Building a new franchise (1997–2000) Prior to the establishment of the Blue Jackets, the last NHL team in the state of Ohio was the
Cleveland Barons, who played from 1976 to 1978. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets replaced the
Columbus Chill of the
ECHL, who played in the city from 1991 to 1999. The Chill played at the
Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, where they set a
minor league hockey record by selling out 83 consecutive games. In November 1996, five investors formed a partnership called Columbus Hockey Limited, who then submitted an application and a $100,000 fee to the NHL office. When League Commissioner
Gary Bettman visited Columbus to meet with the community's leaders about the franchise proposal, there was concern that the voters might not pass the needed referendum. The civic leaders told Bettman that they would not be willing to foot the bill for the team if the referendum failed. However, just after the meeting adjourned,
John H. McConnell (one of those who entered the bid) privately guaranteed Bettman that an arena would be built, referendum or not. Columbus' hopes for the bid dimmed when the May referendum failed. However,
Nationwide announced on May 31, 1997, that it would finance the $150-million arena. Subsequently, on June 25, 1997, the NHL announced that Columbus would receive a new franchise. With the first-overall choice, the Blue Jackets selected goaltender
Rick Tabaracci from the
Colorado Avalanche. Over the course of the draft, Columbus picked up goaltender
Dwayne Roloson, defensemen
Lyle Odelein and
Mathieu Schneider, and forwards
Geoff Sanderson,
Turner Stevenson and
Dallas Drake, among others. Instead of joining Columbus, Roloson signed with the
American Hockey League's
Worcester IceCats, Schneider left for the
Los Angeles Kings, and the
St. Louis Blues signed Drake. Columbus also traded Stevenson to the
New Jersey Devils to complete an earlier transaction. The Blue Jackets and Wild were granted concessions by some franchises who could not protect their full rosters. The
San Jose Sharks traded
Jan Caloun, a ninth-round pick in the
2000 NHL entry draft, and a
2001 conditional pick to Columbus; in return, the Blue Jackets agreed not to select the Sharks' unprotected
goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. On June 24, at the 2000 NHL entry draft, Columbus selected
Rostislav Klesla fourth overall.
Early years (2000–2005) The Blue Jackets played their first regular season game on October 7, 2000, a 5–3 loss to the
Chicago Blackhawks.
Bruce Gardiner scored the franchise's first goal. Columbus finished with a 28–39–9–6 record for 71 points, last in the Central Division, and failed to qualify for the
playoffs.
Geoff Sanderson became the first player in team history to score 30 goals.
Ron Tugnutt, who was signed in the summer of 2000, supplied solid goaltending with 22 wins, which tied the 74-year-old NHL record for wins by an expansion-team goaltender (
New York Rangers'
Lorne Chabot also had 22 wins in
1926–27). was the general manager for the Blue Jackets from 1998 to 2007, and head coach from 2002 to 2004. The Blue Jackets finished next-to-last in the NHL in the
following season, with only 57 points.
Ray Whitney, acquired from the
Florida Panthers the previous season, led the team in scoring with 61 points, setting a franchise record. Tragedy struck the Blue Jackets organization in March 2002 when 13-year-old
Brittanie Cecil was killed after a deflected puck shot by
Espen Knutsen struck her in the head while she was in the stands at
Nationwide Arena. As a result of her death, large nylon mesh nets were installed behind the goals in all NHL arenas to shield spectators from pucks going over the glass. The team also wore small red hearts with the initials "BNC" on their helmets. During the off-season, the Blue Jackets traded a second-round draft pick (32nd overall) and Ron Tugnutt to the
Dallas Stars in exchange for Dallas' first-round pick (20th overall) in the
2002 NHL entry draft. On the morning of the draft, Columbus traded the third-overall pick and the option to flip draft spots in
2003 to the
Florida Panthers; in return, Columbus received the first-overall pick, which they used to select
Rick Nash. The
2002–03 season started with Columbus putting up a 7–5–1–1 record after the first 14 games. However, as expectations from their fans grew higher, the team came back to mediocrity, finishing last in the Central Division for the third consecutive season with 69 points and missing the playoffs once again.
