By Aaron Portzline (The Athletic)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One year ago, Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason was in a whirlwind. Hired in late July, he was still learning his way around Nationwide Arena and matching names and faces with Blue Jackets players and staffers when training camp opened.
And, of course, there was the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy three weeks earlier, which cast a pall over everything and everybody.
The Athletic met up with Evason last week in Nationwide Arena, continuing a tradition of preseason Q&As with Blue Jackets coaches that began during the Ken Hitchcock era (2007-10). Evason was looking tanned and refreshed after a summer in which he played more golf than some PGA pros.
The 61-year-old knows his players now. He has a firm grip on who he’s working with and where he thinks the Blue Jackets are heading. He is firmly in control after an impressive first season, and he was full of energy and bite, like a coach who can’t wait to get going.
The Blue Jackets’ 25th season on the ice is the franchise’s most anticipated season in at least five years.
During a 45-minute sit-down, Evason was asked about Yegor Chinakhov’s off-season trade request, how the goaltending duties will be split between Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins, and what he feels is the best way to for the Blue Jackets — one of the NHL’s best stories last season — to get to the next level.
Let’s get right into it. Yegor Chinakhov asked for a trade this summer. Do you need to meet with him before camp — have you met with him? — to make sure you’re on the same page?
I sat down with him two weeks ago. The three of us (assistant Jared Boll was there, too) sat down and I said, “You asked for a trade?” He said, “Yep. If I’m not going to play, then I want to get traded.” And you know what I said? I said, “That’s fine. As an ex-player speaking here, you need to do what you need to do. But I wanted to clear the air with you.”
I told him there’s no grudge. I don’t care that he asked to be traded. I don’t care that he said something (publicly). It’s OK. I’m going to do what I do. Nothing has changed as far as how I’m going to treat you. If you don’t compete, and if you don’t do the things the organization asks you to do, you won’t play. If you do those things, you will play. I will not hold a grudge. I’m not here to (badmouth) you about saying something. That has no bearing. I asked him at the end of our conversation if he had any other questions and he said, “If I’m not going to play, I don’t want to play here. But I’ll do everything to play here.” I thought it was a really good talk.
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