Blue Jackets fill coaching vacancy with ex-Wild boss Dean Evason

The Columbus Blue Jackets hired Dean Evason as coach Monday, filling the NHL's final vacancy two months before training camps open.

Evason, 59, will be Columbus' third coach in as many seasons, not counting Mike Babcock being hired and resigning on the eve of training camp last September. The team says Evason agreed to a multiyear contract.

New Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell fired Pascal Vincent not long after taking over control of the organization's hockey operations department.

"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," Waddell said in a statement.

Evason coached the Minnesota Wild for parts of the past five seasons before being fired and replaced by John Hynes in November. This is his second head-coaching job in the league.

"There is a great core and a lot of young talent on this team," Evason said. "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."