The Columbus Blue Jackets could use a fresh start with a new head coach

The Columbus Blue Jackets kickstarted their organization overhaul in earnest this week when they hired former Carolina Hurricanes and Atlanta Thrashers executive Don Waddell as their new president and general manager.

With Waddell in the fold, all attention will now turn to head coach Pascal Vincent, who is coming off a rocky first year behind the bench in Columbus. The 52-year-old guided the Blue Jackets to a 27-43-12 record in his first season as an NHL head coach.

Vincent was never the Blue Jackets’ first choice to coach the team last season, but he was thrust into duty after Mike Babcock’s sudden resignation on the eve of training camp in the midst of an off-ice scandal. Now, Waddell and the Blue Jackets need to make a choice about Vincent’s future with the team.

Frank Seravalli and Jonny Lazarus discussed the situation in Columbus on Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff Live.

Lazarus: Don Waddell gets hired, president and GM, you come into that situation and now, all of a sudden, you’ve got to make a decision. A lot of the candidates have gone off the board, there are veteran candidates out there, does he look at someone he just worked with in Carolina, we really don’t know. What can you tell us about the latest on Pascal Vincent’s future with the hiring of Don Waddell?

Seravalli: Well, I think that’s top priority, a No. 1 question for Don Waddell to answer today. Pascal Vincent had a very rocky year. Some things not his fault, such as learning that you’re gonna be the head coach of the team a couple days before training camp because Mike Babcock decided to scroll through players’ phones. Part of it is his fault, including the deployment of young players, playing them out of position, playing them not in a position to develop them, trying to “win” for a team that was out of the mix by early November. There were some seriously perplexing decisions that Pascal Vincent made last year. I think, personally, they need a fresh start for everyone. Clean slate. That obviously includes management because John Davidson is stepping aside. I think you need to get a coach in there that you know and trust from a management perspective.

Watch the full episode here: