Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason: 3 things to know
The Blue Jackets’ coaching staff is now Dean Evason’s to run.
Evason, 59, was named the 11th full-time head coach in Blue Jackets history on Monday, ending a search that began in mid-June. Evason, who was fired by the Minnesota Wild last November, will take over a Columbus roster driven by a handful of veterans and core of youngsters.
Here are three things to know about Evason:
Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason's coaching record: How did he do with the Minnesota Wild?
After a six-year stint as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, Evason joined the Wild in 2018-19 as an assistant for Bruce Boudreau.
Evason replaced Boudreau as the Wild’s interim head coach during his second season in Minnesota and had the interim tag removed after leading the team in the NHL’s Covid-19 postseason “bubble” in Edmonton. Evason coached the next four seasons in Minnesota before being replaced along with assistant Bob Woods last November during a seven-game winless skid. Evason had one year remaining on his contract with the Wild worth close to $2 million.
His NHL record is 147-77-27 for a .639 points percentage, all in Minnesota, and he led the Wild to the playoffs four times – losing in the qualifying round in 2020 followed by three straight first-round defeats.
Dean Evason vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
As head coach, Evason guided the Wild to a 4-0-2 record in six games against the Blue Jackets, most recently losing 5-4 in overtime last season at Xcel Energy Center. Evason’s most memorable run-ins with the Blue Jackets occurred near the end of the 2021-22 season, when his teams took advantage of edges in age, size and physicality in games held two weeks apart.
The Blue Jackets won the first, 3-2, in a shootout March 11, 2022, at Nationwide Arena following a late rally to tie it. Minnesota’s Marcus Foligno injured Blue Jackets forward Jakub Voracek with a knee-on-knee hit in the waning moments of regulation before Zach Werenski sent the game to overtime with just 32 seconds left.
Minnesota won the rematch, 3-2, in overtime March 25 in St. Paul, Minnesota, after Werenski was injured in the first period. Former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen signed rugged defenseman Erik Gudbranson and acquired gritty forward Mathieu Olivier the following offseason to address the glaring lack of physicality that was exposed in those two games.
Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason played 13 seasons for five NHL teams
Prior to starting his coaching career, Evason played 13 seasons in the NHL, including stints with the Capitals, Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. He finished his playing career in the late 1990s by logging three seasons in European leagues (Switzerland, Germany).
Evason finished his NHL career with 809 games, and a stat line of 139 goals, 233 assists, 372 points, 1,002 penalty minutes served and -92 plus/minus rating. His longest stretch was with Harford, playing seven seasons for the Whalers (434 games).
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 things to know about Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason
