The 59-year-old veteran coach will be replacing Pascal Vincent, and this will mark his second stint as an NHL coach.

Evason comes with an impressive resume, having spent five seasons with the Minnesota Wild before being fired in November 2023. During his tenure with the Wild, he achieved a record of 147-77-27 since taking over from Bruce Boudreau on February 14, 2020. Despite his team qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the four previous seasons, they were unable to advance beyond the first round.

Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Evason said, "I am incredibly proud and honored to be named the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. There is a great core and a lot of young talent on this team. I am really looking forward to working with this group and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level."

Evason's appointment comes after the Blue Jackets finished at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division in the last season with a disappointing record of 27-43-12. The team has been struggling for the past two seasons, ending up no higher than sixth place in their division since 2019-20.

Don Waddell, the Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations and general manager, expressed his confidence in Evason's abilities, stating, "Dean Evason brings to coaching what he brought as a player - passion, hard work, and tenacity. I believe that his experience, combined with the outstanding person he is, will allow Dean to get the best out of our players and put us in a position to succeed as a team."

The Columbus Blue Jackets have made significant investments in their roster, with key players such as Johnny Gaudreau, Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski, Damon Severson, and Elvis Merzlikins all signed for at least two more seasons. Additionally, the team selected forward Cayden Lindstrom as the fourth overall pick in the recent 2024 NHL Draft.

Evason's appointment follows a series of other coaching changes in the NHL. Lindy Ruff joined the Buffalo Sabres, Travis Green joined the Ottawa Senators, Craig Berube was named head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe was hired by the New Jersey Devils, Scott Arniel became the coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Dan Bylsma returned as the coach for the Seattle Kraken, and the San Jose Sharks hired Ryan Warsofsky.

With the arrival of Dean Evason, the Columbus Blue Jackets are hoping for a fresh start and a resurgence in the upcoming NHL season.