Sunday, May 16, 2010

Coaching search rumor - CBJ still talking to Arniel?

DISCLAIMER: I'm no journalist, nor am I well-schooled in the art of handling sources.  So I have vetted this entire post with my source, and they have agreed to what I offer you.

I just got the most interesting set of messages.  Compiled together, they say:
Scott Arniel seen in Starbucks [presumably in Winnipeg, where Arniel coaches the AHL Manitoba Moose] talking roster with [Assistant General Manager] Chris MacFarland from CBJ...today. Someone I know called me about it right away. Say they didn't realize it was Scott until he got up and they left.
Take it for what it's worth - I tend to trust this person.

Presuming it's true, though, what could it mean?
  • Is MacFarland doing Columbus Blue Jackets work for General Manager Scott Howson or Springfield Falcons work - for whom he serves as General Manager?  (Remember, the Falcons need a head coach, too...but why would Arniel leave the Canucks' AHL team for the Falcons?)  
  • If its the CBJ, might Arniel in line for a head coaching job or an assistant job?  
  • Is the CBJ management hedging that Guy Boucher falls flat in his interview and already starting the followup discussions with candidates who made it past the initial conversations?
Lots of combinations/permutations to consider.



UPDATE: It appears that my source's source shared their firsthand experience:
I live in Winnipeg and was out at a Starbucks near the airport this morning. Scott Arniel and Chris MacFarland walked in and had coffee right beside me. Didn't actually see who it was until they got up to leave, but MacFarland was talking about CBJ's roster quite a bit.


FINAL UPDATE: The Dispatch corroborates the rumor and explains further:
Arniel and Dineen were each provided DVDs including highlights of several players on the Blue Jackets' roster and in their minor-league and junior systems. Arniel's package was hand-delivered to him in Winnipeg over the weekend by Blue Jackets assistant general manager Chris MacFarland, who is scouting the Memorial Cup in nearby Brandon, Manitoba. Dineen's was mailed.
And the handoff apparently took place at Starbucks.

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