The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to make a front office change. It’s been announced that the Jackets have had general manager Jarmo Kekalainen fired as of Thursday morning. Team president John Davidson will assume general manger duties while a search starts.
Jarmo Kekalainen has been relieved of his duties as general manager.
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.
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— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 15, 2024
Jarmo Kekalainen Fired as Blue Jackets GM
Kekalainen had a short career in the NHL with the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators before shifting into a front office role. The Finnish player was a standout at Clarkson University in the late 80s before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bruins. He held front office jobs with the Senators and the St Louis Blues and help draft some talented NHL players. Kekalainen helped select Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, and Ray Emery while with Ottawa. He also helped scout and select Alex Pietrangelo and T. J. Oshie, David Perron and David Backes with the Blues.
Kekalainen was named the team’s third general manager in Blue Jackets history on Feb. 13, 2013. During his tenure, Columbus went 410-362-97 in 869 regular season games and reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times. Columbus next plays the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
What it Means
It’s been a busy week for the Blue Jackets, as they will host the Detroit Red Wings in the Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1, 2025. Columbus has been without Patrik Laine, who went into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program just recently.
Kekalainen seemed to be on borrowed time after the disastrous hiring of Mike Babcock in the most recent off-season. Babcock didn’t even make it to the regular season after a controversy about invading player privacy caused his dismissal.
The Blue Jackets do have a number of young players like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and others that are ready to take the ball and run. Columbus might be a decent place to land for a prospective general manager.
Main photo by: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY NETWORK
