Columbus Blue Jackets fire general manager Jarmo Kekalainen
The Blue Jackets are making a change at general manager.
Jarmo Kekalainen is no longer in that role, which Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and alternate governor John Davidson announced Thursday. Davidson and the team's hockey operations staff will take over the GM responsibilities as the organization seeks a replacement.
“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,” Davidson said in a statement. “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.”
Thank you Jarmo! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/X6LPetC7qe
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 15, 2024
The Blue Jackets are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings with a 16-26-10 record, and currently have the fewest of points of any team in the Eastern Conference with 42. The Blue Jackets have won three of their last 10 games and are currently on a two-game losing streak.
The Blue Jackets have a minus-41 goal differential, worst in the Eastern Conference. Prior to the 2023-24 season, the Blue Jackets hired coach Mike Babcock, who was fired 78 days later after allegations surfaced of Babcock violating players' privacy during summer "get to know you" meetings.
“We understood the dynamics of what hiring Mike meant before and understand the criticism now that it didn’t work out the way we planned,” Kekalainen said at a press conference in September regarding Babcock's resignation. “Mike was hired upon personal relationships we've had with him, the feedback we’ve received from numerous people in the game that we know and respect, and extensive conversations with Mike.
"It’s obviously fair to question our due diligence, but I can assure you it was done thoroughly. At the end of the day, I believed Mike Babcock deserved another opportunity to coach. Obviously that was a mistake, and that responsibility is mine.”
The Blue Jackets promoted Vincent from associate coach to head coach on a two-year contract. Vincent, Kekalainen said, was "prepared for this opportunity."
During his 11 seasons at the helm of the Blue Jackets' roster, Kekalainen's teams went a combined 410-362-97 in 869 games before he was fired. He was the longest-tenured general manager and most successful GM in team history by a wide margin over Doug MacLean and Scott Howson.
Under Kekalainen, the Blue Jackets qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, pulling off a stunning first-round sweep of the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.
“On behalf of our ownership group, I’d like to thank Jarmo for his hard work and commitment over the past 11 years,” Blue Jackets majority owner and governor John P. McConnell said in a statement. “He and Tiina, and their daughters, are special people who will always be a part of our Blue Jackets family and I wish them the very best in the next chapter of their lives.”
The Blue Jackets continue their season with a three-game road trip that starts Saturday night in San Jose.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jarmo Kekalainen fired as Columbus Blue Jackets general manager
