It has been a disappointing season thus far for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division and tied for last in the Eastern Conference. Despite a much-needed win over the Utah Mammoth, the Blue Jackets have lost 12 of their last 18 games. This has led to a change in head coach for the franchise.
Dean Evason has been fired by the Blue Jackets and replaced by Rick Bowness as the full-time head coach, according to a release from the team on X, formerly Twitter.
“This season has been a frustrating one for all of us and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations. We all share in that responsibility, me included, and while this was not a decision that was made lightly it is one that needed to be made at this time. Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances and I thank him for that. I also want to thank Steve (McCarthy) for his commitment to our club over the past five years,” said Jackets GM Don Waddell in a statement posted to the team site.
Along with the termination of Evason, the team also moved on from assistant coach Steve McCarthy.
Evason was in his second year with the Blue Jackets after spending time as an AHL coach and then with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL. The coach was successful in his time in Minnesota. He took over in the middle for the 2019-2020 season and kept the job for the 2020-2021 campaign. The former NHL player led the Wild to three playoff appearances in his first three full campaigns. Still, he was let go in 2023-2024 after just 19 games, and a 5-10-4 start for Minnesota.
The Blue Jackets were hopeful he would bring past success to the franchise. In his first year in Columbus, the Jackets went 40-33-9, but missed the playoffs. With the likelihood of missing the playoffs again, the front office made the change. They decided to hire Bowness to replace Evason.
“Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” Waddell said regarding his new coach. “He is a good communicator whose teams play with structure, are sound defensively and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in our group.”
Bowness is a longtime coach in the NHL. His head coaching career began in the 1988-89 season with the original Winnipeg Jets, who became the Phoenix Coyotes. He has spent time as a head coach with the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and the new Winnipeg Jets. In that time, Bowness has led teams to the playoffs five times and lost in the 2019-2020 Stanley Cup Finals with the Dallas Stars.
The Blue Jackets are now 19-19-7 on the season. If a turnaround is coming, it needs to start soon. Bowness will be behind the bench for the first time for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, as the team hosts the Calgary Flames.
