Pending Blue Jackets UFAs send a message about coaching to the organization

Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness. | Russell LaBounty-Imagn ImagesNow that the NHL trade deadline has passed, and as the dust continues to settle after the Olympics, we focus our attention towards the pending free agents of the Columbus Blue Jackets. There is a little smoke surrounding them on Thursday.

Despite explaining all season long that he intended to handle his free agents over the Olympic break, general manager Don Waddell still has yet to finalize any decisions on that end. We had pieces on several individual cases over that break, but no extensions happened.

After the break, Waddell mentioned that they used their time as a feeling out process, to gauge interest in these players…