Coach Brad Larsen was dismissed from his position by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a move that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen called a necessary change. This comes after Larsen coached the Blue Jackets for the past two seasons, failing to make the playoffs on both occasions.
“We need a change. That became clear that we need a change,” Larsen stated before insisting, “I’m not going to dissect the strengths and weaknesses of the coaches that got let go today, out of respect to them. But it was a lot of things that factored in that made us come to this conclusion, and it was absolutely necessary to make these moves.”
During Larsen’s time in charge, the Blue Jackets lost 102 of their 164 NHL games. In addition to finishing last in the Eastern Conference last season, Columbus also finished 31st out of all 32 NHL teams overall.
Larsen is the third coach already to lose his job since the conclusion of the NHL’s regular season. Dallas Eakins was fired by the Anaheim Ducks after four seasons, while Peter Laviolette was dismissed from the Washington Capitals after three years.
