In an unexpected move on Monday afternoon, Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Don Waddell announced that Head Coach Dean Evason and Assistant Coach Steve McCarthy were fired. Veteran coach Rick Bowness will be coming in as the new head coach.

The Blue Jackets have fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy.Veteran NHL coach Rick Bowness is the club’s new head coach.

— TSN (@tsnofficial.bsky.social) 2026-01-12T21:49:52.016Z

Columbus Blue Jackets Make Coaching Changes

This coaching change comes as Columbus sits last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19-19-7, for 45 points in 45 games. Waddell said, in a press release, “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.” However, the Blue Jackets were 5-4-1 in their last ten games, which means that Waddell expected more from his team and was not satisfied.

Dean Evason had a 59-52-16 record in 127 games for the Blue Jackets since his hiring on July 22, 2024. He had a contract that expired next year, plus an option year for 2027-28 on his deal. McCarthy had been an assistant coach with Columbus since September 13, 2021. He was also the assistant coach for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate, for five seasons before that. With less than a month before the Olympic break, the Blue Jackets clearly felt they needed a spark. They are currently seven points out of the playoffs and look toward Bowness to give them a coaching bump.

Rick Bowness Comes Out of Retirement

Bowness will become the next head coach of the Blue Jackets. Bowness announced his retirement from the NHL on May 6, 2024. Less than two years later, Bowness, at 70 years old, returns to the league for another coaching gig. He most recently was the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, from 2022 to 2024. He posted a 98-57-9 record with the club and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2024.

In his coaching career, he has a 310-408-48-37 record (W-L-T-OT) in 803 games, across seven teams. He ranks 44th all time in number of games coached. “Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” said GM Don Waddell. The Blue Jackets are showing no signs of declaring this a lost season.

Bowness will coach his first game behind the Columbus bench on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

Main photo by: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images