The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. The team noted in a statement released on Thursday, “John Davidson, along with the team’s hockey operations management team, will assume general manager’s duties while the club goes through the process of hiring a replacement.”
Kekalainen had one more season on his contract at the time he was released.
Davidson said:
“This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here. While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.”
At 57, Kekalainen became the Blue Jackets’ third general manager on Feb. 13, 2013. Under his leadership, the team achieved a 410-362-97 record in 869 games, marking the longest tenure in franchise history. Columbus reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and experienced its top four seasons based on points percentage: 2016-17 (50-24-8, 108 pts., .659), 2018-19 (47-31-4, 98 pts., .598), 2017-18 (45-30-7, 97 pts., .591), and 2019-20 (33-22-15, 81 pts., .579).
All that said, the last few seasons have been little more than a disappointment.
This Is A Step Forward for the Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets boast a wealth of talented young players, making this an enticing opportunity for aspiring general managers. With a promising prospect pool and patient ownership, the role offers the time and support needed to implement a strategic plan. This has to be a positive step for the franchise who struggled mightily under Kekalainen. There seemed to be no direction with the franchise with him in charge.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
