Blue Jackets fire coach Dean Evason, hire Rick Bowness as playoff hopes dwindle

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired coach Dean Evason and replaced him with Rick Bowness, the team announced on Monday. Evason was just halfway through his second season with the team, which makes this move a surprising one. Assistant coach Steve McCarthy was also dismissed.

After Evason helped the Blue Jackets exceed expectations last season, the front office was expecting even more in the current campaign, but that hasn't materialized. Columbus is 19-19-7 and sits in the basement of the Eastern Conference. In a statement, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell cited underachievement as the primary reason for Evason's firing.

"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," said Waddell. "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."

Prior to the 2024-25 season, Evason's first with the Blue Jackets, star forward Johnny Gaudreau died in an offseason accident. In the face of a shocking tragedy, Evason led Columbus to a 40-33-9 as the team finished just two points outside the playoffs.

Following that performance, the Blue Jackets wanted to make that playoff leap in 2025-26, even though the team didn't make any major moves in the offseason. Veteran center Sean Monahan hasn't been as effective, and some young players have stalled in their development. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson were poised for big seasons, but that have both regressed to one degree or another.

The Blue Jackets wasted no time in replacing Evason, bringing in the veteran Bowness, who boasts more than 40 years of coaching experience. Bowness has spent 14 seasons as a coach in the NHL -- either as an interim or in a full-time role. Over that span, Bowness has compiled a 310-408-48-37 record. In 2019-20, as an interim with the Dallas Stars, Bowness led the team to the Stanley Cup Final before getting promoted to a the full-time role.

Most recently, Bowness spent two seasons behind the bench for the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24. In his second season with Winnipeg, Bowness stepped away from the team twice as he and his wife battled health issues. Bowness led the Jets to a 98-57-9 record and two first-round playoff exits.

Competitive East raised Blue Jackets' urgency

The competitive nature of the Eastern Conference probably pushed the Blue Jackets into making this move. No team is below .500, and despite being in last place, Columbus is just seven points out of a playoff spot. If the Blue Jackets get hot for two weeks, their entire outlook could change.

For that reason, no team in the East is truly out of playoff contention, but what is the end goal for Columbus here? Even if they reached the playoffs, is this roster capable of going on a deep run? I don't think so. Columbus has one of the most underwhelming collections of centers in the league, and the forward group as a whole lacks firepower. Zach Werenski leads the team with 47 points -- 10 more than anyone else -- and he's a defenseman.

The goaltending has been serviceable, thanks solely to the efforts of Jet Greaves because backup Elvis Merzlikins is having anotehr abysmal season with 9.35 goals allowed above average, per Natural Stat Trick. Stack Columbus up against teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning or Carolina Hurricanes, its most likely first-round opponents, and there is no comparison.

Management in Columbus clearly believes this team should be winning more often because it gave up second- and fourth-round picks to acquire winger Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken last month. It did recoup that draft capital by sending Yegor Chinakhov to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but clearly Waddell wants to see more out of this group. I'm just not sure that's realistic.

Perhaps the belief within the building was that Evason wasn't developing young players like Fantilli, Johnson or Cole Sillinger well enough. That would be a fair critique given the performance of that trio in 2025-26 (21 goals and 39 assists), but is hiring the 70-year-old Bowness the answer there? He'll have to reach those developing players for the Jackets to turn their season around.

Ultimately, Evason was a victim of his own success in 2024-25 and an unusually competitive Eastern Conference in 2025-26. Perhaps Bowness can spark the Blue Jackets, but this seems like a strange decision that only creates more instability in Columbus as the team brings in its sixth coach since 2021.