Blue Jackets Fire Head Coach Brad Larsen

The Columbus Blues Jackets joined a couple of other teams that missed the playoffs and parted ways with their head coach. Columbus fired Brad Larsen after his second full season as a head coach in the NHL and with the team. Along with Larsen, the Blue Jackets will also be parting ways with goalie coach Manny Legace as his contract is up.

Larsen, just age 45, coached the team to a 62-85-16 record and missed the playoffs both last season and this one. The Blue Jackets regressed significantly from 2021-22 to 2022-23, but largely in part to the mass number of injuries. Regardless, this isn't how the Blue Jackets' management expected the season to go as they had just acquired massive free agent Johnny Gaudreau and also brought in Erik Gubdranson to shore up their defence.

The Blue Jackets finished second last in the NHL this season and are going to get a very good young player in the draft. Their roster and organization is already filled with them and the team is likely looking for a coach that can start fresh and get Columbus into the playoff race and playing postseason games very soon. Larsen wasn't put in a great spot to succeed, but many times teams change coaches as they hope to turn a corner. There will be many good options available to replace Larsen as a head coach.

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