Former Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell does, indeed, appear to be headed to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Waddell, who resigned from his position in Carolina after 10 years with the organization on Friday, reportedly interviewed with Columbus last Thursday after receiving permission from the Hurricanes to speak with other teams.
On Monday's episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said that he expects the Blue Jackets to announce the hiring of Waddell this week, potentially as early as Tuesday.
"It was pretty clear when it got out last week that Waddell was interviewing in Columbus that it was going down that road," Friedman said. "And it is going to get done. I'm not exactly sure how this is all going to look yet, and we might not get clarity for a little bit."
Waddell joined the Hurricanes in an executive role in 2014 and was named president and general manager in 2018. He led the Hurricanes to three division titles and six straight post-season appearances.
Eric Tulsky was named the interim general manager of the Hurricanes on Friday as the team begins its search for a full-time replacement.
"I just think time ran out on the (Hurricanes owner) Tom Dundon-Don Waddell partnership...," Friedman said on what happened in Carolina for the change to be made. "I would suspect that Waddell is going to be compensated higher in Columbus than he was in Carolina."
The Hurricanes had been unable to turn their regular-season success into a trip to the Stanley Cup Final under Waddell. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Final twice over the past six years, but were swept on both occasions.
This season, Carolina was eliminated by the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in six games in Round 2.
"What I think the interesting thing is going to be, is where both these organizations go," Friedman said. "It sounds like (Waddell) is going to be the president and GM to start."
The Blue Jackets finished the 2023-24 season with a 27-43-12 record and finished last in the Metropolitan Division. They fired Jarmo Kekalainen, who was the third-longest tenured general manager at the time, in February and named John Davidson the interim replacement.
Columbus hasn't made the post-season since 2019-20 and has picked in the top 10 in each of the last three drafts. They will pick fourth after this year's draft lottery.
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