The Columbus Blue Jackets appeared close to ready to name their new head coach. Thanks to some reports that have surfaced, perhaps a decision is further than we think.
On Wednesday, according to Aaron Portzline of the Athletic first and then later confirmed by Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Todd McLellan, who was thought of as the front-runner for the Blue Jackets’ head coaching job, is out of the running. Although both said that the team could circle back to McLellan eventually, it appears the search will move on to other candidates.
In both reports, contract talks were cited as a reason an agreement could not be reached. GM Don Waddell said last week that he was down to three candidates and would have a decision made in the next 7-10 days. While that timeframe has not expired yet, that appears to be in serious doubt based on these reports.
How Did We Get Here?
In case you haven’t closely followed the proceedings, let’s do a quick reset. Waddell ultimately dismissed head coach Pascal Vincent a couple weeks after becoming the new President of Hockey Operations and GM of the Blue Jackets. He said that a change was needed.
Waddell then said on the record that he wanted a coach with NHL experience. After going through his list of candidates, he got his final list down to three. The belief after confirming with multiple sources around the league was that list comprised of McLellan, Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft.
Originally, it was John Buccigross of ESPN that posted to watch for McLellan as the Blue Jackets’ next head coach. That apparently was before Waddell even conducted any interviews. But then as a source texted me soon after that post, McLellan “was at or near the top of their list.”
It was clear McLellan was a name to watch in this process. But then as time started to go on with no formal announcement, it started to raise questions. Was there some sort of hold up?
Now here we are today with these rumors of McLellan now being out of the race. As it turns out, all three believed candidates were fired from their last job and each have one season left on that contract.
What does this mean? It means there’s an extra set of negotiations that have to take place with the previous team. That team and the Blue Jackets would need to work out how much each team would pay on that last year. Then the Blue Jackets would proceed to the terms of the new contract.
Whatever the hold up was, the sides could not agree to terms. As of this writing, we do not know the exact reasoning for the stalled talks. However, seeing the reports suggest the Blue Jackets may circle back points to an issue with term or dollars. Perhaps it’s both. The team could make another offer to McLellan if they so choose.
Many Unanswered Questions
Seeing these reports certainly leaves a lot of unanswered questions. But perhaps at the top of the list is this. If McLellan was the guy Waddell wanted, what prevented the deal from getting done?
We mentioned term and dollars above. Do the sides see the length of the contract the same? Perhaps the Blue Jackets want a shorter deal and McLellan wants more term. It’s also possible the two sides see the annual compensation differently.
Ownership would ultimately give the final approval on a potential deal in terms of money. They are already paying Pascal Vincent and it’s still possible they are paying Mike Babcock too. Another question is have they placed any limits on what can be given to a new coach?
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Then there’s the whole what’s next part of this? The reports do suggest the door is not completely closed on McLellan. Will they circle back? When it comes to experience, McLellan has a sizeable advantage on both Evason and Woodcroft. That experience would be desirable on the Blue Jackets given where they’re at.
If the Blue Jackets do move on to other candidates, do they now consider someone not originally a finalist? As you can see, there are many more questions than answers at this point. The longer this process goes, the more questions that need to be asked.
The Blue Jackets remain the only team in the NHL to not have a head coach. While there isn’t a set date per se that one has to be named, there is some urgency in knowing who it will be sooner for the purposes of planning for the upcoming season. The team also has other business to take care of too. They have contracts that must be worked out. They also have work to do on Patrik Laine.
Final Thoughts
Despite these reports dropping indicating a possible setback, this coaching search could still end at any given moment. They either agree with another candidate or adjust their offer on McLellan for him to accept.
It’s reasonable to expect this process shouldn’t take much longer given what Waddell has said. But it’s also reasonable to wonder why this isn’t done yet either.
What will be interesting to see is what the new coach agreed to. It could indicate a difference in opinion between how the Blue Jackets view themselves and how a potential coach does.
Stay tuned on this ever developing story. We could be reaching its conclusion soon. Maybe.
