OverDrive - Evason on the Blue Jackets' overall season, the mentality of the team and Werenski's impressive performances

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

Columbus Blue Jackets Dean Evason joined OverDrive to discuss the team's overall season, the mindset of the roster and the mentality of the group, Zach Werenski's impressive performance, the team being in the playoff hunt and more.

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Alpine credits where homeowners get approved just for license 12 6 1 6 here's Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evison How you doing Dean? I'm good guys. It's not as cold as northern Manitoba That's very true. Do you take pride in that or what I? Do but I actually hate the cold now but but when when people talk about cold you know especially in in southern places and down in the States you have no idea what what cold actually is. I know it's incredible man. We hear it how soft we are here in southern Ontario because

we get it from guys in the prairies and you know Manitoba, Saskatchewan, even Northern Ontario they look down on us like how dare you complain about feels like minus 25 when it apparently is like fine it feels like minus 50 up in Northern Ontario right now. So that's been going on that's been going on for many years I believe me even when I when I played in the 80s that was always the ribbing going back and forth in the Western Leaguers, Ontario and Quebec, obviously. Absolutely. Well, we've been talking about your team a lot and how well you guys have been playing,

and you're in the playoff hunt here. It comes as, I guess, a bit of a surprise from the outside world, but take us inside the room when you started the season Dean and how close to the expectations have you actually met here along the way and is this kind of what you guys were expecting the whole time that you compete for a playoff spot this year? Well I'll be honest with you like for from my standpoint and the coaching standpoint we did not have expectations. You know I'm truly a guy that goes day by day and game by game. I know there's a lot of talk of what's happened in Columbus over the last few years as far as the hockey. Then clearly starting how we did with the tragedy with Johnny Goodrell was absolutely absolutely, you know, horrible and devastating and, and, you know, just everything that went

on with that. But the guys have really come together. What we've asked of them was to be a team first mentality or have the team first mentality play hard for each other each and every night. And we'll see where we sit at the end of the day. And when I first took the job or was given the job, fortunately, they, everybody talked about our young skill and we were, we've got this and in the future and all that kind of stuff. And I thought it was a bit disrespectful to some of the guys that had been there and you know the Boone

Jenner's and you know, Branson who obviously are both the you know long-term injury right now but guys that that have been there for a long time they've there was a good foundation there people talked about changing the culture or changing this and that and it was it was It just, you know, we just really had to come together as a group. Clearly Johnny's situation brought the guys, you know, close together. You know, there was a lot of healing going on

at the start of the year, but it allowed us to bring that togetherness on the ice. And fortunately we played some good hockey and we've got some good, really good hockey players on our hockey team and fortunately we've had some success and we're where we are today because of that. Dean, what's the biggest factor in getting the guys to believe in the results? Like is it about individuals feeling confident or you putting something in place structurally

that allows them to have success, like just getting some wins and getting in the mix here. What was the biggest factor in guys believing that they could have success and not just be one of those teams where it's like, here we go again, we're going to get dummy every night. Now they believe that they can do it. Yeah I think it's the belief that they're going to play hard for each other. We've tried to, from day one, just put aside all the outside distractions.

Obviously, even before Johnny's situation, it was, forget about what's been said and what's been... This is a completely different team. Like I said, there's been a lot of chaos with the organization over the last couple of years or a few years with things going on and we can get into all the coaching changes and all that kind of stuff. So sure, did we put some stability in the systems? Yeah, of course. But every team, every coach, especially in the National Hockey League, has a system and are

dialed in and practice and your game plan to play games. But you can talk to your blue in the face, but if the players don't believe it and they don't believe in each other and what we're doing collectively to move forward, then it doesn't matter, right? So we've had a tremendous leadership group in that room and I talk a lot about you know Johnny not being in the room but you know Boone Jenner not being there, and Gibran, two of our you know our leaders we haven't had all year but it's allowed the Wierensky and Monahan's it's hurt right now, but the Olivier's of the world to step up and be leaders on our team.

