Blue Jackets Hire Rick Bowness: Short Leash & the Easy Way Out

Rick Bowness is back in the NHL, this time taking over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dean Evason was let go after a 19-19-7 start that left the team last in the Eastern Conference and near the bottom of the league.

Bowness isn’t the kind of coach you see making flashy moves or chasing headlines. He’s steady, practical, the sort of guy who can manage a locker room when reality doesn’t match expectations. For a team struggling to find its footing, he could be exactly the right voice in the room.

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Bowness Must Still Have the Itch to Coach in the NHL

Full disclosure right up front: Rick Bowness has always been a favourite of mine. He’s one of those hockey people who never seems to be chasing the spotlight, but somehow keeps ending up in places where teams need steadiness, perspective, and level-headedness in the room. Every few years, someone declares him “too old,” and every few years, he proves them wrong.

Bowness stepped away from coaching in Winnipeg because his wife, Judy, suffered a serious health issue during the 2023‑24 season. After Winnipeg, I figured maybe he’d had enough. He seemed to enjoy his sessions on The Hockey Night in Canada panel.

“I appreciate the opportunity to come to Columbus because it is a good organization with good people and this is a team that I think I can help improve,” Bowness said. “I’m thankful to Don and (Blue Jackets president) Mike Priest, and I’m really excited to work with our players and coaching staff to help get us where we want to go.”

I was surprised when I heard his name heading toward Columbus. It tells me something. You don’t take a job like Columbus unless the itch is still there.

As for Evason, He Didn’t Get Much of a Chance

As for Evason, the firing surprised me. Not because the Blue Jackets are good (they’re so-so this season), but because impatience has become such a default setting in this league. Evason hadn’t even been there two full seasons. In 127 games, his record was roughly 59-52-5. Not great, not terrible. And given the roster and the circumstances, not meaningless either.

Let’s not forget last season. Columbus had an emotional, draining year after the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy. Yet, somehow, they pulled together and pushed far beyond what most people thought their true talent level was. They overachieved. This season? They look a lot closer to what the roster probably is. That doesn’t mean the coach suddenly forgot how to coach.

But this is the NHL now. Short leashes everywhere.

Players get traded. They get waived. They get sent down. Coaches get fired because it’s the easiest move to make. Their salaries don’t hit the cap. No assets lost. No long explanations required. It’s the cleanest button to push when things stall out.

Is it fair? Rarely. Is it surprising anymore? Not really.

What Does Bowness Bring to the Blue Jackets?

That’s where Bowness comes in. He’s 70 now. His first NHL head coaching job was with the original Jets in the early ’80s. He’s seen every version of this league—good owners, bad owners, patient rebuilds, fake rebuilds, and everything in between. He did a solid job as an interim coach with the Dallas Stars and, more recently, with the Jets.

Columbus isn’t looking for the next rising star behind the bench. They’re not trying to “grow” a coach. If they were, they wouldn’t have circled back to Bowness. They want someone who’s done this before. Someone who understands how to manage a room that’s frustrated, fragile, and probably tired of hearing about timelines.

Could they have gone after bigger names? Maybe, but Bowness is a proven guy who brings steadiness to the task. His history suggests he’s got a way with players. He encourages teams without coddling them. He’s honest without being theatrical. And he understands that progress in this league isn’t always linear, no matter how badly executives want it to be.

Hard to Say if the Blue Jackets Will Be Fixed with a New Coach

I don’t know if this hiring fixes Columbus. Coaching changes rarely “fix” anything on their own. But if you’re going to make the easy move, at least make a thoughtful one. Bowness has always been that kind of hire.

He’s a steady presence, and perhaps that’s what the Blue Jackets need. Yet, given the NHL’s impatience with coaches, a firing often becomes the simplest decision in a complicated business.

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