Columbus Blue Jackets fire Dean Evason, hire Rick Bowness - ESPN

Dean Evason became the first NHL coach to lose his job this season with the Columbus Blue Jackets announcing Monday that they are replacing him with Rick Bowness.

Removing Evason after he was in charge for 127 games and hiring Bowness comes after the Blue Jackets snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 3-2 win over the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Columbus, which also announced it had fired assistant coach Steve McCarthy, allowed 4.75 goals per game during its losing streak. The only game that didn't see the Blue Jackets allow five goals during that time was their 4-0 loss last Saturday to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.

Entering Monday, the Blue Jackets (19-19-7) were tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference and were also tied for the seventh-fewest points in the NHL.

«This season has been a frustrating one for all of us and the bottom line is we are not performing at a level that meets our expectations,» Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. «We all share in that responsibility, me concluded, and while this was not a decision that was made lightly it is one that needed to be made at this time.»

Evason's lone full season with the Blue Jackets in 2024-25 saw him guide a club that endured a difficult offseason with the death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau. The team had a 23-points improvement from the previous season and the 89 points they accrued was the most since the 2018-19 season.

«Dean did a tremendous job last year under extremely difficult circumstances,» Waddell said. «And I thank him for that.»

Those Blue Jackets were in it till the end, but ultimately finished two points behind the Montreal