The Columbus Blue Jackets announced some front office restructuring on Tuesday with promotions for former players Chris Clark and Rick Nash.
Clark will now serve as assistant general manager, while Nash takes the role of director of player personnel/development.
“Chris Clark and Rick Nash have each done an exceptional job as members of our hockey operations leadership group and are very deserving of these promotions,” team president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “They are former Blue Jackets players who care very deeply about this organization. They are intelligent, extremely hard-working and committed to our succeeding at the highest level and I am excited that they will continue to play important roles here as we move forward.”
Clark, 49, appeared in 607 NHL contests over 11 seasons with the Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames. He joined the team’s front office following his retirement in 2012. Since 2019, Clark had been the general manager of the team’s American Hockey League-affiliate Cleveland Monsters.
Nash, 41, joined the team in 2019 following a 15-year NHL career. Since 2024, Nash had been the team’s director of hockey operations. Drafted with the first overall pick of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, the Brampton, Ont. native spent the first nine years of his career with the Jackets, playing in five All-Star Games and winning the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer in 2004.
A three-time Olympian, winning gold medals in 2010 and 2014, Nash would go to play with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. He finished his career with 437 goals and 368 assists in 1,060 games. The Blue Jackets retired his No. 61 in 2022.