The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a move after their latest defeat, a 7-4 loss on the road at the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday evening. According to Tom Withers, the Blue Jackets have fired head coach Scott Arniel after a dismal 11-25-5 start to the 2011-12 NHL season:
Tom Withers
@twithersAP FollowCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Columbus Blue Jackets fire coach Scott Arniel
Assistant coach Todd Richards is expected to take over for the remainder of this season. the move does not come as a surprise, as Columbus currently has the worst record int he NHL with only 27 points. The nearest team to them is Anaheim, who scored seven goals in Sunday night's game.
SB Nation's Jackets Cannon has already weighed in on the issue:
This team was built to win now. Ownership approved a large hike in payroll, putting the Jackets near the salary cap. General Manager Scott Howson made a substantial trade in the summer, acquiring Jeff Carter, and dipped into free agency to acquire veterans James Wisniewski and Vinny Prospal. This was all to supplement the talent already here in Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, Derick Brassard, Antoine Vermette...the list goes on.
The result?
The Jackets have been in last place in the NHL virtually all season.
For more on the Columbus Blue Jackets, go to The Cannon. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NHL hub at SBNation.com/NHL.