Dean Evason was fired as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and replaced by Rick Bowness.
Evason, 61, was in his second season with the Blue Jackets (19-19-7), who are last in the Eastern Conference. He went 59-52-16 in 127 games after being hired by Columbus on July 22, 2024. Assistant Steve McCarthy was also fired.
“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,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. “Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances, and I thank him for that. I also want to thank Steve for his commitment to our club over the past five years.”
A little more than one month after Evason was named coach of the Blue Jackets, star forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died on Aug. 29 while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey. They were struck by a suspected drunk driver, who was indicted by a grand jury in December 2024 on two counts of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, and second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
“There was no timeline for anything like this,” Evason said last January. “It was a time where we just allowed them to be together, to heal, and a lot of guys did it different ways.”