Dave King, who had been the team's head coach since their debut in 2000, was fired mid-season and replaced by general manager
Doug MacLean.
Marc Denis was named starting goaltender; he played a franchise-record 77 games that season and set a league record with 4,511 minutes played in 2002–03. He tied for second all-time for games played in a season by a goaltender, just two shy of the league record held by
St. Louis Blues'
Grant Fuhr in the
1995–96 season. The
2003–04 season was another losing season for the Blue Jackets despite key additions in the off-season. Checking center
Todd Marchant was signed to a five-year contract in July from the
Edmonton Oilers. Defenseman
Darryl Sydor, known to play strong offense as well, was acquired from the Dallas Stars for
Mike Sillinger and a draft pick. MacLean stepped aside as head coach midway through the season, giving way to
Gerard Gallant. The Blue Jackets finished with just 62 points (the second-lowest total in their short history), but it was enough to help them break out of last place in the Central Division for the first time, finishing ahead of the
Chicago Blackhawks. Nash was one of the few bright spots for the team; his 41 goals tied
Jarome Iginla and
Ilya Kovalchuk for the
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (as League leader in goals scored). In the 2004 off-season, the
NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) and NHL administration failed to renew their
collective bargaining agreement. September 14, 2004, marked the beginning of the
lockout of the
2004–05 season. No games were played and the
Stanley Cup was not awarded for the first time since the
flu epidemic of 1919. An agreement was made on July 13, 2005, and the lockout officially ended nine days later on July 22, 2005.
Nash era and rebuilding (2005–2012) In the summer of 2005, rugged
Colorado Avalanche defenseman
Adam Foote agreed to a three-year deal with the team. Heading into the
2005–06 season, it appeared the Blue Jackets would finally take the next step and make the playoffs. Instead, injuries to Rick Nash, Rostislav Klesla and
Gilbert Brule, the team's
2005 first-round pick, led to the team putting up a dismal 9–25–1 record through its first 35 games. Superstar
Sergei Fedorov was acquired from the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim; Anaheim received
Tyler Wright and
Francois Beauchemin, and later claimed
Todd Marchant off waivers. While again failing to make the playoffs, Columbus did manage to improve. They had the best overtime record in the NHL (14–4) and finished the season with franchise records for wins (35) and points (74). in net for the Blue Jackets during the
2006–07 season. The Blue Jackets acquired Norrena during the 2006 off-season, in a trade with the
Tampa Bay Lightning. The
2006–07 season saw several changes made to the team. In the off-season,
Marc Denis was dealt to the
Tampa Bay Lightning for forward
Fredrik Modin and goaltender
Fredrik Norrena, making way for
Pascal Leclaire to take the starting job. The Blue Jackets also signed
Anson Carter when it looked as if
Nikolay Zherdev would be playing the season in Russia; in late September, however, Zherdev and general manager
Doug MacLean were able to reach a compromise. Partway through the season, on November 13, 2006,
Gerard Gallant was relieved of his duties as head coach. The next day,
Gary Agnew was named his interim replacement. On November 22,
Ken Hitchcock, former coach of the
Dallas Stars and
Philadelphia Flyers, was named the new head coach, effective the following day. Under Hitchcock's first year, two milestones were set: on December 10, 2006, the Blue Jackets scored a team-record five power-play goals in a 6–2 win over the
Ottawa Senators, and on April 3, 2007, the Blue Jackets broke the modern-day record for most times being shut-out in a season (16) with a 3–0 loss to the
Detroit Red Wings. On April 18, 2007, Doug MacLean, the team's first general manager and president, was fired after nine years and six seasons at the helm without a playoff berth. Mike Priest, president of Blue Jackets parent company JMAC, Inc., was named president of the club, while Assistant general manager Jim Clark served as general manager until the Blue Jackets named
Edmonton Oilers Assistant general manager
Scott Howson as the new general manager on June 15, 2007. On October 4, 2007, the Blue Jackets announced their affiliation with the
Elmira Jackals, which replaced their former affiliation with the
Dayton Bombers as the club's
ECHL affiliate. The
