Columbus Blue Jackets' search for GM expands to identify new steward, Don Waddell | Arace
The Blue Jackets have a new steward. The team on Tuesday announced that Don Waddell has been hired as president of hockey operations and general manager. Waddell, 65, will be formally introduced Wednesday, right after lunch.
John Davidson, 71, is the now-former steward, but he isn’t going anywhere. Davidson and team president Mike Priest conducted the search that landed on Waddell. Davidson facilitated the hire by stepping aside as chief of hockey ops and assuming a “senior advisor” role.
Just over a week ago, Waddell, as president/GM of the Carolina Hurricanes, met the media in Raleigh. The Canes were conducting exit interviews on the heels of their elimination from the second round of the playoffs. (The New York Rangers beat them in six games). Waddell was flanked at the podium by coach Rod Brind’Amour, who had just signed a contract extension.
Waddell talked about the contract extension and lauded Brind’Amour, who in six years had won three divisional titles and twice made it to the conference final. Waddell talked shop – free-agent season, the need for a right-shot center, the state of the goaltending position, etc. This was on a Monday.
By Thursday evening, there were reports that Waddell was a top candidate to be the next Blue Jackets GM and that he’d been interviewed in Columbus. On Friday, Waddell announced that he was stepping down in Carolina “to move to the next chapter” of his career. Four days later, he was officially hired by the Jackets.
How did he get from there to here in a week? Well, for one thing, Waddell’s Carolina contract was nearing expiration. Perhaps, when it came to an extension, Waddell and Carolina owner Tom Dundon didn’t see eye-to-eye on employee value. Or maybe Waddell just wanted to get out to find his “next chapter.” Or maybe it’s some combination thereof. In any case, Waddell had permission to speak to other teams. And so he did.
Ultimately, Waddell chose to leave his post as president/GM of the Hurricanes, one of the most successful NHL franchises over past half dozen years, to become president/GM of the Jackets, one of the least successful NHL franchises of the 21st century. Wait. What?
We could talk about a lot of things here, such as how the Jackets’ GM job was an attractive one – coming as it does with a cache of young talent and an ardent fan base that is poised to explode once somebody figures out how to build a sustainable winner here. Great fans, great city, etc.
Let’s not complicate things. You can bet that in Columbus Waddell will make more money and have more control, and he’ll certainly be reporting to a different owner. These are tangibles. They are reasons to make one believe this is not a lateral move for him, at least from his perspective.
When Waddell meets the media, we will hear about how difficult it was for him to move on – and how Columbus sets up beautifully for “the next chapter,” and so forth. Waddell is, by all accounts, an honorable guy, hale and well-met. Nobody will accuse him of lying. But couth will preclude him from stating the essence of his move: money, control and a new atmosphere of his own creation.
He is the new steward.
The Jackets have won 89 games and lost 129 over the past three seasons, an indication they have some problems. The overarching problem is mediocrity. It’s too easy to lose in Columbus. Waddell’s primary task, then, is to change this culture. He should be capable.
Waddell served in executive capacities on both the hockey ops and business sides of the Atlanta Thrashers, who had ownership problems. He did not move with the team to Winnipeg in 2011. After scouting for Pittsburgh for a couple of years, he was hired by a previous owner of the Hurricanes to work the business side in 2014. His duties, if not his paychecks, were doubled by Dundon in 2018.
Throughout, Waddell has maintained a reputation as a sound, intelligent executive – particularly as a judge of hockey talent – and a class act. He now has his last, best chance to take all that he has learned and apply it to a project that is, in many ways, promising. And it's his. He will get the resources he needs, and he will be unfettered as he defines and executes his plan.
What started as a search for a new Blue Jackets GM evolved into the signing of a new steward. I’m fine with it. The whole front office needs a good dusting and Waddell knows the nooks. We’ll hear what he has to say at his presser. We'll see what people he adds (he’s likely to hire a GM, at some point) and whether he can define a better future for Columbus. He’s not a bad bet.
Get more Blue Jackets news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Don Waddell era of Columbus Blue Jackets history opens Wednesday
