Blue Jackets to interview two head coaching candidates in person this week
Published
The Columbus Blue Jackets will host two head coaching candidates for in-person interviews this week, general manager Don Waddell told The Athletic.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports it will be Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft visiting Columbus as the Blue Jackets' search continues to drag well into the NHL off-season.
“We’re only bringing in two,” Waddell told Portzline. “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.
“This week is an important week for us coming up here. 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.”
Portzline previously reported that talks with Todd McLellan were stalled as negotiations between the two sides and the Los Angeles Kings, who still hold his rights, broke down.
Woodcroft, 47, began the 2023-24 season as head coach of the Oilers but was fired after 13 games when the team started 3-9-1. He had a 79-41-13 record as Oilers' coach, leading the team to the Western Conference Final in 2021-22.
Evason, 59, spent parts of five seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Wild before he was fired after 19 games this past season, when the team fell to 5-10-4. He led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2020 to 2023, losing in the first round each time. The Wild had a 147-77-27 regular season record with Evason at the helm.
The Blue Jackets waited nearly two months after their season ended to fire Pascal Vincent, who replaced Mike Babcock ahead of training camp last fall. The move came roughly two weeks after Waddell was hired as president and general manager.
The Blue Jackets finished last season with a 27-43-12 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.