Dean Evason opened his press conference Friday by explaining a comment he had made Thursday following the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
By answering a question about why goalie Jet Greaves hadn't been recalled earlier than Thursday by saying, “That’s a Don Waddell question,” Evason said he wasn’t calling out the Blue Jackets’ president of hockey operations/general manager — and his boss — for keeping the talented rookie with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters while the NHL team stumbled out of a playoff position.
Greaves made 39 saves against the Sabres during his latest emergency recall from Cleveland, helping the Blue Jackets avoid playoff elimination on a day that top goalie Elvis Merzlikins was ruled out with an undisclosed injury.
“I knew as soon as I said it last night it was going to create a storm, and I just want to clarify ... that Don Waddell and I are 100% on the same page,” Evason said. “We communicate about everything. We communicate about everything.”
Evason’s initial comment, which he didn’t expand upon, created a situation that left open the possibility of friction between the Blue Jackets’ first-year head coach and first-year head of hockey operations/GM over the organizational depth chart.
