COLUMBUS – The Columbus Blue Jackets fired coach Pascal Vincent after a season in which they were one of the worst teams in the NHL.
New general manager Don Waddell announced the resignation and said the search for a new coach would begin immediately.
The Blue Jackets finished last in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-43-12 record and 66 points in 2023-24 and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
“Having spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I have found him to be an exceptional person and an intelligent hockey coach who worked very hard last year under difficult circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in the best interests of our team, ,” Waddell said in a statement released by the team.
Vincent joined the team before last season as an associate coach, but was promoted after new coach Mike Babcock resigned on the eve of training camp following an investigation into the Stanley Cup-winning coach’s bizarre conduct of asking to see photos on phones of the players. Babcock was hired to replace Brad Larsen, who was fired after two losing seasons.
So Vincent’s first season as an NHL coach began just before training camp began in September.
The Blue Jackets then battled injuries that led Vincent to use 47 different players during the season. They finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Among the key players lost were forward Patrik Laine, who entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program after 18 games, and Adam Fantilli, one of the NHL’s top rookies who was badly cut in the calf by a skate in January.
The two main goalkeepers, Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov, have also struggled with injuries.
The Blue Jackets scored 98 points and won one playoff series — a victory over Tampa Bay — in the 2018-19 season under John Tortorella. They lost in the first round of the playoffs the following season, and the situation has been getting worse ever since.
Tortorella was fired after the 2020-21 season and Larsen, one of his assistants, went 62-86-16 in two seasons.
