Columbus Just Fired Three Coaches and Still Can't Stop the Bleeding: Six Straight Years Out of the Playoffs

The Columbus Blue Jackets finally swung the axe Friday, and it went deep. Assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Scott Ford are gone. Video coach Aron Augustitus is gone too. All three are out after the 2025-26 season ends. And honestly? This housecleaning was coming from a mile away.

The Blue Jackets finished with a 40-30-12 record and 92 points, good enough for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. That sounds almost respectable until you remember they completely whiffed on the playoffs. Again. For the sixth straight year. This isn't a fluke anymore. This is a pattern.

The Quick Rebuild That Didn't Fix Anything

Here's the thing that stings the most: Haviland and Ford were supposed to be part of the solution. They both joined the Blue Jackets before the 2024-25 season. Augustitus has been around longer, dating back to 2018. So these weren't exactly untested names. Yet none of it worked.

Rick Bowness took over as head coach after the team fired Dean Evason and assistant coach Steve McCarthy on January 12. Under Bowness, the Blue Jackets went 21-11-5 down the stretch. That's respectable hockey. That's "maybe we're turning a corner" hockey. Turns out it wasn't nearly enough to save the season.

Don Waddell's Reset Button

Don Waddell, the president of hockey operations and general manager, made the call alongside Bowness. His statement was diplomatic but cold: "Following our end of season meetings, Rick and I determined that changes to our coaching staff would be in the best interest of our club moving forward."

Translation: Something has to change, and we're starting here. Waddell acknowledged the work these coaches put in, saying they did the job asked of them. But this organization is stuck. Six missed playoffs in a row is unacceptable. The team is already scouting candidates to fill the holes on the coaching staff.

Columbus needs more than roster tweaks. They need momentum. They need to stop watching better teams celebrate in April while they clean out their offices. The next coaching staff better have answers.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.