Pros & Cons of Retaining Pascal Vincent as Blue Jackets’ Coach – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are done to their final game of the regular season this coming Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Once the buzzer sounds, the real work will begin in making significant changes to the team.

Change is not only expected, but expected to be many. The Blue Jackets are last in the Eastern Conference by 10 points and knew early on that the playoffs were not going to be a thing for them.

We know that a new general manager will be coming in. With that comes the possible domino effect. The coaching staff, the roster and the staff will all be evaluated under the watchful eye of the new GM.

That is the question we are going to explore today. Should the Blue Jackets, even with a new general manager coming in, retain head coach Pascal Vincent? We know that the new GM will have the final say in this.

Just as a backdrop, there is precedence in a head coach staying even when a new general manager comes in. Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe remained with the team when GM Brad Treliving was hired. Of course, the Maple Leafs were in a much different situation being a playoff contender. They will once again get ready for a playoff series this season.

In looking at the overall situation, there are pros and cons the new GM must consider when making a decision on Vincent.

Pros of Keeping Vincent

If he is retained, Vincent does have one more season on his contract. One pro of keeping him would be to honor his contract so that the Blue Jackets don’t have a fourth head coach in the last two seasons.

Brad Larsen was fired. So was Mike Babcock. If the Blue Jackets elect to fire Vincent, they would have a fourth head coach. That kind of change is not good for a young team trying to find chemistry. Think of it this way. Since Johnny Gaudreau signed his seven-year deal with the Blue Jackets, he’s had three head coaches. It could be four. That’s almost unheard of in that short length of time.

Another pro of keeping Vincent is it would allow him a full offseason and opportunity to plan out things he wants to do without having to feel rushed. Recall Vincent was named head coach right in front of training camp. Talk about a rush to try to get things in order. While the players knew him and while Vincent was working with Babcock, he still wasn’t the head coach. How would he do with a full offseason of planning and preparation?

Yet another…