COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Blue Jackets have fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
President of Hockey Operations John Davidson announced Thursday that Kekalainen was relieved of his duties as general manager. 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, a release said.
“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. “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.”
Kekalainen ends his tenure as the third general manager in franchise history. During the 869 games under his direction, Columbus compiled a 410-362-97 record and qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs five times (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).
This season, however, the team is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-26-10 record (42 points) and finished last in 2023 with just 59 points after a 25-48-9 campaign.
During the team’s press conference Davidson noted that even with the trade deadline approaching in three weeks, the timing was right.
“We’ve had an up and down, sometimes turbulent season, I just think that moving forward now is the time to turn that page,” he said. “We’ve also done some very good things this season. I’ve seen a lot of young players pop and we’re a tough out, (but) there’s been too many outs.”
Davidson said the team will be looking outside of the organization for a replacement, though there is no immediate timetable as to when a new general manager will be hired.
“It’s a good situation here, with ownership, the city itself, with the amount of talent that we have already assembled, it’s not like starting from the bottom,” he said. “So yes, I think there will be a lot of interest and we will look outside of the box, we’ll look everywhere.”
Head coach Pascal Vincent said that while the firing of Kekalainen is tough on the organization, their focus remains on the ice.
“It’s unfortunate, it happens, but we chose that business,” he said. “Our job, just like what we tell the players, is to learn, move forward. All I can do today is take care of today.”
The Blue Jackets are on the road this weekend, with a 10:30 p.m. faceoff Saturday at the San Jose Sharks.