A championship remains the ultimate goal for the organization, one new general manager and president of hockey operations Don Waddell was hired to chase this spring. And since his arrival, Waddell quickly has found a bit of a trusted resource in Nash, involving him in the coaching search that led to the hiring of Dean Evason and turning to him more and more during discussions in the front office.
“Rick is a true professional,” Waddell said. “I think he carries himself very well. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s a quiet guy, but when you ask him a question, he gives you his real thoughts and a very thoughtful answer.
“I knew him as a player, didn’t know him as a person. I got to know him as a person throughout my time here. I wouldn’t be a smart person running this team if I didn’t surround myself with people like Rick Nash.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft – ironically, that pick was acquired by Columbus in a web of trades that involved both Florida as well as an Atlanta team run by Waddell – Nash remains Mr. Blue Jacket in a lot of ways. The only player to have his number retired – No. 61 went to the rafters in March 2022 – he remains the franchise’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points.
Nash did spend some time away from Columbus, concluding his career with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, but always considered Central Ohio home. Upon retirement in 2019, he was hired by then-general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to serve as a special assistant to the GM, all in an effort to kick-start his career in an NHL front office.
At first, he learned the ropes of what went into the day-to-day operations of running a hockey team at the side of Kekalainen and the rest of the CBJ staff. Then, in 2021, Nash became the Blue Jackets’ director of player development, putting him in charge of supervising the club's development coaches, overseeing the progress of prospects throughout the organization and providing feedback to management on player advancement.
He’s also dipped his hand into the international game, serving as general manager for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
It’s been no mistake, as Nash said he started thinking about working on the management side of hockey even while he was still playing.
“I probably thought about this path before I retired,” he said. “As you get older, you have a family, and you know there’s going to be life after hockey. Being a player or a professional athlete is just a small chapter in your life, so I’ve thought about this a lot and feel like I’ve put a lot of time in and been a sponge to a lot of different people to try to learn the business.”
When it comes to Nash’s new responsibilities, Waddell was clear.
“He’s going to be involved in every decision that we make for this hockey club,” he said.
Still, Nash doesn’t expect things to change radically as he settles into the role. In part, he will continue to work with the team’s prospects and their development because it remains a true passion in his job.
“It’s simlar to what I’ve been doing, just to keep growing within the organization,” he said. “It’s just a title. I’m going to still be doing everything I can to help this organization win. ... Not much has changed from my job description other than hopefully being around the team a little more.”
From Waddell’s perspective, though, having the input of the most successful player in franchise history is invaluable.
“From the first day I got here and just listening to him talk about things and what his approach was and how he thought about the game, it just kept on getting better and better,” Waddell said. “Finally, I kept including him in more discussions, and he carried himself well. He’s very well connected. Even the coaching search, he was able to call players he played with that played for not only Dean but the other guys we interviewed.
“Having that kind of resources, if I didn’t use that, it wouldn’t be very smart on my part.”
