Last offseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost Sergei Bobrovsky to the Florida Panthers via free agency.
This offseason, it was associate general manager Bill Zito, hired earlier this month to become the Panthers general manager.
Now, Florida can welcome two more members of the Blue Jackets front office to their staff.
The team announced that Gregory Campbell will serve as the Vice President of Player Personnel & Development. Campbell, who had been a developmental coach with the Blue Jackets since 2017, was originally a third round draft pick of the Panthers in 2002. After playing for over a decade with Florida and the Boston Bruins, Campbell signed as a free agent with Columbus prior to the 2015-16 season. He played in all 82 games in his only season with the Blue Jackets, the final of his playing career.
While serving as a development coach, Campbell was able to spend valuable time with budding star Pierre-Luc Dubois.
"He was the guy who took me aside and helped me with the small things in the game, and I really appreciated it," said Dubois in 2017. "He has a lot of experience, so whenever I get a chance to talk to him, I learn a lot."
New #FlaPanthers additions:
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 15, 2020
Rick Dudley and Paul Fenton (senior advisers to GM)
Gregory Campbell (vp of player personnel & development)
Blake Geoffrion (assistant to the GM)
P.J. Fenton (scout)
Florida also hired Blake Geoffrion as an assistant to Zito. Geoffrion, forced to retire due to a head injury at age 25, had been with the Blue Jackets since 2013 as a pro scout.
No announcement has been made yet regarding a replacement for Geoffrion or Campbell. One possible name to keep an eye on for Campbell's developmental coach opening could be former Blue Jackets enforcer and fan favorite Jared Boll, who currently serves as an assistant developmental coach with the team.
