Don Waddell was hired as president of hockey operations and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday after stepping down from the same position with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
Waddell, 65, succeeds Jarmo Kekalainen, who was fired Feb. 15; John Davidson, who had been Columbus' president of hockey operations for 10 of the past 12 years, will be a senior adviser and alternate governor.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as this is an organization that has everything you need to have success at the highest level,” Waddell said. “It’s a wonderful city with passionate fans, strong ownership, first-class facilities, and a desire to be the best."
Waddell, who agreed to a multiyear contract with the Blue Jackets, had been with the Hurricanes in an executive role since 2014 and had been Carolina president and GM since 2018. The Hurricanes qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his six seasons as GM after not qualifying the previous nine. Carolina won at least one playoff series each of the past six seasons, highlighted by two trips to the Eastern Conference Final, in 2019 and 2023.
He was a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in 2019, which was won by Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney.
“I’ve known Don for many years, and he is one of the great gentlemen in our business,” Davidson said. “He is a very smart, dedicated professional who has shown a great ability to bring people together to work towards a common goal and achieve success. I believe this is a great day for our organization and our fans.”
