COLUMBUS, Ohio — The roster might be facing upheaval, but the Columbus Blue Jackets coaching staff has taken shape under head coach Rick Bowness.Don Granato, 58, who most recently coached the Buffalo Sabres through a rebuilding process and has served as an assistant in Buffalo, Chicago and St. Louis, will be named to Bowness’ staff, according to a league source.On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets announced that Trent Vogelhuber, who had spent the last eight seasons coaching AHL Cleveland, would be promoted to the NHL. He’s a Dublin, Ohio, native and a 2007 Blue Jackets draft pick.Granato and Vogelhuber join a staff of assistants that already includes Jared Boll, a holdover from previous coach Dean Evason’s staff.Vogelhuber said Tuesday that he will likely run the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill. Granato, then, would likely handle Columbus’ power play, although Bowness has said in previous coaching stops that he wants input from all his staff in every aspect of the game.

Like Vogelhuber, Granato has ties to Columbus. He played for the ECHL’s Columbus Chill when they first arrived in the city, and he was the franchise’s general manager and head coach during its final two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99) before the NHL arrived via expansion.Granato has coached, scouted and served as an executive at all levels of hockey. He worked as a scout for the Vancouver Canucks in 2010-11 when Bowness was an assistant under coach Alain Vigneault.It’s unclear when the Blue Jackets will announce Granato’s hiring.GM Don Waddell is attempting to trade Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, who has told the club that he won’t be extending his contract when it expires after the 2027-28 season.There have also been reports that winger Kirill Marchenko has told the club, via his agent, Dan Milstein, that he, too, plans to leave Columbus when his contract expires. Marchenko is a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.And, oh, yeah, free agency starts Wednesday at noon ET.The Blue Jackets are looking for a third-pairing defenseman and perhaps a depth forward in free agency. But they may need to alter those plans, depending on what the trade of Werenski — assuming it goes down — does to the lineup.Jul 1, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms