At long last, the Blue Jackets have found their next head coach. Dean Evason is heading to Columbus on a multi-year deal to fill the league’s last remaining vacancy at the position this summer, the team announced.
Technically, there were no head coaching vacancies in the league for a few days earlier this summer after the Sharks promoted Ryan Warsofsky. But Columbus, which had been without a full-time general manager for months until hiring Don Waddell in late May, fired Pascal Vincent after one season behind the bench on June 17. Vincent has since landed a new job as the head coach of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Evason, 59, lands his second NHL head coaching gig after being fired by the Wild less than two months into last season. He was one of two reported finalists for the Columbus vacancy alongside ex-Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, both of whom interviewed last week, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The Blue Jackets also had documented interest in former Kings, Oilers, and Sharks bench boss Todd McLellan, but McLellan’s still being under contract with L.A. next season caused complications that led Columbus to back away.
Evason’s ousting in Minnesota around Thanksgiving wasn’t much of a surprise. The Wild had limped out of the gate while hampered by injuries and poor goaltending, posting a 5-10-4 record through 19 games before firing Evason and replacing him with John Hynes. It was a damper on an otherwise successful tenure in the State of Hockey for Evason, who guided the Wild to a 147-77-27 regular-season record (.639 points percentage) in parts of five seasons behind the bench.
Playoff success was a different story, though, much like throughout the Wild’s existence. Following a franchise record of 53 wins and 113 points in 2021-22, Minnesota was dispatched by the Blues in six games in the first round. Evason’s Wild made the postseason in all four attempts, but they never won a series and went a combined 8-15.
He’ll now get his second chance behind an NHL bench, joining Minnesota’s expansion brother as their third head coach in the past three seasons (and fourth if you count Mike Babcock, who was slated to replace Brad Larsen before last season but resigned during training camp). The Blue Jackets haven’t made the playoffs since John Tortorella was at the helm, a streak that’s expected to continue next spring.
So Evason’s poor playoff track record won’t be a major factor in Columbus, at least not early on. Instead, he’ll be tasked with guiding Columbus’ young core of Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and David Jiříček, among others, to new heights next season and demonstrate evidence that they’re close to exiting their rebuild.
Evason’s other professional coaching roles include serving as an assistant with the Wild from 2018 to 2020, head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals from 2012 to 2018, and an assistant with the Capitals from 2005 to 2012. A fifth-round pick of the Caps in 1982, Evason’s NHL career as a player spanned 803 games from 1983 to 1996, posting 139 goals and 372 points for Washington, Hartford, San Jose, Dallas and Calgary.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Another retread. The NHL is pathetic
Why wouldn’t you hire an experienced coach if you had the option? But besides that point, this very article mentions a first-time coach in San Jose’s Warsofsky. You sound like you’re looking for reasons to cry foul.
Your comment is a retread. So I guess that makes you…
This is such a weird narrative. Their last two coaches had zero NHL head coaching experience. This is not a team built for a rookie coach. And Dean was a really good coach who had Minnesota overachieving. Not his fault they decided to buy out those awful Parise Suter summer 2012 deals
Torts 2.0.
I guess it’s okay if they aren’t wanting to be competitive anytime soon.
Woodcroft was the guy. Another CBJ fumble. They’re becoming the Colorado Rockies of hockey.
Better fumble than the Sabres fumble. Retread to the same team is quite the fumble!!!!!
Woodcroft was terrible as an assistant in San Jose.
Based on the roster and system talent alone it doesn’t matter what coach they have they won’t be competitive. And you say Torts 2.0 as if he wasn’t arguably their best coach in franchise history.
Not denying that – however, it was clear he lost the room during his departure. Evanson is a stop gap, but doesn’t have a huge player development track record.
C – grade.
CBJ is a joke. Stinks because they probably have the best fans.
Yeah, Torts has a limited shelf life with any team. He’s already wearing out his welcome in Philly.
Evason > Woodcroft.
Solid hire.
Darryl Sutter needed to get in there.
Didnt know Creed Bratton was also an nhl calibre coach
A bunch of the local babbling rubes don’t seem to spend much time paying attention. Apparently a retread coach is a guy who has had a previous NHL job and is not worthy of hiring. These uninformed folks don’t seem to be aware that the recent Stanley Cup winning coach fits their definition of a retread and they undoubtedly whined and complained when he was hired. Actually, three of the last four teams standing in the playoffs were “retread” coaches, but that will not stop the yappers from doing their thing. They are funny that way. The funniest of them actually cut off others from replying to their posts, likely because they don’t like to hear from others who come bearing facts and reality.