COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets hope they finally got it right behind their bench.
The club’s third coaching search in four summers ended Monday when former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason was named the 11th coach in Blue Jackets history. Evason, 59, was signed to a multiyear contract after a lengthy and intense hiring process guided by president and general manager Don Waddell.
“There is a great core and a lot of young talent on this team,” Evason said in a statement. “I am really looking forward to working with this group and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level.”
GOT OUR GUY 🤩
We’ve named Dean Evason as our new head coach!
We’re thrilled to welcome Dean and his wife Jen to the #CBJ family!
📝 https://t.co/BMpvXKi4yc pic.twitter.com/muZyWKBA47
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 22, 2024
Waddell made it clear from the start that he was interested in interviewing only coaches with previous NHL head-coaching experience, so the pool of candidates quickly was whittled to a manageable number. But the last three weeks were filled with interviews and negotiations at a time when the rest of the league mostly settled into offseason mode.
“Dean Evason brings to coaching what he brought as a…
