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The long wait for an announcement is over. The Columbus Blue Jackets have found their next head coach. On Monday, the team announced that they’ve hired Dean Evason to run the bench.
Evason was one of three reported finalists along with Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft. After the Blue Jackets could not come to an agreement with McLellan, they brought in both Evason and Woodcroft for interviews.
In the end, it was the experience of Evason that won out.
Reactions to Hiring
GM Don Waddell said all along that he was looking for a head coach that would have NHL experience. Evason spent parts of five seasons with the Wild amassing a record of 147-77-27 in 251 games. His .639 points percentage is fifth among all active coaches in the NHL. Here is what both Waddell and Evason had to say.
“Dean Evason brings to coaching what he brought as a player – passion, hard work and tenacity – and I couldn’t be happier that he will serve as the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Waddell said. “He has spent well over two decades in this league as a player, assistant coach and head coach and I believe that experience, combined with the outstanding person he is, will allow Dean to get the best out of our players and put us in a position to succeed as a team.”
“I am incredibly proud and honored to be named the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and appreciate very much the opportunity that Don, the McConnell family and Mike Priest have extended to me,” Evason said. “There is a great core and a lot of young talent on this team. I am really looking forward to working with this group and helping us become a team that plays extremely hard and competes at the highest level.”
Evason Brings Experience
Evason brings a wealth of experience to the Blue Jackets and has had varying levels of success along the way. Before joining the Wild in 2018, he was the head coach of AHL Milwaukee from 2012-2018. He guided the Admirals to the Calder Cup Playoffs in four of his six seasons there.
Evason was also an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals from 2005-2012. The Capitals made five consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his last five seasons before leaving for Milwaukee.
Not only does Evason bring experience to the table, he has a track record of development. The Blue Jackets needed a combination of experience and success in development. His time with the Admirals was respected for the work he did developing players. The 2017-18 Admirals had the likes of Juuse Saros, Yakov Trenin and Alexandre Carrier on it. Back in his most successful season of 2015-16, he coached a young Kevin Fiala.
Evason will be introduced as head coach at a press conference on Tuesday morning at Nationwide Arena. The availability will be held at 10:30 A.M. eastern and will be streamed on the Blue Jackets’ YouTube page.
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Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Kotkaniemi Hire, Stolarz’s 'Snub' & Domi’s Challenge
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to give fans plenty to talk about as training camp creeps closer. While the roster remains largely set, the front office has been busy making tweaks, and questions about depth and consistency are never far from the surface. This edition of Maple Leafs News Rumours will share a mix of storylines—from an intriguing front-office hire with a family twist, to Olympic chatter surrounding Anthony Stolarz, and pressure building on Max Domi to carve out a bigger role. Each narrative sheds light on different challenges facing the Maple Leafs as they head into the 2025-26 season. Item One: Maple Leafs Hire Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s Father as Scout The Maple Leafs announced an interesting front-office addition this week, bringing in Mikael Kotkaniemi—the father of Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi—as a European scout. He posted on LinkedIn that it was “a real privilege” to join the organization and spoke about the passion surrounding the team. Of course, the hire has sparked speculation. Toronto is thin down the middle behind Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi could be seen as a possible trade target if Carolina looks to move him. Still, it’s worth keeping perspective: Mikael’s role is on the scouting side, and family ties don’t necessarily mean a deal is in the works. For now, it’s simply an intriguing move that adds another wrinkle to the Maple Leafs’ busy offseason. Item Two: Anthony Stolarz Still Has More to Prove Some fans were surprised when Anthony Stolarz didn’t receive a U.S. Olympic camp invite, but calling it a “snub” is a stretch. Sure, he had an exceptional first season with the Maple Leafs, posting a .926 save percentage and ranking among the NHL’s leaders in advanced goaltending stats. However, it was also the first time in his career that he played more than 30 games, and it ended prematurely due to a knee injury. When you look at the competition—Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, and even Joey Daccord—it’s clear why USA Hockey wasn’t ready to slide Stolarz into the mix. At 31, he’s a late bloomer, not an established starter. If he can repeat his strong play this season and stay healthy, the conversation could change. For now, there’s no snub here, just a goalie who still has some things to prove. Item Three: Max Domi Needs to Bring Back His Edge Domi has shown flashes of being a difference-maker, but consistency has been the issue. After his 72-point season in Montreal back in 2018-19, he’s struggled to recapture that level of play. In two seasons with the Maple Leafs, he has appeared in 154 games, scoring just 17 goals and adding 63 assists. The encouraging sign is that Domi has inclined to play a more disruptive role. Maybe it comes from watching his dad play with the Blue White. Max hits, blocks shots, and is willing to mix it up physically. All of which have increased since he got to Toronto, showing that he understands how to contribute in other ways. But Toronto still needs him to deliver in key moments. He has 15 career game-winning goals, yet only two of them have come during his time with the Maple Leafs. If he can combine his grit with a scoring touch, Domi could fill a role this team desperately needs—an agitator who also changes games on the scoreboard. What’s Next for the Maple Leafs? The Maple Leafs enter the 2025-26 season with no shortage of storylines. A front-office hire may or may not signal bigger roster moves. Stolarz has to prove last season wasn’t a one-off, and Domi faces the challenge of becoming more than a depth piece. Each of these stories will help shape what kind of team Toronto becomes this season. As always with this franchise, expectations are high. The Maple Leafs believe they’re contenders, but turning that belief into playoff success remains the challenge. Training camp and the early months of the season should offer plenty of clues about whether this group can take the next step.
Jerry Jones: Micah Parsons' agent told me where we could stick contract details
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to deal with David Mulugheta insofar as to get Micah Parsons' agent to fill out the paperwork on the contract extension that was already negotiated. During an appearance with Michael Irvin on Thursday, Jones said Mulugheta told him to shove the paperwork up their heinie. "When we wanted to send the details to the agent, The agents told us to stick it up our a--," Jones said. "Just so we're clear. (Parsons) and I talked, and then we were going to send it over to the agent, and we had our agreements on term, amount, guarantees, everything. "We were going to send it over to the agent, and the agent said, 'Don't bother, because we've got all that to negotiate.' Well, I'd already negotiated. I'd already moved off my mark on several areas." Following an incoherent analogy to a child going between a mom and dad to negotiate, Jones accused Mulugheta of trying to "stick his nose" in negotiations to try to get the Cowboys to cave for a better deal for his client. Jones has no plans to back down from the agreement he had already worked out with Parsons. "In my mind, for the Dallas Cowboys, we've got it done," Jones said. "And if the agent wants to finish up the details, which he should, and do all the paperwork, he can do that, and we're ready to go. But as far as the amount of money, the years, the guarantees, all of that we negotiated." Dallas is set to conclude its preseason against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night with no end in sight to the biggest distraction on the team this summer. Jones should have avoided the situation with Parsons by dealing with Mulugheta directly, but that might have caused the theatre to be much less dramatic before the regular season.
Bengals' Joe Burrow puts NFL on notice amid Trey Hendrickson contract standoff
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow finished fourth in Most Valuable Player Award voting for the 2024 season after his club missed the playoffs. During a recent chat with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Burrow put the league on notice regarding how he's feeling heading into the upcoming campaign. "I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now," Burrow remarked. "I'm pretty confident in my ability to go out and do that every Sunday. Now, it’s just showing that consistency, showing it year in and year out. I think what separates the legends is being able to do it year in, year out for five, 10 years at a time. So, trying to be able to find that consistency in my discipline and my process, doing the easy stuff in my sleep and then making the hard stuff look easy, then making a couple of great plays here and there, that’s what I am trying to do every week." Pro Football Reference stats show that Burrow ended the 2024 regular season leading the league with 460 completions, 652 pass attempts, 4,918 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns and an average of 289.3 passing yards per game. The Bengals subsequently rewarded their QB1 during the offseason by signing wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, wideout Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki to new deals. "We want to be the best offense in the NFL," Burrow told Breer. That said, Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson remains in the middle of what's become an ugly contract standoff. Hendrickson is in the final year of his existing deal, and the two sides seemingly aren't close to agreeing on the amount of guaranteed money that would be attached to an extension. Burrow has repeatedly made it known throughout the summer that he thinks the Bengals should "reward" Hendrickson with a pay raise. "...I think the more that I can explain the thoughts of the locker room, explain why doing one thing one way might affect feelings in the locker room, as opposed to doing something a different way, it’s my job as a quarterback to be able to relay information like that," Burrow said about campaigning for Hendrickson to get paid before Cincinnati opens the 2025 season at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 7. "And whatever their decisions are with that information, that’s for them to decide." On Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bengals at -140 odds to make the playoffs this season. Having a happy Hendrickson in the lineup would only improve Cincinnati's chances of enjoying what could become a special campaign.
