Blue Jackets Name Dean Evason Head Coach – Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The long wait for an announcement is over. The Columbus Blue Jackets have found their next head coach. On Monday, the team announced that it has hired Dean Evason to man the bench.

Evason was one of three reported winners along with Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft. After the Blue Jackets were unable to reach an agreement with McLellan, they brought in both Evason and Woodcroft through negotiations.

Ultimately, it was Evason's successful experience.

Employment Responsiveness

GM Don Waddell said he is always looking for a coach with NHL experience. Evason spent five seasons with the Wild amassing a 147-77-27 record in 251 games. His .639 field goal percentage is fifth among all active coaches in the NHL. Here's what both Waddell and Evason had to say.

“Dean Evason brings to coaching what he brought as a player – motivation, hard work and tenacity – and I couldn't be happier that he will be the next coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Waddell said. “He has been in this league for over twenty years as a player, assistant coach and head coach and I believe that experience, combined with a great personality, will allow Dean to get the best out of our players and put us in the right place. position to succeed as a team.”

“I am proud and honored to be named head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and I am very grateful for the opportunity that Don, the McConnell family and Mike Priest have given me,” Evason said. “There is a backbone and a lot of young talent in this team. I look forward to working with this team and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at a high level.”

Evason Delivers Experience

Evason brings a wealth of experience to the Blue Jackets and has had varying degrees of success along the way. Before joining the Wild in 2018, he was the head coach of AHL Milwaukee from 2012-2018. He guided the Admirals to the Calder Cup Playoffs in four of his six seasons there.

Evason was also an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals from 2005-2012. The Capitals made five consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his last five seasons before heading to Milwaukee.

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Not only does Evason bring experience to the table, he has a history of development. The Blue Jackets needed a combination of experience and success in development. His time with the Admirals was respected for the work he did in player development. The 2017-18 Admirals had the likes of Juuse Saros, Yakov Trenin and Alexandre Carrier in them. Back in his most successful 2015-16 season, he coached young Kevin Fiala.

Evason will be introduced as head coach at a press conference Tuesday morning at Nationwide Arena. The availability will be held at 10:30 AM eastern and will be streamed on the Blue Jackets YouTube page.