The Columbus Blue Jackets hired a new general manager earlier in the offseason. And Don Waddell didn't wait too long to make his first major move in charge. The Blue Jackets fired then-head coach Pascal Vincent before the NHL Draft. Now, they finally have a new head coach. Former Minnesota Wild bench boss Dean Evason is taking over behind the bench in Columbus.

On Monday, Evason released a statement after taking the job. He thanked Waddell for this new opportunity following his exit from Minnesota during the 2023-24 season. Additionally, he expressed his excitement at working with the current group of Blue Jackets players.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to be named the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and appreciate very much the opportunity that Don [Waddell, general manager], the McConnell family and [president] Mike Priest have extended to me,” Evason said, via NHL.com. “There is a great core and a lot of young talent on this team. I am really looking forward to working with this group and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level.”

Dean Evason brings solid track record to Blue Jackets

Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason looks on during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center.
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Evason spent parts of five seasons with the Wild before being fired this past season. The veteran bench boss found success in the State of Hockey, though they never won the Stanley Cup. He went 147-77-27 during the regular season and made four appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The drawback here is that the Wild never had a lot of success once the playoffs began. In fact, they never made it past the first round under Evason's watch. The closest they came was during the 2021 postseason when they took the Vegas Golden Knights to seven games.

Evason has shown an ability to get the best out of his players, though. Kirill Kaprizov emerged as Minnesota's franchise player with Evason behind the bench. Additionally, players such as Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Filip Gustavsson have enjoyed success under his watch. He also coached Kevin Fiala when the now Los Angeles Kings star put up 80+ points during his final year in Minnesota.

This track record certainly gives the Blue Jackets hope for their younger players. Adam Fantilli, Yegor Chinakov, and Kirill Marchenko are some of the more promising players on the team. They may stand to benefit most from playing under a coach like Evason moving forward.

It's unlikely the Blue Jackets will become playoff contenders overnight. But Evason has shown that he is a very good coach at the NHL level. And it'll certainly be interesting to see what effect he has on this team beginning this upcoming season.