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Rick Nash gets Columbus Blue Jackets front-office promotion
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- Rick Nash gets Columbus Blue Jackets front-office promotion
Rick Nash is getting a promotion with the Blue Jackets that many felt was coming.
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The former star forward , whose number 61 hangs in the rafters , was named the team's director of hockey operations Friday after handling the role of director of player development the previous three years. The Blue Jackets also announced the hiring of Zach Abdou as senior manager of hockey operations plus a shift in roles for Basil McCrae from assistant general manager to director of pro scouting.
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"I didn't know him at all," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell said of Nash. "I knew him as a player, of course, so from the first day I got here and just listening to him talk about things and what his approach was, how he thought about the game, it just kept getting better and better. Finally, I just kept including him in more discussions, and he carried himself well, and he's very well connected. So, having that kind of resource, if I didn't utilize that, it wouldn't be very smart on my part."
Nash, 40, joined the Blue Jackets' front office in 2019 as special assistant to former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen. He moved into his developmental oversight role two years later and has since worked his way up the ranks until getting a shot last spring to put together Canada's national team roster as a GM at the men's world championship in Czechia.
That's often an indication of a pending promotion within an executive's current team or another NHL front office. Former Blue Jackets associate GM Bill Zito took a similar route with the U.S. national team in 2018 on his way to becoming the Florida Panthers' GM. After winning the Stanley Cup last season, Zito is now the Panthers' president of hockey operations.
Former Columbus Blue Jackets player Rick Nash waves to the fans during his No. 61 jersey retirement ceremony prior to the NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 5, 2022.
The Blue Jackets also have Chris Clark in their hockey operations department in the dual roles of director of player personnel/Cleveland Monsters GM. Clark was USA Hockey's GM for the 2023 men's world championship in Finland, nearly constructing a medalist team with an unheralded roster.
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Inheriting both Nash and Clark as rising hockey exec, two highly regarded former NHL captains, is something Waddell doesn't take for granted.
"I've always said you surround yourself first with good people and then knowledgeable people, and those are both guys who've been unbelievable to work with," he said. "I'm very lucky to have those two guys who were already here."
John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen present Rick Nash with a blue sports jacket featuring photos on the inside lining during the No. 61 jersey retirement ceremony prior to the NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on March 5, 2022.
Nash's executive career appears pointed in the direction of becoming the Jackets' GM at some point. Should that happen with the Blue Jackets, it would make for a storybook development for a guy who remains the only first overall draft pick in franchise history. In his new capacity, Nash will continue to oversee player development while being more involved in all aspects of the team's hockey operations.
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"I appreciate Jarmo opening the door and initially bringing me back into the organization," he said. "To spend the last couple months with Don, it's been really impressive to watch him and see how he works and see the hours that he puts in. I've always felt like I've been a Blue Jacket, even when I left (as a player), and that has not changed."
Abdou joins the Blue Jackets by following Waddell to Columbus from the Carolina Hurricanes , where he held a similar position. According to the team's release, he'll now assist the Blue Jackets in "forecasting and budgeting, database management and contract analysis."
McCrae served as assistant GM to former GM Jarmo Kekalainen for five years after previously working as a pro scout and director of player personnel.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets promote Rick Nash to hockey operations director
