Dean Evason says he was blindsided by firing, believed in Blue Jackets’ turnaround
January 16, 2026
Dean Evason says he was blindsided by firing, believed in Blue Jackets’ turnaround
18 comments
“I walked in, and (assistant coach) Steve McCarthy was there,” Evason told *The Athletic*. “I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ Don had texted him, too. I met with Don in my office, and he told me the news. Told me I was fired.
“I was blindsided. Yeah, of course. Usually, when you go through this as a coach, you can feel it coming. But I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t. (Waddell) talked to me, then he talked to Steve, and it was time to pack our s— and get out of Dodge.”
I swear I read somewhere he had also been heard discussing backup plans.
I aspire to be this oblivious
Ready to put the Dean era behind us. I have much respect for him leading the team last year. He was the right guy. He gave us a wild finish and showcased Jet down the stretch. I wish him well.
We have a Cup to win. The past is past.
Ready to put the Dean era behind us. I have much respect for him leading the team last year. He was the right guy. He gave us a wild finish and showcased Jet down the stretch. I wish him well.
We have a Cup to win. The past is past.
If he was truly blindsided, then he either wasn’t paying attention to the results on the ice or fundamentally misunderstood why his approach was failing.
> Evason said he plans to stay in Columbus
Even the coaches now
It says in the article that he knew they needed to make changes and get better, so they constantly looked at lines and positioning and how to PROTECT LEADS.
He STILL didn’t get it on the way out. Turtling and a game plan around “protecting the lead” is why you are out!
Portz just a constant professional.
yes because playing 5th overall pick 7 minutes per game always makes wonders. all of you ppl bashed johnson for being horrible just few of us believed in him and look what 15-16 minutes a game does to a team. we start winning wow who could have guessed that
I was blindsided by how poorly he coached the majority of our games this season. So I guess there’s a lot of that going around.
what about Coach Boller? gonna make the cut?
He obviously hadn’t been following this thread….
with my personality and emotional tendencies, I know I personally would not be able to live in/continue to reside in the same city I was fired in (if I was an NHL coach). i’d get “the heck out of dodge” and seek a fresh start in a brand new city even if that means I wasn’t coaching there.
but that’s just me.
Just shows how much this guy sucked. Too 3 worst coaches in CBJ history which is impressive.
I’m gonna be honest I feel for Dean alittle. I was extremely happy to hear he was fired but after everything that happened last season it’s gotta be tough for him to just leave this team. So many heartfelt interviews after games where he would start to tear up. I wish nothing but the best for him.
Him believing in a turnaround under him is indicative of what was the problem. He wouldn’t change his style and when it wasn’t working, he doubled down and it still didn’t work, but he believed it eventually would. I personally think he tried to over-coach them this season because of the high expectations, whereas last year it felt like he just let the guys play.
Egor Chinakhov must’ve had a hell of a night after the pens finished that comeback and dean got the sack
18 comments
“I walked in, and (assistant coach) Steve McCarthy was there,” Evason told *The Athletic*. “I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ Don had texted him, too. I met with Don in my office, and he told me the news. Told me I was fired.
“I was blindsided. Yeah, of course. Usually, when you go through this as a coach, you can feel it coming. But I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t. (Waddell) talked to me, then he talked to Steve, and it was time to pack our s— and get out of Dodge.”
I swear I read somewhere he had also been heard discussing backup plans.
I aspire to be this oblivious
Ready to put the Dean era behind us. I have much respect for him leading the team last year. He was the right guy. He gave us a wild finish and showcased Jet down the stretch. I wish him well.
We have a Cup to win. The past is past.
Ready to put the Dean era behind us. I have much respect for him leading the team last year. He was the right guy. He gave us a wild finish and showcased Jet down the stretch. I wish him well.
We have a Cup to win. The past is past.
If he was truly blindsided, then he either wasn’t paying attention to the results on the ice or fundamentally misunderstood why his approach was failing.
> Evason said he plans to stay in Columbus
Even the coaches now
It says in the article that he knew they needed to make changes and get better, so they constantly looked at lines and positioning and how to PROTECT LEADS.
He STILL didn’t get it on the way out. Turtling and a game plan around “protecting the lead” is why you are out!
Portz just a constant professional.
yes because playing 5th overall pick 7 minutes per game always makes wonders. all of you ppl bashed johnson for being horrible just few of us believed in him and look what 15-16 minutes a game does to a team. we start winning wow who could have guessed that
I was blindsided by how poorly he coached the majority of our games this season. So I guess there’s a lot of that going around.
what about Coach Boller? gonna make the cut?
He obviously hadn’t been following this thread….
with my personality and emotional tendencies, I know I personally would not be able to live in/continue to reside in the same city I was fired in (if I was an NHL coach). i’d get “the heck out of dodge” and seek a fresh start in a brand new city even if that means I wasn’t coaching there.
but that’s just me.
Just shows how much this guy sucked. Too 3 worst coaches in CBJ history which is impressive.
I’m gonna be honest I feel for Dean alittle. I was extremely happy to hear he was fired but after everything that happened last season it’s gotta be tough for him to just leave this team. So many heartfelt interviews after games where he would start to tear up. I wish nothing but the best for him.
Him believing in a turnaround under him is indicative of what was the problem. He wouldn’t change his style and when it wasn’t working, he doubled down and it still didn’t work, but he believed it eventually would. I personally think he tried to over-coach them this season because of the high expectations, whereas last year it felt like he just let the guys play.
Egor Chinakhov must’ve had a hell of a night after the pens finished that comeback and dean got the sack