Is Blue Jackets Head Coach Rick Bowness On The Hot Seat?

The Columbus Blue Jackets were supposed to be better than they were at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. However, attrition wore down the lineup, as the team traded away superstar forward Kirill Marchenko to begin the year and added Cam Talbot as a backup goaltender to starter Jet Greaves. 

The team finished 2025-26 with a record of 40-30-12 and 92 points, just shy of a playoff spot they'd hoped to earn the past two seasons. 

Former head coach Dean Evason was fired in Jan. 2026 and was quickly replaced by Rick Bowness, who was brought out of retirement after instilling what could be considered a winning culture in Winnipeg. 

Rick Bowness Returns

There were concerns at the end of 2026 whether or not Bowness would return after calling out his players on their compete level. This has become a common occurrence for the Blue Jackets as of late, as they haven't played to the level of expectations Bowness has had for the squad. Shades of another former Blue Jackets coach who lost the room too, John Tortorella.

Despite that, the team signed him to an extension on April 16th, which expires at the end of the season. 

Behind the bench, the status quo remained, while the Blue Jackets added Val Nichushkin, Cam Talbot, Carson Soucy, and recently Matthew Knies. The team looks much different than last season, and a new lineup means new challenges.

To start the year, the Blue Jackets have won three out of their last eight games (3-5-0) and recorded only six points, despite adding Knies as a top-six forward in the trade with Marchenko. Knies has had a disappointing showing, recording 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 8 games. 

Could this spell doom for Bowness, who has expressed his disgust with how his team has played as of late?

Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff believes that Bowness is in the running to be the first coach fired in 2026-27. 

Does it count if the coach fires himself? There’s a non-zero chance Rick Bowness does that and walks away as Columbus Blue Jackets coach this season. He’s the oldest active bench boss in the league at 71, and he seems beyond fed up with his players’ compete level, regularly calling them out in post-game pressers going back to late last season

Bowness's all-time record as Blue Jackets coach doesn't look great either: 26-16-5, a small sample size, but still not good enough to dig themselves out of the hole they've been in. 

The last time the team was a playoff-caliber organization was with John Tortorella still in charge, and that was in 2020. Whether or not a major move occurs depends on general manager Don Waddell and what happens between now and the end of the season.