The Columbus Blue Jackets are a team all over the news this season despite being one of the worst squads in the National Hockey League.
Right now, the Blue Jackets are 16-26-10 (42 points) which is good for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Only the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks have fewer points in the Western Conference.
The Jackets have a better chance of drafting Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick than they do making the playoffs.
The Columbus Blue Jackets made a major decision with their GM on Thursday
Well, there was finally a big front office move made on Thursday as they decided to fire general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. He has one more year on his contract after this current season.
Jarmo Kekalainen has been relieved of his duties as general manager.
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 15, 2024
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.
📝 https://t.co/ana2o90Adj pic.twitter.com/tqZ9wTKRMU
This is a big move for Columbus as Kekalainen has been with them for a long time and done some great things.
They have certainly become a much more well-respected franchise during his tenure there but people might only remember the last few years where they were awful.
The way that this season has gone both on and off the ice can't sit well with the ownership group in Columbus. As a result, John Davidson and his operations staff will take over as GMs for the rest of the season. They are going to begin a hiring process for a new General Manager.
Kekalainen was probably on the hot seat from the second that Mike Babcock had to be let go. The fact that the team is horrible again following that disaster made it even more clear that he will be done. They didn't even wait until the end of the season.
Columbus has a lot of talent in the cupboard. Guys like Zach Werenski, Johnny Gaudreau, and Patrik Laine are established star veterans in the lineup. All of them could use more help going forward to take advantage of their skills.
Youngsters like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, David Jiricek, Yegor Chinakhov, and Kirill Marchenko are all there ready to blossom as well. They should have a top-five pick in the 2024 NHL Draft as well which will boost their organization.
This is a big move for their hockey operations but it was a necessary one. Going forward, they can only hope that they find someone that is able to help them get the job done.