Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said they all have holes in their heart. (Photo credit: Mark Scheig, the Hockey Writers)

Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Staffing Changes, World Championships & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mark Scheig | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 1:25 PM ET

The Columbus Blue Jackets might be done with their 2024-25 season, but the work never stops. Between the upcoming World Championships and preparing for the 2025 NHL Draft, the team has a lot on their plate.

One of those items involved decisions regarding the future of some of their support staff. That’s where we begin this edition of Blue Jackets’ News & Rumors.

Staffing Changes

The Hockey Writers is able to confirm that four long-time staffers of the Blue Jackets were not retained. This includes two that had been with the team since their inception.

In each case, a decision was made to not renew their expiring contracts. As pointed out by Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch on the Cannon Fodder podcast, GM Don Waddell told him they had 51 expiring contracts that they had to make decisions on.

With the four above not retained, the expectation was that all others would be retained. That means any assistant coaches up for renewal were retained. Jared Boll and Steve McCarthy were in that situation. Boll was seen in Cleveland last week for Game 1 against the Toronto Marlies along with head coach Dean Evason and assistant GM Josh Flynn.

At this point, there is no word on who will replace those not retained. Waddell now gets his chance to put his stamp on the Blue Jackets after having one season to evaluate what they had.

The most notable one not retained was Collins. He joined the Blue Jackets in June 2010 as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Recent years have brought up questions regarding injuries on the team and how they’ve been handled. Past regimes ruled the injuries to be more “bad luck” than anything. Waddell decided to make a change now.

World Championships

We wondered at Blue Jackets’ exit-interview day if Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson would be joining Team Canada for the upcoming World Championships. Both players weren’t formally asked as of then. It seems we have more clarity now. And they’re not alone.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Athletic, Fantilli & Johnson will play for Team Canada. And as first reported by Darren Dreger of TSN, Evason will be the head coach of Team Canada.

#CBJ Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson will play for Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Denmark.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 28, 2025

With the news of Evason being the head coach, it was no surprise to hear of Fantilli and Johnson being on the team. As of this writing, Team Canada hasn’t formally announced the rest of the staff or their roster. That is expected soon given the tournament starts on May 9.

This year’s World Championships will be held in Sweden and Denmark.