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Dean Evason

Blue Jackets Name Dean Evason Head Coach

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At long last, the Blue Jackets have found their next head coach. Dean Evason is heading to Columbus on a multi-year deal to fill the league’s last remaining vacancy at the position this summer, the team announced.

Technically, there were no head coaching vacancies in the league for a few days earlier this summer after the Sharks promoted Ryan Warsofsky. But Columbus, which had been without a full-time general manager for months until hiring Don Waddell in late May, fired Pascal Vincent after one season behind the bench on June 17. Vincent has since landed a new job as the head coach of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

Evason, 59, lands his second NHL head coaching gig after being fired by the Wild less than two months into last season. He was one of two reported finalists for the Columbus vacancy alongside ex-Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, both of whom interviewed last week, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. The Blue Jackets also had documented interest in former Kings, Oilers, and Sharks bench boss Todd McLellan, but McLellan’s still being under contract with L.A. next season caused complications that led Columbus to back away.

Evason’s ousting in Minnesota around Thanksgiving wasn’t much of a surprise. The Wild had limped out of the gate while hampered by injuries and poor goaltending, posting a 5-10-4 record through 19 games before firing Evason and replacing him with John Hynes. It was a damper on an otherwise successful tenure in the State of Hockey for Evason, who guided the Wild to a 147-77-27 regular-season record (.639 points percentage) in parts of five seasons behind the bench.

Playoff success was a different story, though, much like throughout the Wild’s existence. Following a franchise record of 53 wins and 113 points in 2021-22, Minnesota was dispatched by the Blues in six games in the first round. Evason’s Wild made the postseason in all four attempts, but they never won a series and went a combined 8-15.

He’ll now get his second chance behind an NHL bench, joining Minnesota’s expansion brother as their third head coach in the past three seasons (and fourth if you count Mike Babcock, who was slated to replace Brad Larsen before last season but resigned during training camp). The Blue Jackets haven’t made the playoffs since John Tortorella was at the helm, a streak that’s expected to continue next spring.

So Evason’s poor playoff track record won’t be a major factor in Columbus, at least not early on. Instead, he’ll be tasked with guiding Columbus’ young core of Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and David Jiříček, among others, to new heights next season and demonstrate evidence that they’re close to exiting their rebuild.

Evason’s other professional coaching roles include serving as an assistant with the Wild from 2018 to 2020, head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals from 2012 to 2018, and an assistant with the Capitals from 2005 to 2012. A fifth-round pick of the Caps in 1982, Evason’s NHL career as a player spanned 803 games from 1983 to 1996, posting 139 goals and 372 points for Washington, Hartford, San Jose, Dallas and Calgary.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Snapshots: Blue Jackets Coaching, Laine, Ekman-Larsson

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The Columbus Blue Jackets should be nearing the end of their head coaching search, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, who shares that he expects a decision to be made before August 1st (Twitter link). Portzline later added that Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft seem to be the final sparring pair and that the team is running out of time to handle the logistics of hiring a new leader.

Woodcroft and Evason are both coming off midseason dismissals last year. Woodcroft was replaced in Edmonton by rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch, who proceeded to carry the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals. John Hynes, Evanson’s successor, didn’t have as much success in taking over the Minnesota Wild – though still improving on Evason’s 5-10-4 start to the season. But aside from that similarity, the two candidates couldn’t be more different. Woodcroft, 47, is just three years into his NHL head coaching career, after leading the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to a championship in 2021. He’s shown off a sharp and strategic eye, while Evason has proven more grizzled and old-school – traits he honed over a 13-year playing career in the NHL. They’ll take Columbus’ young and promising lineup down very different paths, leaving general manager Don Waddell with a tough choice on what he sees working best for his new roster.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Don Waddell will also face the imposing trade of high-scoring winger Patrik Laine before the start of next season. But the process is currently at a standstill, shares Portzline, as interested teams wait for Laine to clear the NHL Player’s Association before they meet with him. The team is still expected to part ways with Laine before the start of next season, but the timeline of a move will remain murky until he’s fully available.
  • Reigning Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson called his decision to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs a “gut feeling” in an interview with Craig Morgan of GoPHNX.com, adding “I’ve always liked coming in there as an away team, playing in that building. It’s always special,” the blue-liner continued. “Obviously, there’s a lot of history in the organization and I feel like they have a really good team that has a chance to do something special as well.” Ekman-Larsson is coming off a resurgent year with the Panthers, posting 32 points across 80 games and looking much more reliable than in his pair of seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. His best years are certainly behind him, but Ekman-Larsson should offer stout puck-moving ability out of a third-pair role in Toronto – hopefully boosting much-needed consistency out of the team’s depth options.

East Notes: Steen, Blue Jackets Coaching Search, Holl

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The Bruins won’t re-sign pending Group VI unrestricted free agent Oskar Steen, his agent Joakim Persson told Värmlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg. Steen, 26, isn’t eligible for standard UFA status until 2025 but hits the open market early with less than 80 NHL games played and three or more professional seasons accumulated.

A sixth-round pick of the Bruins in 2016, Steen played in a career-high 34 games this season but managed just one goal on 24 shots. He averaged 9:04 per game and had poor possession metrics, although he was disproportionately deployed in defensive zone usage.

He ends his Bruins career with four goals and eight points in 60 games over the last four years. While he may not have turned into a regular contributor, getting even brief NHL action out of a late-round pick is good value.

The Karlstad, Sweden native, had 12 goals in 25 AHL games this year as well and will look to land a two-way contract with another club next month. Persson indicated that the Bruins have given him permission to seek other NHL fits for Steen, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be heading overseas.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • After middling results under first-time head coaches the past few seasons, expect the Blue Jackets to opt for someone with experience behind an NHL bench as they search for Pascal Vincent’s replacement. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic lists Jeff Blashill, Dean Evason, Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft to be a part of a long list of interview candidates.
  • In his latest mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Max Bultman covered what the Red Wings might do with defenseman Justin Holl moving forward. He was expected to play a key shutdown role for the club this season after inking a three-year, $10.2MM deal in free agency last summer, but he wasn’t even a regular in the lineup halfway through the year. Holl played in just 38 games, posting five assists and a +8 rating while averaging 15:05 per game. Bultman thinks it may be wise to pump the brakes on any buyout/trade speculation despite the tough season, though – after all, this is the same front office that gave him the three-year commitment less than a year ago. But he does point out the Red Wings offloading winger Klim Kostin, who carries a $2MM cap hit, on the Sharks midseason. He was in a similar situation to Holl, falling into frequent healthy scratch territory after being acquired by GM Steve Yzerman last summer.

Coaching Notes: Sharks Head Coach, Wiseman, Kings Assistant, Greco

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As the last non-playoff team to have a vacancy at the head coaching position, the San Jose Sharks are expected to conclude the search this week. According to David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, the Sharks have interviewed Marco Sturm, Ryan Warsofsky, Jeff Blashill, Todd McLellan, and Dean Evason.

Of the five who have confirmed to have been interviewed by San Jose, Pagnotta lists Sturm, Warsofsky, and Blashill as the favorites up to this point. Warsofsky, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Sharks, will likely become a head coach at the NHL level in the next couple of years if he is not awarded the position in San Jose.

The Sharks appear to be taking their time in hiring a new head coach, as the decision will have an important impact on a foundational part of the rebuild. At the start of next season, San Jose is expected to have one of the most exciting young 1-2 combos at the center position, recently bringing in forward Will Smith on an entry-level contract, and expected to draft standout prospect Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Other coaching notes:

  • Sticking in San Jose, the Sharks have permitted assistant coach Brian Wiseman to speak with other teams about a possible change of scenery. Wiseman was a long-time assistant coach with the University of Michigan of the NCAA before finally making his debut in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2019-20 season. Enjoying a solid run with Edmonton, Wiseman moved to San Jose after reaching the Western Conference Finals with the Oilers in the prior year.
  • Earlier today, John Hoven of Mayors Manor looked at five candidates most suitable for the vacant assistant coach position with the Los Angeles Kings. Of the five, Lane Lambert appears to be the most qualified, as he recently held the position of head coach of the New York Islanders for nearly two years. Before his time with the Islanders, Lambert spent over a decade as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals.
  • After losing Mitch Korn to the Predators organization earlier today, the Islanders will still have some stability in their goaltending development. Beat writer Stefen Rosner reported today that though Korn has decided to leave the organization, goaltending coach Piero Greco is expected to continue in his current role. Greco has held the position since the 2018-19 NHL position and has helped with the play of goaltenders such as Robin Lehner, Ilya Sorokin, and Semyon Varlamov throughout his tenure.

Coaching Notes: Evason, Woodcroft, Bylsma, Leach, McFarland, Keefe, Sturm, Colliton

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While he hasn’t interviewed for the position yet, former Wild coach Dean Evason is becoming a candidate to watch for the Kraken’s vacancy behind the bench. Mike Benton of 93.3 KJR reported last night that Evason was becoming a “dark horse” for the job, which was later seconded by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.

Evason was linked to the Senators’ vacancy earlier in the offseason, but that was since filled by Travis Green. Among coaches with NHL experience, he joins ex-Kings coach Todd McLellan among those connected to Seattle.

Pagnotta also confirmed Thursday that the Kraken are discussing a pair of internal promotions: AHL bench boss Dan Bylsma and NHL assistant Jay Leach. In fact, they’re likely the front-runners to replace Dave Hakstol, who was fired shortly after the regular season came to a close. They’ve advanced to the second round of interviews, Pagnotta said, although it doesn’t appear a decision is imminent. Bylsma’s season isn’t over yet as AHL Coachella Valley is still alive in the Calder Cup Playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference Final for the second year in a row. They’re awaiting the winner of the Central Division Final series between Grand Rapids and Milwaukee.

More on the NHL’s coaching carousel over the past 24 hours:

  • The Kraken also let go of assistant coach Paul McFarland when firing Hakstol late last month after he’d served on Hakstol’s staff for the franchise’s first three seasons. He’s landing on his feet, though. He’s expected to become the next head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, Jeff Marek of Sportsnet said Wednesday. McFarland has a few seasons of head coaching experience at the major junior level, holding the role for the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs from 2014-15 to 2016-17 and again in 2020-21, although that season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He replaces longtime WHL coach Steve Hamilton, who won’t be returning after six seasons behind the Hitmen bench.
  • With Sheldon Keefe signing a four-year deal to become the next head coach of the Devils, his previous two-year extension with the Maple Leafs is no longer intact, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports. As part of Toronto granting permission for him to speak with New Jersey, the Devils canceled his extension and are paying him more money annually on his new deal than he would’ve made on his extension with the Leafs. Thus, Toronto no longer owes Keefe the balance of his extension.
  • After receiving permission to speak to him from the Kings, the Sharks are expected to interview Marco Sturm for their vacancy next week, Pagnotta reports. If San Jose doesn’t end up going with their former top-nine fixture on the wing, Sturm is a strong candidate to rejoin the Kings’ NHL staff as an assistant to Jim Hiller. He would replace the outgoing Trent Yawney, who mutually parted ways with the organization last week.
  • San Jose is also one of the teams keeping tabs on Jeremy Colliton, said Pagnotta. The former Blackhawks head coach has been in the Canucks organization for the past two seasons as the head coach of their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. He does not have a contract with them for next season, though. He had an 87-92-26 record in parts of four seasons behind the Chicago bench.

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