Blue Jackets Narrow Coaching Search

The Blue Jackets have narrowed their coaching search down to a few candidates.

Apr 29, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft speaks with media following game six of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Columbus Blue Jackets are undergoing a world of change this offseason. They brought in Don Waddell from the Carolina Hurricanes to serve as the general manager and president of hockey operations. They selected Cayden Lindstrom, one of the most intriguing prospects available, at this past draft. And they made a splash move by signing center Sean Monahan to reunite with team leader Johnny Gaudreau.

After these moves, there is still work to do. The Blue Jackets are the only remaining team in the NHL without a head coach. The team fired coach Pascal Vincent after one season with the organization after going 27-43-12.

Recently speaking to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Waddell gave an important update. The coaching search is down to three candidates, with two scheduled to come in for in-person interviews very soon.

“We’re only bringing in two,” he said. “I have a third (candidate) who’s kind of on hold right now, but we have the top two guys that we’d like to bring in in-person."

The two candidates scheduled for in-person interviews are believed to be Jay Woodcroft and Dean Evason. The third candidate is rumored to be Todd McLellan, who last coached with the Los Angeles Kings.

“This week is an important week for us coming up here," Waddell said. "Training camp is essentially the third week in September. Do I want this to go into August? Not a chance. Now, whether we announce something this week or if it’s done early the following week … we’ll see how the schedules line up.”

Jay Woodcroft last coached the Edmonton Oilers. He stood behind their bench for one and a half seasons between 2021 and 2023. The Oilers went to the conference finals and second round under his guidance. The team struggled this past season, going 3-9-1 in their first 13 games and costing Woodcroft his job. Over 133 regular season games, he coached the Oilers to a 79-41-13 record and a 14-14 record in the postseason.

Evason's last head coaching job was with the Minnesota Wild. He served parts of five season as the bench boss of the Wild after being promoted from the assistant position. He led the team to a 147-77-27 record during his tenure, but couldn't get the Wild past the first round of the postseason. Similar to Woodcroft, Evason was let go this past season after the team stumbled out of the gate.

With the search narrowed down and Waddell's comments, the Jackets should close in on a new head coach very soon. Jay Woodcroft and Dean Evason are the leading candidates, but it will be interesting to see if Todd McLlelan or any other options emerge in the next few weeks.

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