Arace: Jarmo Kekalainen's legacy in Columbus will be felt for years to come
While the Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday, the sun did not set on his 10-plus-year tenure with the organization.
Kekalainen has amassed a raft of talented young players and prospects, some in Columbus already and others on the way. His rebuilding project, which was often rebranded (“reset,” “retool,” etc.) in ways that were misleading or even ridiculous, holds promise for the future. Hockey executives, be they experienced or aspiring or both, view the vacant GM’s chair in Columbus with covetousness.
There is a lot to work with here, thanks to Kekalainen.
The apex of Kekalainen's administration, when the sun shined the brightest, was at the time of the “all-in” trade deadline of 2019. At the time, Kekalainen had a choice to make: Salvage what he could for pending unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky — attractive pieces in the rental market ― or hang on to them and risk losing them for nothing. Kekalainen doubled down. He not only hung on to Bread and Bob, he traded future assets to acquire center Matt Duchene, among others, at the deadline. He wanted a shot to go deep in the playoffs.
Context is important here. At the time, the Metropolitan Division was a bear. In 2016-17, the Jackets had a 16-game winning streak, racked up 108 points ― and finished third in the Metro. That spring, they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. In 2018, the Jackets were beaten in the first round by the Washington Capitals, who won the Cup.
The "all-in" trade deadline of 2019 was Kekalainen's attempt to drag the Jackets into the East's elite. In the first round of the playoffs, the Jackets pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NHL playoff history when they swept the Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It remains the only playoff series victory in Jackets history, which dates to 2000.
After beating the mighty Lightning, the Jackets were taken out by the Boston Bruins in a tight, bruising, six-game series. Within two months, Panarin was off to New York, Bobrovsky to Florida and Duchene to Nashville. The key departure was that of Panarin. If the Breadman had stayed, it’s possible Bob and Duchene would have too. And it’s possible that future negotiations — with the likes of Josh Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois — would have gone more smoothly. A foundation for future success would have been laid.
There are two ways to look at the “all-in” deadline: Kekalainen should have sold off Panarin and Bobrovsky, acquired assets rather than trading them away and focused on an extensive rebuilding project beginning in March 2019; or, you've got to respect him for doubling down and taking his shot. It certainly was bold of him.
In any case, Panarin left, and what little sun had shined on the Columbus franchise began to cast longer shadows. Coach John Tortorella, who guided the Jackets to four consecutive appearances under Kekalainen, managed to whip the Jackets down the stretch in 2020. He was, for all practical purposes, done after that.
The Jackets entered a hazy stage in which they were in a rebuild at times and they weren’t at other times. The apotheosis of this lack of focus was the hiring and firing of Mike Babcock, which may have been the most embarrassing interlude in franchise history ― a high bar to clear. While Kekalainen fell on his sword and took responsibility for the mess, others had to be involved; hiring Babcock and assuming his heavy baggage is a decision that reached above the pay grade of the GM. It even seems possible that Kekalainen wanted Pascal Vincent, and not Babcock, to succeed Brad Larsen.
Kekalainen was hired on Feb. 13, 2013, and he was told he was being relieved on his duties on Feb. 14, 2024. Prior to the Valentine’s Day massacre, his tenure as GM was the third longest in the league. That’s a lot of time to make mistakes, and Kekalainen made his share.
He fell into the free-agent trap with Nathan Horton, David Clarkson and maybe Damon Severson (we shall see on the last one). For all his trade steals ― and he has a history of larceny — he has had his misses (Marian Gaborik coming and going, for instance). He was among many GMs who were fleeced ahead of the Vegas expansion draft. There were times when his cap management could be questioned (goodbye, Oliver Bjorkstrand). We could go on here, but we’ll end with Babcock. And we’ll mention that the Jackets are in last place in the Eastern Conference.
Kekalainen’s tenure is also marked by his gift for making trades, especially the big ones, and his reputation, largely deserved, for drafting and developing talent. It should also be noted that he assembled teams that made the playoffs five times in a seven-year span. Something like that was unthinkable for a previous generation of Jackets fans.
Kekalainen leaves behind a cache of talent on which to build. Now, it is up to John Davidson, president of hockey operations and interim GM, to find someone with the intelligence and dynamism to refresh the front office the way Tim Bezbatchenko has done with the Crew.
Is JD capable of young and dynamic?
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jarmo Kekalainen's legacy in Columbus will be felt for years to come
