COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rick Nash, a Columbus Blue Jackets icon, is now the club's president of hockey operations.
Nash was selected first overall in the 2002 NHL draft by the Blue Jackets. He played in Columbus for 10 years and is still the franchise leader in goals, assists and points. Columbus retired his number 61 jersey two years ago.
Nash played for a couple of other clubs until 2018 and he returned to Columbus as the Blue Jackets' special assistant to the general manager in 2019. He was promoted to director of player development two years later.
CBJ President and General Manager Don Waddell said Nash is an intelligent person who plays an important role in the club.
“He is very passionate about the Columbus Blue Jackets and this community and has been a great resource for me since I arrived here in late-May. Rick made a significant impact on this organization as a player and will continue to do so in his role as director of hockey operations," Waddel said.
Internationally, Nash also served as the general manager for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Czechia. He earned a silver medal as the club’s assistant general manager at the 2022 IIHF World Championships in Finland.
The Blue Jackets also announced the hiring of Zach Abdou as the senior manager of hockey operations and Basil McRae as the director of pro scouting.
McRae originally joined the Blue Jackets as a scout for the 2013-14 season, spent three seasons as the club’s director of player personnel from 2016-19 and served as an assistant general manager during the past five seasons.
Abdou joins the Blue Jackets after serving different roles with the Carolina Hurricanes since 2021. He served as the team's hockey operations coordinator and then as manager of hockey and business operations.
Columbus plays its first preseason game on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres.