Columbus Just Fired Three Coaches and Still Can't Fix Six Years of Playoff Misery

The Columbus Blue Jackets are swinging the axe again. On Friday, the team announced it's parting ways with assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Scott Ford, plus video coach Aron Augustitus. All three had contracts through 2025-26, but the organization decided to cut them loose after another brutal season.

Here's the brutal math: Columbus finished 40-30-12 with 92 points, good for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. That missed the playoffs. Again. For the sixth straight year, the Blue Jackets are watching the postseason from home, and the front office finally decided something had to give.

When Your New Coach Isn't Enough

Haviland and Ford both arrived before the 2024-25 season with fresh legs and fresh ideas. Augustitus has been around since 2018, so he's seen the whole collapse unfold. None of it mattered. Even after Rick Bowness took over as head coach on January 12 (replacing Dean Evason and assistant Steve McCarthy), the team only managed a 21-11-5 record down the stretch. Better? Sure. Good enough? Clearly not.

The Front Office Sends a Message

Don Waddell, the president of hockey operations and general manager, made the call with Bowness. In a statement, Waddell said the changes were "in the best interest of our club moving forward." He called out the three coaches' hard work and wished them well, which is the polite way of saying "we're heading in a different direction."

The Blue Jackets are now in full evaluation mode. They'll start looking for replacement assistants almost immediately, but the real question is bigger: what the hell is actually broken here? One coach swap mid-season didn't solve it. Now three assistants are gone. At what point does the organization look in the mirror and ask if the problem runs deeper?

Columbus fans have been patient through six straight playoff misses. But patience wears thin fast. Waddell and Bowness need to show something is actually changing, not just the names on the coaching staff.

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