2007–08 season, the club's first full season under Hitchcock, started off well as the Jackets got off to their best start in franchise history, starting with a 4–0 shutout of the defending
Stanley Cup champion
Anaheim Ducks. At the trade deadline on February 26, 2008, however, apparently unable to agree on a new contract and amid some controversy, Blue Jackets captain
Adam Foote requested a trade to the
Colorado Avalanche, which was granted. The Blue Jackets received a pair of conditional picks in return. A few weeks later, on March 12, 2008, former Blue Jackets number-one draft pick Rick Nash was named the new team captain. Despite this, Columbus managed its best season record to date, staying above a .500 game wins average until the final game of the season and finishing fourth in the
Central Division with 80 points. After the season, Nash was announced as the cover player for the
NHL 2K9 video game by
Take-Two Interactive. At the
2008 NHL entry draft, the Blue Jackets selected
Nikita Filatov with the sixth overall pick. They also traded away the 19th overall pick (acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Adam Foote) for
R. J. Umberger. The Blue Jackets made many trades in the 2008 off-season. Gilbert Brule was traded to the
Edmonton Oilers for
Raffi Torres. Enigmatic forward Nikolay Zherdev and
Dan Fritsche were traded to the
New York Rangers in exchange for defensemen
Fedor Tyutin and
Christian Backman. The Blue Jackets also signed free agents
Kristian Huselius and
Mike Commodore to multi-year contracts. On July 9, 2008, the Blue Jackets announced they signed Hitchcock to a three-year extension to remain as head coach. served in that role until he was traded to the
New York Rangers on July 23, 2012. During the
2008–09 season, the Blue Jackets made two trades which greatly played to their benefit. Forward
Jason Williams was acquired from the
Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman
Clay Wilson and a sixth-round draft pick. The Blue Jackets were also involved with the first major deal of the 2009
NHL trade deadline, by trading goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a second-round draft pick to the
Ottawa Senators for skilled center
Antoine Vermette. The changes in scenery benefited both players and the Jackets; Williams scored 28 points in his first 36 games as a Jacket, while Vermette scored 11 points in his first 14 games with the team. Rick Nash scored 79 points throughout the season, setting a franchise record. On April 8, 2009, the Columbus Blue Jackets secured the first
Stanley Cup playoff berth in the franchise's eight-year history with a 4–3 shootout win over the
Chicago Blackhawks. However, they were swept in the first round by the
Detroit Red Wings in four games, and would not qualify for the playoffs for the next four seasons. With 21 games remaining and sitting four points out of eighth in the Western Conference, the Blue Jackets dealt long time defenseman Rostislav Klesla and
Dane Byers to the
Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for
Scottie Upshall and
Sami Lepisto at the trade deadline on February 28, 2011. In the 2011 off-season, in an attempt to make a serious playoff run, the Blue Jackets traded 2007 first-round pick
Jakub Voracek, their 2011 first-round pick (
Sean Couturier) and a third-round pick (Nick Cousins) to the
Philadelphia Flyers for All-Star center
Jeff Carter. They also signed several free agents:
James Wisniewski,
Vaclav Prospal and
Radek Martinek. However, after a disastrous start to the 2011–12 season that saw the firing of head coach
Scott Arniel, Carter was traded to the
Los Angeles Kings for
Jack Johnson and a conditional first-round pick after playing just 39 games with the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets also traded veteran centers Antoine Vermette and
Samuel Pahlsson for goaltender
Curtis McElhinney and several draft picks at the trade deadline. There was also heavy speculation that captain Rick Nash would be traded at the deadline. Although Nash was not traded, general manager
Scott Howson publicly announced that he had privately requested a trade, a move that has stirred up much controversy. Nash was eventually traded to the
New York Rangers on July 23, 2012, for
Brandon Dubinsky,
Artem Anisimov, prospect
Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round draft pick. At the
2012 NHL entry draft, the Blue Jackets traded their second and fourth round picks to the Philadelphia Flyers for the eventual winner of the
Vezina Trophy, goaltender
Sergei Bobrovsky (
2012–13). The
2012–13 lockout and season saw changes to the executive and front office of the organization.
