Blue Jackets' Don Waddell breaks silence on his decision to resign as Hurricanes GM - "Regardless if we won the cup"

Don Waddell spoke on Monday for the first time about why he left the Carolina Hurricanes. He resigned in May 2024, after serving as the team’s general manager since 2018, and president since 2014. Waddell explained that he made the decision before the playoffs started.

“I made that decision before we even got into the playoffs,” Waddell said (1:25:50), via "The Cam & Strick Podcast." “And regardless if we won, got beat on the first round or won the Cup, I just thought it was time.”

Carolina wrapped up another strong season, making the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. However, after getting eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round on May 16, 2024, Waddell informed the team’s ownership the next morning.

“After the Game 6, talked to ownership at eight o’clock in the morning, told them that I was going to go in a different direction,” Waddell said.

At that point, he didn’t have another job lined up.

“I didn’t know what direction I was at that time,” Waddell said. “We started that weekend or a lot was going on, and finally made a decision to go visit Columbus.”

Waddell was hired as the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets on May 28, 2024. Following his exit, Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky took over as interim general manager on May 24, 2024.

Carolina made it official and named Tulsky its full-time general manager on June 18, 2024.

Don Waddell is confident after draft and free agency moves

In his statement following the NHL draft, Columbus general manager Don Waddell said the team was happy with the results. The Blue Jackets used both first-round picks, selecting defenseman Jackson Smith and goalie Pyotr Andreyanov.

“We had him really high on our list,” Waddell said on June 28, via NHL.com. “I mean, we would have never, ever predicted he would be there at 14.”

Before the draft, the team traded for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood.

In free agency, the focus was keeping key players. The team re-signed Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbr to add depth to the roster; however, it lost some players, including James van Riemsdyk.

Waddell believes the group is strong.

“I think with the leadership we have on this team and knowing the potential of the players," Waddell said. "I think there’s a lot more yet to come.”

Waddell added that the team has good leadership and chemistry.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez