Don Waddell stepped down as President of Hockey Operations and GM of the Carolina Hurricanes to become the fourth GM in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Columbus fans should be excited as the Hurricanes had six straight playoff appearances, three straight 50-win seasons, three Metro Division titles in the last four years, and were third in wins under Waddell’s watch.
At a press conference to announce the hire, Don Waddell insisted this was not a lateral move but one that will keep the coals on the fire as he attempts to shape the Blue Jackets into serious playoff contenders, something Waddell believes the organization is closer to than some may think.
While the Blue Jackets do have issues, they also boast a top-three prospect pool. Waddell said that while goal scorers are nice to have, they are also hard to find, and that you can mask offensive deficiencies with a good defense. He emphasized that he is aiming to fix the defense first this offseason.
When he took over in Carolina, he rebuilt the Hurricanes by trading some first-round draft picks. Columbus has a top-five draft pick, and it will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets make the pick or use it to bring in an already-established player.
Waddell praised former Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen for the overall shape of the organization. As for his summer, Waddell will be busy learning the entire Columbus Blue Jackets organization and dealing with many restricted free-agent contracts.
The big question now is what will happen with head coach Pascal Vincent. Waddell said the two talked for about three minutes and he needs time to assess before a decision is made. While more work is needed, the Blue Jackets are not that far away from being a solid hockey team. As of now, it is unknown if that transition will include a new bench boss.
This feels like a good hire for a Blue Jackets organization that could use some positive publicity after the trainwreck of last season, starting with the Mike Babcock debacle.