John Davidson was named as president of hockey operations for the Blue Jackets on October 24. On February 12, Scott Howson was relieved of his duties as general manager.
Jarmo Kekalainen, who had previously worked with Davidson in
St. Louis, was hired away from
Jokerit of the Finnish
SM-liiga to be the new general manager becoming the first European born general manager in the NHL. The Blue Jackets then traded for All-Star forward
Marian Gaborik. The Blue Jackets just missed the playoffs via a tiebreaker against the
Minnesota Wild, who had more regulation and overtime wins (ROW).
The Kekalainen years (2013–2024) Move into the Eastern Conference during the
2013–14 season. As a result of a postponed game, Horton became the only player in NHL history to have registered a goal, without suiting up for that game. The Blue Jackets moved into the
Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference in the
2013–14 season after spending its first 13 seasons in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The other teams in the Metropolitan Division consist of the
Carolina Hurricanes,
New Jersey Devils,
New York Islanders,
New York Rangers,
Philadelphia Flyers,
Pittsburgh Penguins and
Washington Capitals, the latter six of which once composed the old
Patrick Division. On April 9, 2014, the Blue Jackets clinched their second playoff spot in franchise history by winning a 3–1 game against the
Dallas Stars. This game was also noted for being a game resumed after being postponed on March 10, 2014, due to
Rich Peverley's cardiac event in which the Blue Jackets led 1–0. The NHL decided to keep the goal scored by
Nathan Horton and resumed the game with a full 60 minutes. Nathan Horton made history by being credited for scoring a goal while not suiting up for the game. The Blue Jackets faced the
Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the
2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. This series had a trend that was noted for making 3–1 leads end up as 4–3 loss. Games 1 and 2 were at the
Consol Energy Center in downtown
Pittsburgh. The Blue Jackets made a large jump in history when
Jack Johnson scored the first goal of the game. This was the first time in franchise history that Columbus ever led a postseason game. The Jackets lead the game 3–1 at one point from goals by
Mark Letestu and
Derek MacKenzie. However, the Penguins rallied to win it 4–3. Game 2 was the opposite. Pittsburgh led 3–1 at one point, but Columbus rallied to win game 2 4–3 by an overtime goal from
Matt Calvert. This was the first playoff victory in franchise history. Pittsburgh won game 3 by a score of 4–3. Game 4 was a memorable night at
Nationwide Arena. Columbus was down 3–0, and 3–1 by the end of the first period.
Boone Jenner and
Ryan Johansen scored to make it 3–2 by the end of the second period.
Brandon Dubinsky scored the game-tying goal with 22.5 seconds left in regulation, after a miss-play with the puck by
Marc-Andre Fleury.
Nick Foligno went on to score the game-winning goal in overtime. In the locker room during intermission, he supposedly told the team that he will score the game-winner. Pittsburgh, however, went on to win the next two games and took the best-of-seven series in six games. The
2014–15 season was most notable for the number of injuries the Jackets incurred. The Jackets lead the league in man-games lost with 502. At one point, the injured reserve list consisted of 15 players, including stars
Sergei Bobrovsky, Brandon Dubinsky,
Jack Johnson, and
Ryan Murray. When the team's injured players began to return in late February, they were able to accumulate wins the way they had the previous two seasons and in the process, set a franchise record earning nine consecutive wins. However, the Blue Jackets still finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs by nine points despite a 42–35–5 record. On May 20, 2015,
Nick Foligno was named the sixth captain in team history. The position had been vacant since Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers in July 2012. On June 30, 2015, the Jackets traded centers
Marko Dano and
Artem Anisimov, along with wingers
Jeremy Morin and
Corey Tropp, to the
Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for
Brandon Saad. This move was the subject of much controversy in Chicago since Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had publicly said that Saad was going to be a part of the organization for many years to come. The Jackets also acquired
Michael Paliotta and
Alex Broadhurst in the trade. The Jackets signed center
Gregory Campbell from the
Boston Bruins a few days later.
