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The Blue Jackets have decided on a new head coach.
Dean Evason agreed to a multi-year contract on Monday to lead the Jackets’ bench, filling the vacancy created by the June 17 release of Pascal Vincent. Specific terms of the deal were not made public. Not including interim managers, the 59-year-old Evason becomes the 11th coach in the franchise’s 24-year history.
Previous Report: Todd McLellan is no longer a candidate for Columbus Blue Jackets head coaching position
“Dean Evason brings the same passion, work ethic and tenacity he developed as a player to his coaching career, and we couldn’t be more pleased that he will be the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets,” team president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “He’s spent more than 20 years in this league as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and we believe that experience, combined with his great personality, will help Dean bring out the best in our players and put us in a position to be successful as a team.”
Evason will assume the role after veteran Todd McLellan recused himself from the selection process earlier this month. Evason does not have as much NHL head coaching experience as McLellan, but he served in the role with the Minnesota Wild for five years before being fired in November. Evason played 251 games with the Wild, recording 147 wins, 77 losses and 27 ties, including four playoff appearances.
“I am extremely proud and honored to have been named head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Don, the (major owner) McConnell family and (Blue Jackets president) Mike Priest have given me,” Evason said in a statement. “This team has a great core of players and a lot of young talent, and I am truly looking forward to working with this group and helping build a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level.”
MacLellan had been the front-runner for nearly three weeks. The other finalist the Blue Jackets considered was Jay Woodcroft, a former MacLellan assistant who served as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers before being fired last season. Evason and Woodcroft traveled to Columbus last week and met with Blue Jackets brass before the team made the decision.
Salary negotiations were a big factor in McLaren’s decision to leave, which is understandable given the Blue Jackets’ current executive compensation obligations. The Blue Jackets just finished a deal with former coach Brad Larsen, agreed to an undisclosed settlement with disgraced former coach Mike Babcock and have one year left on Vincent’s contract. They also have one year left on former GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s contract.
That’s a hefty sabbatical payment that must be paid before hiring another high-paying coach like McClellan, who signed a one-year extension with the Kings last season for $5.5 million. The Blue Jackets will share the remaining salary with Los Angeles, accepting a $3.5 million contribution and then footing the bill for additional years at just over $4 million per season.
At issue was a disagreement over the fourth year of his contract: McClellan wanted a full guarantee for the fourth season, but the team wanted a $1 million buyout option.
Evason also had one year remaining on his contract with Minnesota, making nearly $2 million, so the savings over McClellan would be significant. Evason was fired along with assistant Bob Wood last season after the Wild went winless in seven straight games and won just three of their last 16 games.
Evason originally replaced Bruce Boudreau as head coach in Minnesota late in the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season.
After emerging from his interim position, he led the Wild to the postseason that year in the NHL’s pandemic “bubble” in Edmonton, where they were eliminated in the qualifying round by Minnesota. Evason then led the Wild to the postseason three straight years, but they were eliminated in the first round each time.
Evason is 8-15 in the postseason, but his regular-season goals-against percentage of .639 ranks fifth among active NHL coaches who have coached at least 250 games. McClellan ranks 14th with a .581 average across three teams, but he has coached far more games with 1,144 games under his belt.
Following a 13-year NHL career as a forward, Evason began his coaching journey in the Western Hockey League at the junior level in 1999 with the Calgary Hitmen.
Evason began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Washington Capitals for seven years, head coach with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals for six years and spent two seasons as an assistant to Boudreau in Minnesota. Evason also served as an assistant coach with Canada at this spring’s World Championship in the Czech Republic. Woodcroft served as head coach for that team, with Blue Jackets director of player development Rick Nash serving in the general manager role.
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Despite his strict defensive approach, Evason’s Minnesota team averaged just 3.28 points per game, and he is known for his demanding coaching style, which likely caught the attention of a Blue Jackets front office that felt the culture in the locker room needed an overhaul.
Evason currently oversees a Blue Jackets lineup that is a mix of veterans, rookies and other young players.
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