The Columbus Blue Jackets fired head coach Brad Larsen on Saturday after his second straight losing season.
The Blue Jackets (25-48-9, 59 points) finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2022-23 and were 62-85-16 during Larsen’s brief tenure.
The team also said it will not renew the contract of goaltending coach Manny Legace.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said more changes could be made after the team missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
“We’ll look at every position and we’re going to make the necessary changes,” Kekalainen said. “We want to get back into the playoffs. We’ve had an enough of being on the outside looking in and watching the playoffs on TV.”
Larsen, 45, had one year remaining on the three-year contract he signed in June 2021. He spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with Columbus.
Kekalainen said the search for Larsen’s replacement will be comprehensive and will begin immediately.
“I don’t think we’re going to rush into anything,” he said. “The sooner the better, obviously, but I think we’re going to do thorough search.”
Larsen played parts of eight seasons in the NHL before entering the coaching ranks. A forward, he played in 294 games with the Colorado Avalanche and Atlanta Thrashers and recorded 19 goals and 29 assists.
–Field Level Media