Tortorella era (2015–2021) The Blue Jackets initially went into the
2015–16 season with high expectations. However, the team got off to an inauspicious start by losing their first eight regular season games in regulation, the second longest losing streak to start a season in NHL history. This prompted the Jackets to fire head coach Todd Richards and hire
John Tortorella in his place. On January 6, 2016, the Blue Jackets traded Ryan Johansen to the
Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman
Seth Jones. The Blue Jackets record at the end of the season was 34–40–8, and were ranked 27th overall in the NHL. They closed out the season on a high note, however, as they won the season finale against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, overcoming a 3–0 deficit after the first period to win 5–4 in overtime. was awarded his second
Vezina Trophy for his performance in the
2016–17 season. The Blue Jackets set three franchise records during the
2016–17 season. On November 4, 2016, the Blue Jackets scored a franchise-record ten goals in a 10–0 shutout win against the
Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first team to do so since 2011 (when the
St. Louis Blues beat the Detroit Red Wings 10–3). In mid-November, the Blue Jackets got a franchise record seventh consecutive win at home. During a franchise-record 16-game win streak that started in late November, Tortorella recorded his 500th career win in a 4–3 Blue Jackets overtime win on the road against the
Vancouver Canucks, becoming the first American-born head coach to reach 500 wins. The team had a record of 14–0–0 in December. The team's win streak ended in early January when they lost 5–0 to the
Washington Capitals. The win streak was the second longest in NHL history behind the 1992–93 Pittsburgh Penguins' 17 consecutive games. The team finished with a record of 50–24–8 and 108 points, setting a franchise record. During the first round of the
2017 playoffs, the Blue Jackets were placed in a matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team lost three straight games to begin the series, but won the fourth game to save themselves from elimination. This game in which they won 5–4 marked the Blue Jackets' first regulation win in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite this, they would ultimately lose the series in five games. In the following off-season, on June 23, 2017, the Jackets made another deal with the Blackhawks sending Brandon Saad back to Chicago for
Artemi Panarin and
Tyler Motte. The Blue Jackets returned to the playoffs in
2018 as a wild card qualifier, going in back-to-back years for the first time. There they faced the Metropolitan Division champion Washington Capitals in the first round, winning the first two games in overtime and their first series lead. However, they lost the next four games and the series in six games. In 2019, the Blue Jackets, with expiring contracts, went all-in at the trade deadline, acquiring
Matt Duchene and
Ryan Dzingel, along with several other players. They qualified for the
2019 playoffs as the second wild card, where they
swept the
Presidents' Trophy winner
Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round to win their first ever playoff series, but lost their second round series in six games to the
Boston Bruins. The Blue Jackets would then lose long-time starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, and the team's leader in points, Artemi Panarin, in free agency during the 2019 off-season. On March 12, 2020, the 2019–20 season was paused due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, with the remainder of the regular season being officially canceled on May 26. On August 1, the season would resume and follow a 24-team playoff format. and went on to lose the series in five games. During the 2020 off-season, star forward
Pierre-Luc Dubois signed a two-year extension with the Blue Jackets but would later request a trade from the team. The shortened 56-game
2020–21 season saw the Blue Jackets placed and struggle in the
Central Division, under the NHL's realigned divisions. After being benched for the second and third periods in what would be his last game with the team on January 21, 2021, Dubois, along with a
2022 third-round pick, was traded to the
Winnipeg Jets in exchange for wingers
Patrik Laine and
Jack Roslovic on January 23. Veteran players
David Savard and captain
Nick Foligno would also be traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. The team finished last in their division, with a dismal 18–26–12 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Tortorella and the Blue Jackets would then part ways after six seasons.
Rebuilding and the Gaudreau era (2021–2024) The departures of Tortorella and several key players in the past few seasons threw the Blue Jackets into another rebuild, starting with the promotion of assistant coach
Brad Larsen to head coach on June 10, 2021.