I could go through a lot. I obviously named three guys, but I could name a lot more that have stepped up in situations, in leadership roles that wouldn't necessarily be leaders if if other people were there so uh... you know it's a credit to the guys it's a credit to our depth in our organization uh... from the top down uh... that we've got some depth in our hockey club and our organization to fill uh... the holes that uh... that we have uh... obviously had throughout the season

with dean avison head coach of the Blue Jackets, Columbus in town tomorrow night playing the Leafs and uh... always jokes about when he was in Toronto uh... Brian McCabe, Thomas Cavalier were a pair and coaching staff were just instinctively say Brian Thomas you're up, Brian Thomas you're up. Tom Brian go ahead. Tom Brian go ahead. And I'm curious if that's applying to Zach Warenski this year because he's playing And I'm curious if that's applying to Zach Warren ski this year because he's playing on average 26 minutes and 48

Seconds that is more than a minute More than any other player in the league is that where you're doing Dean. It's just Zach you're up Zach You're up cuz man. He's playing well Well, Steve McCarthy flips out the D on on our team And I'm not sure why why Zach's not around 30 minutes to be honest with you. That's why I bust on him all the time. I mean, how come you didn't get him more like 35 in this game?

But yeah, we obviously play him a lot because he can. And that's not just because he's a tremendous offensive guy. He just, he dialed in in all departments. He just, he's a big, strong man that skates, has an offensive side, but doesn't cheat the game. He anticipates it. He gets in on the rush. He gets in on the offensive, sequences and what have you, but he doesn't, you know, sacrifice any defense game or cheat the game in any

way in order to get his cookies or what have you. So he's really stepped up in a massive leadership role in this hockey club. A guy that's quiet by nature doesn't say a whole lot but again with with the people out in our lineup it's it's allowed leaders like him to step up and and lead our hockey club in all areas. Dean every time I watch your team play I am intrigued with Voronkov what do you think his potential is like he just looks big and mean and skilled and where do you think his game can go? Yeah, he's all of that. You know, we because of the big body and he got hurt early in the year, as well. It's taken

some time to get him into game shape. And, you know, bigger guys take a little bit longer sometimes and he and he had he goes to the net with vengeance. Everybody talks about the dirty area, the tougher, which isn't that tough anymore, but the commitment to go there is fantastic by him. What he has is, as you said, his stick skills, his hand hand skills And he gets up and down the ice Really well and it's been a nice compliment him and him and Marchenko Marchenko and Monahan were were aligned for basically

Majority of the year here and then when Monty got hurt Fantili's slipped into that role Nicely, but yeah got hurt and tell you that's what the new law role uh... nicely but he had the skill set score goals with his commitment to get to the net has been uh... has been fantastic doesn't speak perfect english uh... but has a great presence in our dressing room as well with his teammates uh... is uh... is a real fun guy to be around the jokes all the time and uh... so

yeah it's been a nice uh... he's he's been a nice fit for us here this year. Dean, before we get you out of here, being a former Hartford Whaler and some other coaches, Q and Tip and even Randy Lattiser who I had in Hartford and Carolina, they all rocked the mustache. How come you're disrespecting the Whalers and you don't have a mustache? Ryan asked me like three years ago, he's like, what the hell is with these Hartford Whaler mustache. How come you're disrespecting the Wailers and you don't have a mustache? Ryan asked me like three years ago, he's like, what the hell is with these Hartford Wailer guys and their mustaches? Yeah, I can go Dave, Dave Babich, Kynan Doris had one. I can probably go on and on. Yeah,

no, I'm not, I'm not Ryan. I think they all look silly and I told them that when I played with him. Ferraro tried he had one going there for a while too right Razor had one. Old Peewee had a mustache cooking at Hartford too. That's just because he can't grow any on his head guys. That is true he's compensating for something there I think back in the day. Yeah the mustaches on that Hartford team was just crazy. It was great. You know Paul like I'm sure you know too like it's you know

the Whaler organization it's still it's unbelievable like they're still the alumni and and the fan club and and whenever I talk to people, everybody talks about the whale and I was very proud as I'm sure as you are to have played for that franchise. It was a lot of fun living there and you know, I've still got great friends from when I did play there. You know what? I was there my first two years in the league and then like there's all this talk. I mean you're a young kid and you go to the rink in its packed in your like what's why is this organization being in question i i i love playing there was a lot of fun all the didn't know any different by the great time there as

well anyway thanks for doing this deans the great talking to you are a guy who really appreciate it you got it there's a dean evison a coach of the blue jackets