Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell talks outdoor game, deadline
Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell discusses what the NHL’s stadium series matchup means for Columbus.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have extended the contracts of three assistant coaches under head coach Dean Evason.Strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, video coach Dan Singleton, equipment manager Jamie Healy, and assistant athletic trainer Naoto Goto will not be returning to the team.The departures come after three consecutive seasons with over 300 man-games lost to injuries.
The Blue Jackets are changing up their support staff, have agreed to contract extensions with three of coach Dean Evason’s assistants and plan to keep their front office intact.
Don Waddell, the team’s president of hockey operations/general manager, confirmed Wednesday that strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, who joined the team in 2010, will not return. Video coach Dan Singleton, equipment manager Jamie Healy and assistant athletic trainer Naoto Goto also won’t return after all of their contracts expired.
Waddell, reached Wednesday, is tasked with making decisions about 51 people whose contracts with the organization are expiring. That includes support staff and coaches plus the front office staff he inherited after taking on dual roles heading up the Jackets’ hockey side in May 2024. Waddell said he doesn’t plan to make further staff changes.
“Everybody’s contract was up this year except the people I hired last year, like (Evason) and a couple of the assistants,” Waddell said. “I told everybody that I was going to evaluate this year and then make a decision at the end of the year.”
Once Waddell returns from a week of scouting at the U18 men’s world championship in Frisco and Allen, Texas, he’ll meet with staff he plans to keep and work out new contracts.
The Jackets’ GM will also begin searching for additions to replace those who weren’t retained. Evason’s coaching staff is also set after Waddell worked out contract extensions with goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom, skills coach Jared Boll and assistant Steve McCarthy, who works with defensemen and coordinates the penalty kill.
“It more important to get it done early for the people (leaving),” Waddell said. “If they want to work in the business, to string them along for another month doesn’t make any sense. Give them the opportunity now, so if there’s opportunities with other teams and they want to work in the industry, hopefully they get another job.”
Healy and Singleton were employed by the Blue Jackets since 2000, prior to the team’s first season. Collins, who logged more than 1,000 NHL games in his role, was put under the spotlight by the Blue Jackets’ injury woes the past three years. Bad luck played a sizable role, but this was the Jackets’ third straight season with more than 300 man-games lost due to injuries.
They finished with 324 after injuries to Boone Jenner (shoulder), Erik Gudbranson (shoulder), Sean Monahan (wrist), Yegor Chinakhov (back), Dmitri Voronkov (shoulder), Kent Johnson (shoulder), Cole Sillinger (shoulder) and Justin Danforth (lower body).
Two years ago, the Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 565 man-games lost, which contributed to a terrible season. They finished 31st overall, coach Brad Larsen was fired and his replacement, Mike Babcock, was forced to resign before training camp in 2024 amid a player privacy scandal.
That eventually contributed to former general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and president of hockey operations John Davidson being replaced in those roles by Waddell, who promoted Rick Nash to director of hockey operations prior to this past season.
Waddell said shortly after taking the job that he planned to wait a year to make changes to the staff and assistant coaches. He did make one big switch by hiring Evason to replace Pascal Vincent as head coach. Assistant coach Scott Ford also joined the Jackets’ bench from the Nashville Predators’ AHL Milwaukee affiliate and assistant Mike Haviland was promoted from AHL Cleveland to work with forwards and coordinate the power play — each signing multi-year contracts.
Singleton’s departure is somewhat surprising after he had developed an impressive track record as a sharp in-game video coach lauded by multiple former coaches, including John Tortorella.
Healy, who was honored Jan. 31, 2023, for working his 2,000th game, spent the bulk of his tenure with the Blue Jackets as assistant equipment manager. He was promoted to head equipment manager in September 2022 to replace Tim Leroy, a former longtime staffer who was fired for undisclosed reasons. Along with working for the Blue Jackets, Healy was picked by USA Hockey to work for the U.S. contingent at four men’s world championships, including 2024 in Czechia.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.socialÂ
This story was updated to add a gallery. Â