Blue Jackets have ‘clean slate’ with new general manager, coach

COLUMBUS -- Don Waddell and Dean Evason faced a tragic challenge as the Columbus Blue Jackets took the ice for the first time at training camp Thursday.

Waddell was hired as general manager May 28, Evason as coach July 23. They took over a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past four seasons and finished last in the Eastern Conference last season.

Then forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey.

Mourning Johnny is most important. Waddell and Evason have made it clear he will remain a presence -- from his No. 13 jersey in his stall in the locker room, to stickers on the helmets starting in the preseason, to patches on the jerseys starting in the regular season. They have an open-door policy and will get the players the support they need, while encouraging everyone to come to the rink with the joy Johnny did.

“We’re going to do it together,” Evason said.

It feels insensitive to discuss. But the reality is, the Blue Jackets have not only lost a beloved friend and teammate, but their best player. Johnny led them in scoring in each of the two seasons he played in Columbus and ranked ninth in the NHL in points (742) from 2014-24. There is a hole in their hearts and their lineup that cannot be filled.

Consider the two biggest offseason moves the Blue Jackets made: signing center Sean Monahan to a five-year, $27.5 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) as an unrestricted free agent July 1 and trading forward Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 19.

A main reason Monahan came to Columbus was to play with Johnny, his teammate with the Calgary Flames from 2014-22 and maybe his best friend. He said they were supposed to live about three houses apart. Monahan’s stall is next to Johnny’s in the locker room.

When the Blue Jackets traded Laine, they traded a forward who had 138 points (64 goals, 74 assists) in 174 games for them from 2021-24. They didn’t know they would lose Johnny 10 days later.

Columbus signed forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $900,000 contract as an unrestricted free agent Sept. 15. The 35-year-old had 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games for the Boston Bruins last season.

“He’s very valuable there for us,” captain Boone Jenner said. “He’s got a thousand games in this league. He’s been around for a little while and seen a lot of things, so you add someone like that into the locker room, it’s going to help us.”

Waddell said the Blue Jackets will look for more help, scouting players on professional tryouts with other teams and looking for whatever opportunities might present themselves. Johnny signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract as an unrestricted free agent July 13, 2022. His $9.75 million average annual value comes off Columbus’ salary cap.

“We’re going to keep an open mind to it,” Waddell said. “Because of the salary cap and where we’re at, we have room. If a player becomes available and it has a higher salary, we don’t have an issue with that, either, as long as it’s a player who fits how Dean wants the guys to play. We’re pretty open-minded about it.”

Evason must bring together the team on and off the ice, getting the most out of what the Blue Jackets have. Even before the tragedy, he rearranged the locker room. Players used to sit together by position and pick their stalls; now they are mixed together. Each player used to have his photo above his stall; now there are no pictures of individuals.

“I thought it was a great idea -- put some young guys next to some veteran players, get players communicating,” Waddell said. “You tend to in the locker room sit next to who your friends are away from the arena, and that’s not what we were looking for, and that’s not what Dean was looking for. It was a subtle change, but I think it’s been a big change, and I’ve heard players talk about it.”

Evason said he wants a team-first mentality, and he has asked returning members of the management and coaching staffs not to tell him about the players. He wants to form his own opinions.

“We are going to create an earned culture,” Evason said. “It’s a clean slate, right? Don’s new. I’m new. I don’t care what happened last year, how many goals you scored last year. It’ll help you obviously to start, but after that, you’re going to earn your ice time, you’re going to earn your position, you’re going to earn where you play and how much you play, and that’ll be dictated by the player.

“We’ll define roles for the players. Like, we’ll define what we believe their role is, but that doesn’t mean that that’s their role for the rest of the year. They can change their role. You want more ice time? Then do more. You want to play on the power play? Then show that you’re going to set goals up and you’re going to score goals. You want to play on the PK? Then show that you’re going to block shots, you’re going to clear pucks, you’re going to win your puck battles.

“It’s a clean slate for everybody, young or old. I don’t care if you’ve played one game or a thousand games. Everybody’s starting fresh.”