness took over on an interim basis and led Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2000.

Dallas then promoted Bowness to the full-time head coach role. He went 69-49-20 with one playoff appearance over the next two seasons.

Dave Lowry spent the bulk of the 2021-22 season as Winnipeg's head coach. He took over on an interim basis Dec. 17 after Paul Maurice resigned.

The 67-year-old Bowness began his coaching career with the Jets' AHL affiliate, the Sherbrooke Jets, in 1982-83. He joined Winnipeg as an assistant in 1984 and then took over the Moncton Hawks, the Jets' new AFL affiliate, in 1987. He finished the 1988-89 season as the Jets' interim head coach after being promoted following Dan Maloney's midseason firing.

In 12 seasons as a head coach with six different teams (Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Stars), Bowness has a 212-351-48-28 record with three playoff appearances.

The Jets went 39-32-11 (26-22-6 under Lowry) last season. They finished sixth in the Central Division with 89 points and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.

Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor has won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the player "adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability," the NHL announced Monday.

Connor beat out Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin and Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon for the honor. He is the first player in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history to win the award.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy voting results: pic.twitter.com/Nm6hoAggIW

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 7, 2022

Winning the Lady Byng is an impressive feat for Connor, especially considering Slavin won the award last season and Spurgeon finished runner-up.

Connor set career highs during the 2021-22 campaign with 47 goals and 46 assists for 93 points in 79 games. In addition, he was given just two minor penalties, the fewest among the NHL's top 100 scorers.

The 25-year-old also led Winnipeg forwards with 21:47 of ice time per game and finished 12th in the league with 66 takeaways.

The Jets selected Connor 17th overall in the 2015 draft, and he has been a staple in the team's lineup since the 2017-18 season. In 384 games, the Michigan native has tallied 178 goals and 166 assists for 344 points.

Connor is under contract with the Jets through the 2025-26 season after signing a seven-year, $50 million deal in September 2019.

The NHL announced the Jack Adams Award finalists Thursday, which means three coaches can (probably) say they are safe to keep their jobs beyond this season: the New York Rangers' Gerard Gallant, Calgary Flames' Darryl Sutter and Florida Panthers' Andrew Brunette. 

These are three very different coaches with varying styles. Gallant is considered an affable players' coach. He's a motivator and has his players' backs, all while guiding them through the season with an even-keeled demeanor. 

Sutter is as old-school as they come. He grew up playing in the frozen farmlands of Viking, Alberta, was previously the coach and general manager of the Flames before he returned to the farm for a year and then came back to help the Los Angeles Kings win two Stanley Cups. He has long implemented a grinding, physically demanding style of play. 

Brunette, who carries the interim label, stepped into a difficult situation and deftly guided the Panthers to the Presidents' Trophy after Joel Quenneville resigned.

Other teams aren't quite as lucky with their coaching situations. The week began with the New York Islanders filling their opening by promoting assistant Lane Lambert shortly before the Vegas Golden Knights fired Peter DeBoer, the second coach in the franchise's five-season history. 

Barry Trotz is still on the market, having been fired by the Islanders last week, though he has already interviewed with the Winnipeg Jets. Openings exist in Detroit and Philadelphia. Speculation looms that there may be another vacancy in Dallas, and the bench bosses in Chicago and Montreal still have interim tags ahead of their names. 

With that said, let's take a look at the landscape and try to predict where a few coaches will end up, as well as examine some up-and-coming coaches who could vie for head jobs soon.

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Detroit Red Wings: Mike Vellucci

General manager Steve Yzerman recently fired Jeff Blashill and will keep his cards close to his vest in the search for the Detroit Red Wings' new coach. This is how the franchise legend has always operated, and there is no reason to expect he'll suddenly do things differently. 

It gets tough to move in complete secrecy in this business unless you're Lou Lamoriello and all you have to do is tell the club's owner that the coach is getting fired without consulting anyone who could leak information. 

But if Yzerman wants to cast a wide net, he'll have to talk to agents and team executives in order to receive permission to speak with candidates. And he should talk to Pittsburgh Penguins president Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall regarding the availability of assistant coach Mike Vellucci.

