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Pascal Vincent to be named Manitoba Moose head coach

Let's give credit where credit's due: according to Ken Wiebe, the Winnipeg Jets have called a press conference for tomorrow morning, where Pascal Vincent will be named head coach of the Manitoba Moose. This comes just over a month after Keith McCambridge was (somewhat) surprisingly let go from the position. The Winnipeg Sun describes the move from Vincent's point of view:

Since Vincent eventually wants to be an NHL head coach, this was a logical step in the process, as he gets his first opportunity to run a team at the professional level.

Speaking of running things at the professional level, you may remember Vincent from such Winnipeg Jets power plays as last season's 30th ranked special team, one which ran at 14.8% efficiency. 2014-15's 17.5% conversion rate and 20th place now seems an indomitable killing machine by comparison. As our frenemies over at Illegal Curve pointed out, it's not been an illustrious history overall:

…Vincent is seen as the lead with the power play which aside from the inaugural season back in Winnipeg hasn’t been very successful.

2015: 14.8% (26th)

2014: 17.5% (20th)

2013: 15.4% (25th)

2012: 13.8% (30th)

2011: 17.9% (11th)

Vincent has had a decent run at the NHL level, spending five years as assistant coach under Claude Noel and then Paul Maurice. His resume also includes twelve years as a head coach in the QMJHL, nine seasons leading the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles followed by three with the Montreal Juniors. One imagines this junior experience was a key plank in his sales pitch, considering the state of Winnipeg's draft and develop pipeline.

Vincent’s departure creates an assistant coach void, which has the added benefit of allowing Jets head coach Paul Maurice to bring in someone of his own. Might PoMo turn to an old friend in Randy Ladouceur? Could Mark Morrison move from the Moose to the big club, enabling Vincent to pull together his own staff? And won’t someone please think of Randy Carlyle? For the record, Wiebe’s article specifically mentions Jeff Daniels and Tom Barrasso as Jets assistant coach possibilities, both of whom have notable Maurice connections.

One hopes for the best case scenario: that this ends up being a win-win for both the Jets and the Moose.

What are your thoughts on the Pascal Vincent hire? Is the move addition by subtraction for the Winnipeg Jets? What is a reasonable measure of success for Vincent with the Moose? And who other than Dale Hawerchuk would you like to see as Winnipeg's new assistant coach? Share your thoughts, ideas and concerns in the Comments section below, and as always, thanks for reading!

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