The Columbus Blue Jackets went into Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning without Rick Bowness behind the bench, after the head coach missed the matchup because of an illness.
Bowness also sat out the team’s morning skate earlier in the day, and the Blue Jackets said at that point that the reason was illness. His game status was still up in the air until about a half hour before puck drop, when the team announced he would not coach.
With Bowness out, assistant coach Don Granato took over the lead role on the staff. Granato has been in the head coach chair before, serving four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres from 2021 to 2024. Over 274 games there, he went 122-125-27, and Buffalo did not reach the playoffs during any of those four seasons.
The coaching situation is hardly new territory for Columbus. Bowness is the club’s fifth head coach in a little more than three years, following Brad Larsen, Mike Babcock, Pascal Vincent and Dean Evason. Before Larsen was hired in 2021, the Blue Jackets had only seven head coaches total across their first 20 seasons.
This is Bowness’ second season with Columbus and his first full one after being hired on January 12th, 2026. In 53 games with the Blue Jackets, the team has gone 28-20-5, a .575 points percentage that ranks 17th in the league over that stretch.
Bowness, 71, is the oldest head coach in the NHL. He is also the only coach to work behind an NHL bench in five different decades, with his first season coming in 1988-89 with the original Winnipeg Jets. His career coaching record stands at 338-428-48-42, which leaves him tied with Michel Bergeron for the 54th most wins by a head coach.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Let Another Home Game Slip Away In Brutal Third Period
Another home game got away from the Blue Jackets on a night when they had chances to settle in and build something against Tampa Bay. Columbus managed just one goal, from Matthew Knies, while Brandon Hagel powered the Lightning attack with two goals and an assist and Nikita Kucherov set the table with two helpers in a 3-1 loss that left the building with the familiar feeling of a missed opportunity.
Dennis Hildeby backed up the win with 28 saves, and the game stayed within reach long enough for Columbus to believe it could still turn. Instead, the third period tilted the wrong way, and the Blue Jackets were left to sort through another frustrating finish against a division opponent that did enough in the key moments to leave Columbus searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Need Answers On Sean Monahan
Sean Monahans night ended early in Tampa, and the Blue Jackets suddenly have another injury situation to sort through. The veteran forward had one assist in 9:58 of ice time before leaving the game against the Lightning with an upper-body injury, a development that came in a 3-1 loss Columbus could ill afford as it tried to keep pace.
The immediate concern now is how long Monahan might be unavailable and what it means for a lineup that already had to adjust on the fly. Columbus did not have him back for the rest of the game, and with the team looking for stability up front, any absence from a center with his experience would force another round of shuffling at a time when the Blue Jackets need answers more than they need another question. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Had No Answer For What Changed Everything Late
The Blue Jackets spent much of the night trying to keep pace with Tampa Bay in a game that had plenty of whistles, penalties and physical edge, but the Lightnings top line kept tilting the ice when it mattered most. Columbus managed one goal in a 3-1 loss, yet the bigger concern came when Sean Monahan left with an upper-body injury, a setback that changed the feel of the game for a team already fighting to stay composed through the rougher stretches.
Brandon Hagel was at the center of Tampa Bays surge, striking twice as the Lightning found a way to break through late and put the result out of reach. For Columbus, the final stretch was less about missed chances than a lack of answers once the game turned, and the injury to Monahan only added another layer of concern to a night that had already become increasingly difficult to manage. [Read more 🡒]