Vellucci is a Detroit-area native from Farmington, Michigan, and he was the longtime head coach of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers before he worked up the pro ranks in the front office with the Carolina Hurricanes, as the head coach of the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Vellucci brings experience but isn't a recycled NHL head coach. Yzerman has gone outside the traditional pipelines to fill head coaching jobs in the past, hiring a relatively unknown commodity named Jon Cooper when he was the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Given Yzerman's history with Cooper, if Vellucci doesn't move him, then maybe Cooper's assistant Derek Lalonde will. 

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Philadelphia Flyers: John Tortorella

John Tortorella proved to have some behind-the-times views when he said on ESPN that the lacrosse-style goal that burgeoning Anaheim Ducks stars Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano combined for earlier this year was bad for the game. There is no doubt the lightning rod of a coach would get the fans talking in Philadelphia if nothing else.

He is known for being demanding and holding his team accountable, but behind the curtain, his demeanor is that of a coach who fiercely protects his players, which would also be helpful with a demanding, blue-collar fanbase such as the one in Philadelphia.

He has the credentials: Tortorella led the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup title, is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner, has coached a team to a season of 100 or more points three times, reached the playoffs 12 playoffs times and recorded 10 series victories.

His calling card is defense, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were adept at limiting chances when he was at the helm. The Flyers had little structure under Alain Vigneault and later under interim coach Mike Yeo, bleeding chances in the defensive zone.

Last season, Philadelphia allowed nearly 2000 five-on-five scoring chances (1,971), per NaturalStatTrick.com, which was the eighth-most in the NHL. Playing like that certainly can't help when it comes to developing a goalie like Carter Hart. 

However, Tortorella's effectiveness can wane as the tough love wears thin, especially if his teams aren't winning. But hey, it's worked for Sutter. Tortorella might not be a long-term solution but instead a way to bridge the gap to the next coach. 

If not Tortorella, then Trotz could be the answer. 

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Winnipeg Jets: Barry Trotz

Few coaches do more with less than Trotz. 

The system is the star with the 59-year-old, and it's heavily predicated on defense and limiting chances. But he has proved this style of play can win, as is evidenced by his 914 career victories and a 2018 Stanley Cup. 

The Jets could have some key long-term pieces in place to retool around in forward Kyle Connor and defenseman Josh Morrissey. Franchise cornerstones Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck will still be around for a few more years, and Pierre-Luc Dubois is in need of an extension, as he'll be a restricted free agent this summer.

Trotz, a Dauphin, Manitoba, native, once brought the Cup back to the province during his day with it after he won the title with Washington, but he has a chance to bring it back as more than just a display item. 

The other name that could be in the mix is Randy Carlyle, the 66-year-old former Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs coach. 

Carlye hasn't coached since he was fired from his second stint with Anaheim in 2019. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the former Winnipeg defenseman is interested in getting behind a bench again.

Carlyle's style was a little stale toward the end with the Ducks, though the second time around in Orange County, he did prove to have a softer demeanor and showed an ability to adapt. 

He could be continuing to evolve, and if that's the case, then it makes sense for a team to at least inquire about the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning coach. 

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Vegas Golden Knights: Rick Tocchet

Rick Tocchet made some strides with the Arizona Coyotes, taking them to the playoffs in 2020. But the TNT analyst wasn't given much of a chance to show what he could do as a coach in Arizona since the club decided to rebuild and go in another direction in 2021, hiring former Ottawa 67's coach and Team Canada World Junior coach Andre Tourigney. 

Prior to that, Tocchet's first head coaching job came in 2008, when he got the interim role in Tampa Bay after the Lightning fired Barry Melrose. Tocchet was fired after the 2010 season, having posted a 53-69-26 record in two years.

The 58-year-old has played in 1,144 career NHL games and won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach on Mike Sullivan's bench, overseeing a power play that often featured Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. 

It's tough to get a read on the Golden Knights given the club's tendency to make decisions on a whim, like parting with former coach Gerard Gallant in the middle of the season and trading away former franchise face Marc-Andre Fleury. But Tocchet developed a respected, no-nonsense approach in Arizona, and with a roster of veterans who want to win and who know what it takes to do so, that style could be effective. 

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Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer

Look, this is a shot in the dark, but it seems as though Rick Bowness has outlived his effectiveness. The Dallas Stars made it to the first round of the playoffs and pushed the Flames to seven games, largely based on the performance of emerging young goalie Jake Oettinger. 

But getting into the playoffs shouldn't be the goal for a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final while in the bubble two years ago. Sure, we could point to the flukey nature of the bubble, but it was an even playing field for everyone in Edmonton and Toronto, so no one can say they didn't earn it. 

The Stars are in a tough place with an aging core and some top young talent. They either have to move on from players such as John Klingberg or risk clinging to the past and mediocrity. That won't be easy, considering Tyler Seguin has five years left on his contract and Jamie Benn has three. 

The club was at an impasse with Klingberg, an impending unrestricted free agent, earlier this year, but he has expressed a desire to stay in Texas. 

No decision has been made on Bowness, but if Dallas decides it has enough talent to continue on this same path and go for it in the near future, it might want a win-now coach such as DeBoer, who has led two teams to the Cup Final (New Jersey Devils in 2012, San Jose Sharks in 2016). 

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Under-the-Radar Names

There is a dearth of European coaches and executives in the NHL. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (Finland) and Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin (Sweden) are the only two Europeans to hold high-level executive positions. There are no European head coaches. 

Marco Sturm could soon change that. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, Sturm is getting NHL coaching experience as a Kings assistant on Todd McLellan's bench. He has also coached the German national team in international competition. 

Rikard Gronborg's name comes up every year. The longtime Swedish national team coach is guiding Switzerland’s ZSC Lions but has worked in North America in collegiate ranks. 

Patrik Elias has also coached the Czech junior national team and with the Devils as a special assistant of sorts. He expressed interest in coaching in the NHL a few years ago, though he may need some experience as an assistant or as the coach of an AHL team first.

And speaking of the Devils, Alain Nasreddine, who briefly served as New Jersey's interim coach when John Hynes was fired in December 2019, parted ways with the Devils recently. Nasreddine could either take his lockdown penalty-killing system elsewhere in the NHL or try to become an AHL head coach to gain experience in the big chair. 

Kris Knoblauch's name was mentioned last year after the Rangers fired David Quinn. The coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack since 2019 and a former assistant coach with the Flyers, Knoblauch could be ready to make the jump to an NHL head coaching job.

Quinn is also on the market, as is Claude Julien. Both coached at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The Winnipeg Jets announced Friday that Paul Maurice has resigned as the team's head coach:

pic.twitter.com/Nb42gBlJJS

— Winnipeg Jets PR (@WpgJetsPR) December 17, 2021

Dave Lowry will be the Jets' interim head coach.

Darren Dreger of TSN noted "there's nothing sinister" to the surprising decision, which was a personal choice.

Maurice was in his ninth year as coach of the Jets, entering the day in fifth place in the Central Division with a 13-10-5 record.

The Jets have made the playoffs in each of the last four years, reaching the conference final in 2018.

Over nine seasons with Winnipeg, Maurice has led the team to 315 wins in 600 regular-season games.

The 54-year-old has been a head coach for four different organizations in his NHL career, spanning 24 seasons. His 775 career regular-season wins are the sixth-most in league history and the most of any coach without a Stanley Cup title.

Winnipeg will need to regroup after losing its veteran coach, hoping to also turn things around after back-to-back losses.

Lowry will take over for his first head-coaching job in the NHL after joining the team as an assistant last year. He spent 19 years in the league as a player from 1985 to 2004, totaling 351 points for five different organizations.

The 56-year-old has experience as a head coach in the Western Hockey League.

Winnipeg is scheduled to host the Washington Capitals on Friday.   

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was an assistant GM for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, the year in which former player Kyle Beach said then-video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him.

As part of a press conference with Jets executive chairman and governor Mark Chipman, Cheveldayoff gave his first public comments since Beach identified himself as the "John Doe" in a lawsuit against the Blackhawks.

"Kyle was failed by a system that should have helped him," Cheveldayoff said. "I'm sorry that my assumptions about that system were clearly not good enough."

Chipman said Cheveldayoff did not have a large role in the May 23 meeting when Chicago's top executives discussed the allegations and that he believes Cheveldayoff would have taken more action if he was fully aware of the scope.

"I commit to you today that I will use my influence within the National Hockey League to acknowledge that there are systemic problems that require systemic solutions," Chipman added.

He also expressed empathy and pointed to Beach's courage:

Cites statistics about sexual assault. One in three women. One in six men.