Seth Jones would then be traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman
Adam Boqvist and a
2021 first-round pick (
Cole Sillinger), and
Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers for former first-round pick Jakub Voracek. The 2021–22 season saw the Blue Jackets return to the Metropolitan Division as the NHL reverted to its 82-game regular season. In their season-opening game against the
Arizona Coyotes, the team honored backup goaltender
Matiss Kivlenieks, who had tragically died in a fireworks accident during the off-season, on July 4, 2021. They raised his number to hang inside Nationwide Arena for the duration of the season. His family also performed a ceremonial puck drop and goaltender
Elvis Merzlikins was allowed to wear #80 during said game. They had also established the Matiss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund in his memory in order to promote the growth of hockey in Columbus and his homeland of Latvia. On October 12, 2021, Boone Jenner was named the seventh captain in franchise history. Under his captaincy, the Blue Jackets started their season with a strong 7–3–0 record in their first ten games, even defeating the eventual Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche in back-to-back games. Despite an improved offense and scoring capabilities, issues with defense and special teams caught up with the team as the season progressed, finishing among the top 10 teams with the highest
goals against average. On April 16, 2022, they were officially eliminated from playoff contention when the Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens. They finished sixth in their division, with a 37–38–7 record and 81 points. (center) playing for the Blue Jackets in a game against the
Seattle Kraken during the
2023–24 season During the 2022 free agency, the Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world by signing
Calgary Flames superstar
Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year contract, following the signing of his teammate, defenseman
Erik Gudbranson, to a four-year contract on July 13, 2022. The Gaudreau signing stunned hockey fans and media alike as the franchise had gained a reputation of being unable to sign or retain star players. Gaudreau, who had reportedly been linked to other Metro teams like the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, and Philadelphia Flyers for weeks, decided to play for less compensation for Columbus, citing their potential as a young team and that he came there "to win hockey games." Subsequently, in order to re-sign Laine to what would be a four-year contract after the blockbuster signings, the Blue Jackets traded winger
Oliver Bjorkstrand to the
Seattle Kraken for
2023 late-round picks. In the 2022–23 season, amid expectations of being a competitive team, the Blue Jackets could not overcome their defensive issues and man games lost due to injuries, especially that of top defenseman
Zach Werenski, consistently placing them at the bottom of their division and of the league. The "lost" season would see the Blue Jackets trade forwards
Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild and Jakub Voracek to the Arizona Coyotes; and backup goaltender
Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman
Vladislav Gavrikov to the Los Angeles Kings for draft picks and prospects. Two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender
Jonathan Quick, also acquired from the Kings, would be traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in less than two days. On March 17, 2023, the Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention in their 68th game, after a 7–4 loss to the
Anaheim Ducks. They finished eighth in their division, with a dismal 25–48–9 record and 59 points, and were 31st in the league. On April 15, 2023, they relieved Brad Larsen of his duties as head coach. For the 2023–24 season, the Blue Jackets made several changes in the off-season. They looked to improve their blue line by trading for
Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers on June 6, 2023, and then for
Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils three days later. On July 1, they hired
Mike Babcock as their new head coach amid much controversy, as he had a reputation of mistreating players. In the
2023 NHL entry draft, they used their third overall pick to draft center
Adam Fantilli from the
University of Michigan. Babcock resigned on September 17, after allegations of improper behavior via the ''
Spittin' Chiclets'' podcast led to an
NHLPA investigation into his conduct. He announced his resignation as head coach before the start of the preseason, with
Pascal Vincent being named his successor. On February 15, 2024, the Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, ending an 11-year tenure that included the team’s first playoff series win in 2019. On May 28,
Don Waddell was hired as president of hockey operations and general manager, while John Davidson transitioned to a senior advisor role within the organization. The team struggled once again, finishing with a 27–43–12 record and last in the Metropolitan Division. On June 17, 2024, the Blue Jackets fired Vincent, with former
Minnesota Wild coach
Dean Evason named his successor on July 22. On August 29, ahead of the
2024–25 season, Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were both killed by a driver suspected of
drunk driving while cycling in
Oldmans Township, New Jersey. The tragedy was met with tributes from around the NHL and wider sports world, as well as an impromptu memorial established by fans at
Nationwide Arena. ==Team information==