The Blue Jackets front office decided to make a major change earlier this week when they elected to make a midseason coaching change, relieving both head coach Dean Evason, and assistant Steve McCarthy of their duties with the club.
The change comes after the most recent in a long line of road trips where the Blue Jackets were unable to come home with important points in the standings, going 1-3 while out west. Despite a gritty overtime win over the Utah Mammoth to bookend the string of road games, the front office had already made up their mind.
How did we get here? It could be argued by some that a coach in Evason's position may have earned more grace than he was given, or at the very least finished the season. Nevertheless, the Jackets find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern conference with a 19-19-7 record, and the vocal majority knew something needed to change if a playoff push was still in the front office's plans.
Let's look back on Evason's brief time behind the bench, why he was let go, and what the team hopes to change with new long time professional coach Rick Bowness filling the position.
The Positives
Dean Evason was brought in at the start of last season. The idea was to hopefully provide stability to a role that had seen more turnover than any other head coaching position in the NHL over the previous 5 years.
It felt like the team was looking for the next John Tortorella, but their plans to replicate his style led to poor decisions-namely hiring and firing Mike Babcock over the course of a single training camp-before thrusting an unprepared Pascal Vincent into his first season of NHL coaching duties.
Evason made an immediate impact for a team that was going through turmoil. Not only was the team in year 5 of their playoff drought, but the team and fan base had been shaken by the tragic loss of their assistant captain and good friend, the immensely talented Johnny Gaudreau.
Evason looked to be the right coach at the right time. His style of coaching seemed to find ways to unlock members of this team and introduce them to new styles of play that made them more dynamic all-around hockey players.
Not only did the team's defensive metrics see an across the board boost, but players like Mathieu Olivier, who had previously filled the role of a 4th line tough guy, exploded for 18 goals and 32 points.
That was more than triple his career single-season personal best for goals, and over double his career best in points. Adam Fantilli also grew into the first line center we know today, potting 31 goals in his first full season as a 20-year old sophmore.
Suffice it to say, the team was willing to play for Evason last season, and we were seeing the benefits of his style. An emotionally motivational coach was getting the most out of an emotionally motivated team playing every game for #13.
The Negatives
We unfortunately know what happened next. With a brutal post trade deadline stretch where they lost 12 of 14, the Blue Jackets fell apart and gave up their playoff spot.
Despite a valiant effort, including a 6 game win streak to end the season, it felt as if the team had ran out of gas. They fell behind teams that were able to shift into a higher gear during the most important stretch of the season, and Evason had no answers.
That brings us to this year. The team has struggled to build off of last years positive season, and has fallen to last place in the East half way through the season. That title might be deceiving, as the team sits just 7 points back of a playoff spot with a .500 record, but make no mistake. The team has been spinning their tires for weeks on end.
A major problem many have pointed out this season is the inability to hold onto leads, or perform late in a game. Three weeks ago, this data was collected by the "Slapshot" account on Instagram:
The Blue Jackets typically hold their own through through 2 periods of any given game, but the 3rd period collapse has become all too familiar to the fanbase. It's hard to pin an issue of this nature this consistent on anything but coaching.
Pair that with a lackadaisical approach to defending these losses, plus the return of the team's defensive woes, and it's easy to see why Evason was in the hot seat.
Looking Forward
Still, a more complacent franchise may have given a second year coach of Evason's pedigree time to dig himself out of the hole, and gear up for next season. A midseason coaching change like this is sending a message loud and clear that the front office does not see 2025-26 as a lost season yet, despite the setbacks.
We are excited to welcome Rick Bowness and the wisdom he brings to this team as he takes on the task of lighting a fire under the players, and pushing this team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.