Thus far, this is the empathic approach one would hope for in this situation.

"I need Kyle to know how very, very sorry I am and how much I admire his courage."

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) November 2, 2021

As for Cheveldayoff, he addressed his role in Chicago and some of the aftermath:

Did Cheveldayoff reach out to Kyle Beach?

No. Says it's unfortunate but his assumption at the time was that reaching out was best left to those who knew more and who had more expertise.

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) November 2, 2021

Cheveldayoff says that it's true that his role was focused on the cap and on scouting.

Says he was asked to join a meeting that was ongoing.

Was asked if he knew about any allegations re: Aldrich. He had not. His involvement after that was limited. Heard about...

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) November 2, 2021

Acknowledges that he wasn't knocking on people's doors every day asking what the latest was. Says this comes from the assumption that the processes in place were working as they should.

— Murat Ates (@WPGMurat) November 2, 2021

CBC noted that the Jets general manager held a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday. The league determined Cheveldayoff was "not responsible for improper decisions" made by Chicago executives at the time even though the team did not take action until following the Stanley Cup playoff, which was weeks after the May 23 meeting.

The NHL called Cheveldayoff's participation at the meeting "extremely limited in scope and substance."

The league announced it fined Chicago $2 million following an investigation. General manager Stan Bowman and senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac both resigned.

Beach released a statement that thanked those who supported him but pointed out that "although the results of the private investigation have been released, and the Blackhawks have apologized, my battle is really just beginning as the Blackhawks continue to attempt to destroy my case in court."

Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele was forced to watch his team get swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs after being suspended four games for his illegal hit on Jake Evans in Game 1. 

And he wasn't thrilled with the suspension, telling reporters:

"I thought I was gonna be shut down by Phillip Danault, and it was the Department of Player Safety that shut me down."

Mark Scheifele on his suspension, dealing with setbacks, and what's next for him this summer: pic.twitter.com/RmE0O5UkbN

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 9, 2021

“It’s not fun. It’s definitely not a great feeling. You feel pretty helpless when your team’s out there battling and you’re watching from the stands,” he added. “But the way you handle setbacks is what defines us. So, that’s the mentality I’m taking.”

Scheifele argued he didn't receive much communication from the Department of Player Safety about what he could have done differently on the play in question:

"I think at the end of the day, you regret the outcome of it. I said that over and over. You never want to see a guy hurt, and I'm a guy that respects this game and respects players. I would've loved an answer from [the Department of Player Safety] of what would've been a better thing to do. I've replayed the thing over and over in my mind and the only real thing is if I gave up on my teammates on that play and just didn't back check."

Whatever Scheifele's arguments, his hit was brutal and deemed illegal. He was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct.

Evans was knocked out on the play, suffered a concussion and had to be taken off the ice in a stretcher. He also missed the rest of the sweep vs. the Jets following the 5-3 win and resumed off-ice training Tuesday.

"I mean, it's scary," Canadiens forward Paul Byron told reporters after Game 1. "There's your teammate lying on the ice like that unconscious. … When you see your teammate, your friend, lying on the ice like that, it's a terrible feeling." 

The Montreal Canadiens returned to a packed Bell Centre for Game 3 against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday and promptly delivered a 5-1 victory behind another stellar effort from goalie Carey Price (24 saves).

It's the sixth straight victory for the Habs this postseason and gives the club a 3-0 lead in their second-round series.

The @CanadiensMTL just keep on rolling. 🚨#GoHabsGo | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/lBbd3KHnlQ

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 6, 2021

The club is now one win away from becoming the first Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup semifinals since the Jets fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018. No team north of the border has won the Cup since the 1993 Canadiens.

The loss puts Winnipeg in a dreaded position. Only four teams in NHL history have come back to win a series after going down 3-0, with the Los Angeles Kings last accomplishing the feat in 2014.

Corey Perry is having quite the postseason. 🚨#GoHabsGo on top early in Game 3. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/gwarcAdVSy

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 6, 2021

Notable Performers

Joel Armia, RW, Montreal Canadiens: 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 2 SOG

Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Montreal Canadiens: 1 Goal, 7 SOG, 4 Hits

Adam Lowry, LW, Winnipeg Jets: 1 Goal, 2 SOG, 5 Hits

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Winnipeg Jets: 5 Goals Allowed, 28 Saves

Habs Embarrass Jets' Power Play Again

If Joel Armia's second period goal looked a bit familiar on Sunday, there's good reason for it. 

