Who’s next?

Kevin Cheveldayoff was trying to keep the focus on the news of the day, though the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets understands a head coaching vacancy is going to generate buzz.

After all, there are only 32 of those jobs available in the NHL.

There were already some established vacancies, with a few more potential opening in the days and weeks ahead as the Stanley Cup playoffs continue and expectations are not met.

As he sat at the podium discussing the retirement of Rick Bowness, Cheveldayoff was naturally asked about what he’s looking for in his replacement.

While Cheveldayoff deflected when asked directly about the interview process, he did shine a light on what he might be looking for when a question was posed about the importance of the next hire.

“There’s no question that you’re not replacing Rick Bowness. There’s one of him,” said Cheveldayoff. “Every time you get into a situation like this, you want to make sure that the next person can be their own selves as well. This isn’t following Rick Bowness and all of the great work that he did. This is establishing, whoever that next person is, from that day moving forward. But it does take a special acknowledgment to understand the different levels of foundations that have been put in place here.”

The Jets already have a head coach in waiting on the staff in associate coach Scott Arniel, who has filled in admirably during a series of absences for Bowness during the past two seasons.

Arniel didn’t want to sound like he was grandstanding for the job on a day the Jets’ organization went out of its way to celebrate the storied career of Bowness.

“Chevy, Mark (Chipman), they know my intentions, they know what I want, they know what I’d like. We’ll talk more. It really is in the early stage.”– Scott Arniel

“Like you first said, this is Rick’s day, so I’m not going to go too far into this,” said Arniel. “Chevy, Mark (Chipman), they know my intentions, they know what I want, they know what I’d like. We’ll talk more. It really is in the early stage.

“At the end of the day we’ll just let the process play itself out. We’ll kind of tackle things as they get put forward here.”

Is one of those things to be the head coach of the Jets?

“Yeah, it is,” said Arniel.

It’s no surprise that Arniel would be throwing his hat into the ring, since he was a candidate for the job when Bowness was hired in the summer of 2022.

The last search included interviews and/or discussions with a number of interesting candidates, including Barry Trotz, Rick Tocchet, Jim Montgomery and John Tortorella, so one would expect the Jets are going to be casting a fairly wide net before a final decision is made.

Here are six candidates for the position:

Scott Arniel

Age: 61

Current job: Associate coach of Winnipeg Jets

The skinny — Arniel spent parts of two seasons as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets between 2010 and 2012 and he was replaced midway through the second season. He’s also been a longtime NHL assistant and associate with the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.

His head coaching history includes taking the Manitoba Moose to the Calder Cup final in 2009 and a stint with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. Arniel was with the Rangers when they advanced to the Stanley Cup final in 2014.

His history with True North would be considered a bonus, but his credentials are legit and he’s put in the time to deserve another opportunity to call the shots.

Craig Berube

Age: 58

Current job: Free agent after being fired by the St. Louis Blues 28 games into this season

The skinny — The former NHLer is generating plenty of interest as the coaching carousel spins. He’s already interviewed for several opportunities and his 2019 Stanley Cup championship with the St. Louis Blues only boosts his stock.

The Jets are familiar with Berube from the many battles within the Central Division. Berube also spent one season as the head coach of the Wolves, where Cheveldayoff still has ties dating back to his time there as GM.

Berube was 281-190-78 with the Blues and Philadelphia Flyers and his playoff record is 27-31.

Todd Nelson

Age: 54

Current job: Head coach of the Hershey Bears of the AHL

The skinny — Nelson helped the Bears capture the Calder Cup last spring and he helped the Grand Rapids Griffins do the same in 2017. He also helped the Muskegon Fury to a pair of United Hockey League titles in 2004 and 2005.

He was 17-22-7 as the interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers during the 2014-15 season and has ample experience as an NHL assistant with the Oilers, Dallas Stars and Atlanta Thrashers.

Jay Woodcroft

Age: 47

Current job: Free agent after his firing from the Edmonton Oilers 13 games into this past season.

The skinny — Helped the Oilers reach the Western Conference final in 2022 before the team was swept by the Avalanche.

The Oilers struggled to start the season under the weight of expectations and Woodcroft was a casualty. He was a longtime assistant with the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings before joining the Oilers organization.

He spent parts of four seasons with the Bakersfield Condors and captured a Calder Cup in 2021. Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett in February of 2022 and had a .643 winning percentage in the regular season (79-4-13) — and was .500 in the playoffs (14-14) before Kris Knoblauch took over from him.

Woodcroft’s brother Todd previously worked for the Jets as an assistant coach.

Ryan Warsofsky

Age: 36

Current job: Assistant coach with San Jose Sharks

The skinny — One of the up-and-comers in the coaching ranks. He spent the past two seasons with the Sharks after spending three seasons as a head coach in the American Hockey League with the Wolves and Charlotte Checkers.

He helped the Wolves capture the Calder Cup title in 2022 before leaving to join the Sharks.

Warsofsky also has two seasons as head coach with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on his resume, losing in the Kelly Cup final in 2017.

David Carle

Age: 34

Current job: Head coach of University of Denver Pioneers, who just captured the NCAA Frozen Four championship last month.

The skinny — Considered one of the brightest hockey minds in the game, Carle has enjoyed tremendous success so far and is scheduled to be the head coach of Team USA at the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship after helping his country to a gold medal at the 2024 event in Sweden.

There would need to be a significant commitment to lure him away from his current situation, but perhaps the lure of an NHL job would be enticing.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld