5 external options to fill Columbus Blue Jackets' general manager role
The search for Jarmo Kekalainen's replacement is afoot.
While John Davidson explained the Blue Jackets’ reasons for ousting Kekalainen from the general manager’s office Wednesday after 10-plus seasons, the team’s president of hockey operations said that interested replacement options had already reached out.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets fire general manager Jarmo Kekalainen
“I think we’ll get a lot of calls,” Davidson said. “I really do. In fact, I’ve already had a couple. It’s a good situation here with the ownership, the city itself, with the amount of talent that we have already assembled. It’s not like starting from the bottom. So, yes, I think there’ll be a lot of interest ... and we will look outside of the box. We’ll look everywhere. That’s why we’re in no rush to do this.”
Aside from handling Kekalainen's daily tasks with remaining hockey operations staff, Davidson's biggest role will now be teaming with Blue Jackets president Mike Priest to find the next GM. It will be the second one Davidson has played a major role in hiring.
Internal candidates could include assistant GMs Josh Flynn or Basil McRae, director of player personnel Chris Clark, who doubles as the Cleveland Monsters' GM, and Rick Nash, whose number 61 now hangs from the rafters at Nationwide Arena while he works his way up the ladder as the Jackets' director of player development.
External options are even more plentiful, and Davidson said those will get first priority.
"I can tell you right now that we don’t have anybody in mind, but we’re going to exhaust every possible avenue that we can as we go forward," Davidson said. "We have no set timetable for finding a new general manager. It will be when we know we have found the right person for the job. Our intent at this time is to focus on candidates that are outside the organization. This is a critically important decision.”
Here are five external options the Blue Jackets could consider:
Mathieu Darche, Tampa Bay Lighting assistant GM, director of hockey operations
Darche, 47, is a former player who began his professional career with the Blue Jackets’ organization over three years (2000-2003). His name is mentioned for nearly every GM opening in the NHL after helping the Lightning make it to the Stanley Cup Final three straight years, winning the first two back-to-back.
Darche hasn’t been an NHL GM, so he'd be another first-timer for the Blue Jackets, but gaining his experience from Steve Yzerman and Julien BrisBois with a team that used a heavy “draft-and-develop” approach to win the Cup is a big selling point.
The Lightning are third in the Atlantic Division, holding a playoff spot, so the Blue Jackets would likely need to wait for their season to conclude in the postseason before hiring or even speaking with Darche.
Dan MacKinnon, New Jersey Devils senior vice president of hockey operations, assistant GM and Utica Comets GM
MacKinnon, 47, has worked multiple roles in hockey operations for the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Devils, for whom he holds three job titles in his sixth season with that franchise.
What MacKinnon lacks in GM experience at the NHL level, he makes up for with years of holding multiple front office roles with three NHL teams. He’s also been part of the Devils’ resurgence while depending largely on a talented young core group of players, which is exactly what the Blue Jackets are trying to mimic.
The Devils are also in the playoff chase while sitting two points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and MacKinnon also works for a Metropolitan Division rival. Gaining permission to speak with him could be a challenge, and even if it's granted it may require a wait period until the Devils' season concludes.
Mark Hunter, London Knights GM
Hunter, 61, qualifies as an “outside the box” hire. His ability to assemble a competitive roster based on keen hockey sense gained from playing for five NHL teams and working for the Toronto Maple Leafs' front office is certainly a strength, but he’s never been an NHL GM and hasn’t worked for an NHL team since the Maple Leafs picked Kyle Dubas in 2018 as their GM over him.
Hunter’s name has already been mentioned by TSN's Elliotte Friedman, and McRae is a part-owner of the Knights along with his Blue Jackets role. Hunter could be contacted about the Jackets' GM opening now, and a source has told the Dispatch he might've been one of the calls Davidson has already taken.
Eric Tulsky, Carolina Hurricanes assistant GM
If Hunter is an “outside the box” option, Tulsky is like 10 miles away from the box. He's a brilliant thinker, a Harvard educated, data-driven analyst and there's a growing contingent in hockey who feel he has the best analytical mind in the NHL. That's why his name, like Darche and Mackinnon, keeps coming up for open GM positions.
Tulsky's involvement in hockey began with a data-driven hub for analytics on the blog platform SBNation, which launched his career as a part-time analytics staffer with the Hurricanes. Tulsky is now in his 10th season with the Hurricanes and fourth as assistant GM. Prior to his foray into professional hockey, he worked in the high-tech industry for 12 years, managing teams of researchers working with nanotechnology. He has undergraduate degrees in chemistry and physics from Harvard plus a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, Berkley.
Tulsky doesn’t have NHL GM experience, but that could change soon. The Hurricanes are second in the Metro, so gaining permission from a division rival to speak with one of their most valuable assets might be an issue. It may also require waiting until the Hurricanes' season concludes.
Jason Botterill, Seattle Kraken assistant GM
Botterill’s first spin as an NHL GM lasted only three years and was filled with decisions that caused Buffalo Sabres fans to call for his firing ― and one of them to turn The Plain White T's song "Hey There, Delilah" into a parody about him.
Botterill, 47, was replaced in Buffalo and quickly landed a new opportunity in Seattle as a Kraken assistant GM. After helping them become the latest new wave NHL expansion franchise to enjoy fast success, he's awaiting a new GM role.
Will it be with the Blue Jackets, a team he's scouted quite a bit the past couple years at Nationwide Arena?
Time has looked favorably on some of Botterill’s decisions in Buffalo, so he’ll probably get another chance to call the shots for an NHL team. If so, he's worth a phone call by the Blue Jackets. Like most of the others on this list, there's probably a wait period requirement. Seattle is only four points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 28 games remaining.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 external names to know in Columbus Blue Jackets GM search
