The Columbus Blue Jackets confirmed the hiring of Dean Evason as their new head coach Monday afternoon.
Evason, 59, will become the team’s third head coach in as many seasons, excluding Mike Babcock, who was hired and then resigned in September 2023.
The Blue Jackets were the last NHL team without a head coach. They said Evason had signed a multi-year contract.
New Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell fired Pascal Vincent shortly after taking over the hockey operations department.
“Dean has spent over two decades in this league as a player, assistant coach and head coach. I believe his experience, coupled with the extraordinary person he is, will allow him to get the best out of his players and put us in a position to be successful,” Waddell said in a statement.
Evason coached the Minnesota Wild for parts of five seasons before being fired and replaced by John Hynes in November. This will be his second stint as an NHL head coach.
“There’s a really good core and a lot of talented young players on this team,” Evason said. “I’m looking forward to working with this group and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level.”
Evason posted a 147-77-27 record as an NHL head coach. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy in 2020-21. He guided the Wild to a playoff appearance in each of his first four seasons at the helm.
A fifth-round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, Evason had 139 goals and 233 assists in 803 NHL games. He also played for the Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames.