New York Rangers News: Scott Arniel Hired As Second Assistant Coach
The New York Rangers are set to hire their second assistant coach in the coming days, as Scott Arniel is expected to take over one of the vacant positions.
According to Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press, Scott Arniel will officially become another one of the assistant coaches for the New York Rangers. There were rumors floating around yesterday afternoon about the possibility of Arniel joining the staff, and those rumors have apparently come to fruition. This news comes just 24 hours after the Rangers have reportedly signed Ulf Samuelsson to a contract, which will have him running the defense and the penalty kill behind the Rangers bench.
With Arniel now under contract, the New York Rangers will likely be in the market for one more assistant coach. Alain Vigneault is believed to have wanted four assistants (two on the bench, goalie coach, and one up in the suites), which leaves one more spot vacant.
As it stands right now, the Rangers coaching staff is looking pretty solid heading into the 2013-2014 season. As it was stated earlier, Samuelsson will be running the defense/penalty kill, while Arniel will likely be calling the shots on the power play.
There has been some concern surrounding Arniel, as he and Derick Brassard have had previous problems during their days with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Under Arniel, Brassard constantly bounced between being a healthy scratch and skating with the fourth line. I'd assume the conflicts between the two were discussed prior to his hiring, and will likely be discussed further now that Arniel is officially on the staff.
At the end of the day though, I'd assume that over time those wounds have healed, and fresh starts in New York can do wonders for both of them.
We will continue to update you guys on any further news that pops up.
Thoughts?
