Columbus Blue Jackets hire Don Waddell as president of hockey operations/general manager
The wait is over.
After a week of expectation that followed a three-month search process, the Blue Jackets announced Tuesday that Don Waddell is their new president of hockey operations, general manager and one of three alternate governors. John Davidson, who held the president of hockey operations title for 10 of the past 12 years over two stints, acting as interim GM following Jarmo Kekalainen’s firing on Feb. 15, is now senior advisor and alternate governor.
More: Don Waddell appears set to be Columbus Blue Jackets' next top hockey executive | Arace
The search was led by Blue Jackets president and alternate governor Mike Priest along with Davidson before gaining approval from majority owner and governor John P. McConnell.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as this is an organization that has everything you need to have success at the highest level,” Waddell said in a statement. “It’s a wonderful city with passionate fans, strong ownership, first-class facilities, and a desire to be the best. I’d like to thank the McConnell family, Mike Priest and John Davidson for this opportunity, and look forward to being part of this community.”
Waddell, 65, resigned as president/GM of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday after spending a decade with the organization, including the past six with GM responsibilities. His contract with the Hurricanes was expiring and an extension hadn't been worked out. He’s the fourth GM in Blue Jackets history, not including two interim GMs, and is the franchise's second president of hockey operations. Waddell is expected to guide the Blue Jackets through a critical offseason, starting with the NHL draft June 28-29, but could also hire a GM at some point to defer responsibilities.
"To our fans, we remain committed to providing all the necessary resources to build a team and organization that competes for the Stanley Cup," McConnell said in a statement. "After spending time getting to know Don, I believe his experience and leadership will take us down the path to success."
Waddell’s playing career was limited to one NHL game for the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him in the third round (111th overall) of the 1978 draft. His post-playing NHL career has been much more extensive, including two stints as interim head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers, who became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011, along with numerous stints as either GM, president or both.
Waddell’s executive career began in the International Hockey League as GM of the Flint Spirits, San Diego Gulls and Orlando Solar Bears. He acted as GM and vice president of RDV Sports, which owned the Solar Bears and NBA’s Orlando Magic. He then served a year as assistant GM for the Detroit Red Wings, helping that franchise win the 1998 Stanley Cup under former GM Ken Holland, who is in the final year of his contract as president/GM of the Edmonton Oilers.
Waddell moved on from Detroit to become president/GM of the expansion Thrashers in 1998, serving in that role until the move to Winnipeg. Waddell then worked as a pro scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins until joining the Hurricanes in 2014 as team president. Four years later, he added the GM title and sparked a run of six straight playoff appearances that included three straight Metropolitan Division titles for the Hurricanes (2020-23), three trips to the second round and two runs to the Eastern Conference final.
Also during Waddell's tenure as Hurricanes GM, Carolina went 278-130-44 and ranked second in the NHL in points percentage (.664) behind only the Boston Bruins (.695).
“Don Waddell is one of the most experienced and respected executives in our sport with over four decades of experience as a player, scout, head coach, general manager and team president,” Priest said in a statement. “Most recently, he has built the Carolina Hurricanes into one of the winningest clubs in the National Hockey League. Don has every attribute we were looking for when this process began, and we are thrilled to have him lead our hockey operations efforts.”
Waddell now heads a franchise that has qualified for the playoffs only six times in 23 seasons and won just one playoff series, sweeping the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2019. The Blue Jackets haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020 and finished last in the Metro the past two years.
They have a solid core group of NHL veterans plus a lot of highly regarded young talent and hold the fourth pick in this year’s draft. There is also a lot of work for Waddell to handle, including preparations for the draft and free agency, decisions on 11 restricted free agents and seven unrestricted free agents within the organization plus calls to make on NHL players still under contract.
More: After injury-plagued 2023-24, is Adam Boqvist heading in the 'right direction' with Blue Jackets?
The NHL scouting combine is next week, the draft is only a month away, development camp follows the draft and free agency opens July 1. Giving the Jackets' new head of hockey operations enough time to prepare was essential, and the team's former president of hockey operations is excited to let Waddell get to work.
“I’ve known Don for many years, and he is one of the great gentlemen in our business,” Davidson said in a statement. “He is a very smart, dedicated professional who has shown a great ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal and achieve success. I believe this is a great day for our organization and our fans.”
Waddell will be introduced at an introductory press conference Wednesday at Nationwide Arena.
Get more Columbus Blue Jackets talk on the Cannon Fodder podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets hire Don Waddell to run hockey operations