10 bold predictions for the 2025 college football season
Expect the unexpected when it comes to college football. Though traditional heavyweights like Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia have recently won national titles, there is hardly a sport that produces weekly drama like college football. It's tough to forecast the unexpected, but here are 10 bold predictions for the 2025-26 season. 1. Alabama misses the College Football Playoff again Games at No. 5 Georgia and No. 13 South Carolina, plus Florida State, Missouri and Auburn, make for a tough road slate. Couple that with a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, and questions abound. A stacked defense could cover up for some offensive growing pains, but how quickly does Simpson settle in? The season will depend on it. By the way, you have to go back to 2006 and 2007 to find the last time Alabama missed a BCS bowl game or the CFP two seasons in a row. 2. Penn State finally breaks through This is the year James Franklin and Penn State defeat Ohio State and win the Big Ten. Drew Allar's return at quarterback for PSU for his senior season is the difference. An experienced quarterback is something neither Ohio State, Oregon or Michigan has. 3. Michigan finishes outside the Top 25 Michigan has the on-field talent (don't miss No. 1 QB prospect Bryce Underwood), but the recent sign-stealing sanctions hang like a cloud over the program. It might subside if Michigan wins, but what if it suffers early-season losses at Oklahoma and/or Nebraska? There could be a snowball effect. 4. A wide receiver will win the Heisman Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back, claiming the 2024 Heisman. Another wide receiver will win this year. How about Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (76 rec, 1,315 yards, 15 TD in 2024) or Alabama's Ryan Williams (48 rec, 865 yards, 8 TD in 2024)? 5. Three SEC programs fire their coach Last season was unusually quiet on the coaching carousel, especially in the SEC. All 16 coaches return, but several are on varying degrees of the hot seat. Billy Napier (Florida), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky) are all coaches to keep an eye on. None of the five programs listed is expected to finish in the top four of the conference, meaning some will be .500 or worse. 6. Utah wins the Big 12 The Utes are going to bounce back in a wide-open Big 12. Health is the key here as injuries ruined the 2024 campaign. One reason for optimism? New offensive coordinator Jason Beck and incoming quarterback Devon Dampier came from New Mexico, where they engineered the Lobos' best offensive season in eight years. 7. The Group of 6 CFP bid comes from the American Boise State is the favorite to represent the Group of 6 in the CFP, but the American champion will receive the bid this season. Look for as many as five teams to vie for the title. Tulane brought in 20 transfers to bolster its roster, but Navy returns quarterback Blake Horvath (1,353 passing yards, 13 TD, 1,254 rushing yards, 17 TD). It should be an exciting watch. 8. The ACC receives one bid for the CFP The ACC managed to grab two CFP bids last season, but it won't happen again this year. Clemson is the favorite and should be a part of the 12-team field. No. 10 Miami could be in the hunt, but games against No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 15 Florida and at No. 16 SMU pose a threat. Remember, the Canes were left out last season with just two losses. 9. Vanderbilt increases its win total again The Commodores were the surprise story of 2024, going 7-6 after a 2-10 season in 2023. Vandy will win at least eight games this year thanks to 77 percent of its 2024 production returning. Quarterback Diego Pavia (2,293 yards, 20 TD) is the little engine that could. The 'Dores season will be decided between Oct. 4 and Nov. 1 when they play road games at No. 8 Alabama and No. 1 Texas, along with home contests against No. 9 LSU and Missouri. 10. No agreement will be reached to change the CFP format We'll know the answer to this by Dec. 1, as that's the date the CFP committee has set to determine the format for 2026-31. With the Big Ten still throwing out radical ideas, people are upset and it seems no deal is imminent. "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall," one CFP executive recently told CBS Sports.
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