Less than a week before walking to the dais inside Nationwide Arena’s Founders Club on Wednesday, Don Waddell was still running the Carolina Hurricanes.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/GM Don Waddell: 5 things to know
Once he gained the right to speak with other teams from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, Waddell interviewed with the Blue Jackets, left Columbus with a new job on the horizon and began planning. Knowing he was about to accept the Jackets’ offer Tuesday to become their new president of hockey operations and general manager, Waddell planned all throughout Memorial Day weekend.
He called it a “roadmap” for what’s about to become a hectic few weeks for the Blue Jackets, who have a stockpile of good prospects, draft picks and NHL pieces for Waddell to learn about before the draft June 28-29 in Las Vegas. Free agency follows that with its July 1 opening day, so there’s no time to waste.
“I’ve kind of mapped out, since I knew this was going to happen, a road map of how things have to happen,” he said. “It’s not (daunting). It’s time. I’m going to spend a lot of time with the staff here. … That’s the fun part for me, is meeting with everybody, and if we have to make some changes in some places, we’ll make those decisions and move on.”
Waddell’s tenure as the Blue Jackets’ top hockey mind is officially going now. Nattily attired with a tie bearing his new team’s colors, he spent just under an hour taking questions ranging from why he left the Carolina Hurricanes for a “lateral move” to whether he’ll hire a new GM to his thoughts on beleaguered goalie Elvis Merzlikins.
It was a lot to digest for Waddell, reporters and even Blue Jackets staffers who are just as curious about which direction the team’s new hockey boss will take the franchise. Here are five takeaways from an important day in Blue Jackets history:
Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/GM Don Waddell feels Merzlikins can return to excellence
There’s no easy way to say it. Merzlikins has struggled during the first two years of a five-year contract that carries a $5.4 million annual charge against the NHL’s salary cap. Depending on his performance going forward, that’s a flexible number that can either become a bargain or anchor.
Asked about Merzlikins, Waddell couldn’t hold back an initial attempt at humor.
“Who’s Elvis?” he said.
The reality is that Waddell knows exactly who ‘Elvis’ is in…
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