Overview
- Columbus removed head coach Dean Evason and assistant Steve McCarthy and named Rick Bowness without an interim tag, making Evason the first NHL head-coaching dismissal of 2025-26.
- Bowness, 70, returns from a 2024 retirement with a long résumé that includes leading Dallas to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final and guiding Winnipeg to strong regular seasons.
- The Blue Jackets are 19-19-7 with 45 points, last in the Eastern Conference and seven points back of a wild-card spot, according to GM Don Waddell’s statement on the change.
- Bowness is expected to debut behind the bench Tuesday at home against the Calgary Flames, opening a home-heavy stretch before the Olympic break.
- Evason guided Columbus to a 40-33-9 record last season after Johnny Gaudreau’s death, but this year’s late-game collapses and defensive struggles drove the decision.