The tally that put Montreal up 3-0 was nearly identical to the goal Tyler Toffoli scored in Game 2 in Winnipeg. Both goals came short-handed. Both the result of a 2-on-1 rush. Both came at the expense of Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey.

Sunday's goal proved even more of a dagger, with Montreal already up 2-0 and a raucous home crowd egging on the Habs. 

With just under seven minutes remaining in the second period, Armia picked off a blind Winnipeg pass near the left faceoff dot in the Canadiens' zone and took off down the ice with Paul Byron. Only Morrissey stood in the way of the two wingers and Jets' goalie Hellebuyck. For the second time in as many games, the defenseman sprawled out on the ice to take away Armia's passing lane, only for the winger to toe-drag around him and bury a wrist shot in the back of the net. 

The @CanadiensMTL with a SHORTY! 🚨#GoHabsGo | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/FuF0t8h3Si

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 6, 2021

Armia should've known that move was coming from Morrissey after the Jet tried the same thing in Game 2. 

A Toffoli shorty gets the @CanadiensMTL on the board first! 🚨 #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/qYocIYP6Al

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 5, 2021

After tying the Boston Bruins for the regular season lead with nine short-handed goals, the Canadiens now have three shorties in the postseason. Equally concerning for the Jets is the fact they've now failed to convert on seven power play opportunities against Montreal.

Montreal has reached the point where giving up the man-advantage doesn't seem to help the Jets offense at all.

That Caufield ➡️ Suzuki connection. 🤩#ItsOn pic.twitter.com/DEGGgfE0CO

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 7, 2021

Tyler Toffoli has certainly been a welcomed addition to the @CanadiensMTL's lineup.@tytoff16 became the fourth player in franchise history with a #StanleyCup Playoffs point streak of 5+ games while skating in their first season with the club. #NHLStats: https://t.co/R6Af7uquJm pic.twitter.com/dUbzC1tuwk

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) June 7, 2021

Winnipeg On The Brink 

It's been hard to find anything to feel good about when it comes to the Jets during the second round. Barring a significant change in Game 4, that'll mean a rather ruthless sweep at the hands of the Canadiens after Winnipeg swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. 

Through three games, the Habs have out-scored the Jets 11-4 despite barely being out-shot 90-87. Winnipeg went nearly 100 minutes without a goal in the series, finally breaking through at the end of the second period on Sunday after getting shut out in Game 2. 

Blake Wheeler thought he had one.

The crossbar said NO. #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/fMWqI29j0D

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 6, 2021

Adam Lowry skated in on Price's weak side, took a quick pass from Mathieu Perreault and fired a one-timer past the the otherwise unbeatable Habs goalie. But what was notable about the goal wasn't just that Price's saves streak came to an end, but that the Jets were able to fire off a shot in the slot below the faceoff dots. 

What a feed 😤

Mathieu Perreault ➡️ Adam Lowry and the @NHLJets are on the board! #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/0XrbxesPkM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 6, 2021

It was only the fifth attempt from that location on the night. Winnipeg would only get off three more from there in the third period. 

The Canadiens have now won six straight playoff games, all without trailing, tied for the second-longest such streak in a single postseason all-time.

The only team with a longer streak in Stanley Cup Playoff history?

The Canadiens, who did it in eight straight games in 1960. pic.twitter.com/oQuf2uLuzI

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 7, 2021

Montreal's ability to keep the middle of the ice clear has allowed Price to play at his best and kept the Jets from finding high-percentage looks. Even with Mark Scheifele still suspended for his hit on Jake Evans in Game 1, there's enough blame to go around in the Jets locker room for their inability to generate those chances. 

While offense has clearly been the biggest issue for the Jets this series, Paul Maurice may have no choice but to swap Hellebuyck in net for backup Laurent Brossoit. Winnipeg needs to find a spark somehow, and with Hellebuyck giving up four goals on Sunday, he may be the odd man out. 

That may have been the case anyways with Game 4 slated for Monday night, but Maurice will have to push whatever buttons he can to extend the series. 

What's Next?

The teams will stick around in Montreal for Game 4 on Monday night. Faceoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on NHL Network.