Shortly after the news was announced that Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen was relieved of his duties, President of Hockey Operations John Davidson held a media availability to discuss the move and what’s next. Team President Mike Priest was also available at the press conference.
Davidson spoke for over 20 minutes about the move. It’s a noteworthy move given that the timing of it happening three weeks before the NHL’s Trade Deadline.
Opening Statement
Before Davidson took questions, he read a statement. Here’s part of what he said.
“It’s a very hard day for me as Jarmo Kekalainen is a friend and a very smart and talented manager. Unfortunately as a team, our results haven’t been good enough. We all, starting with myself as head of hockey operations, share responsibility for that. While our team is improving and we have some very talented young players and prospects, it became apparent that we needed a new voice to lead us forward as we turn the page.”
“The decision was difficult because of the quality of person that Jarmo is. He’s a dedicated, loyal, hardworking guy who did a lot of great things, both on the ice and in our community. Over the past decade, we will always be grateful to Jarmo, his wife Tiina, and their girls, as they’ve made our organization and our community a much better place.”
“That said, Mike Priest and I along with our ownership group, led by John P. McConnell, concluded the evaluations and decided now was the right time to make a change. While we begin our search for our next general manager, I will work with our hockey operations management team on all hockey-related decisions, including the upcoming trade deadline and ongoing scouting efforts. We have no set timetable for hiring a new general manager other than it will be when we know we have found the right person for the job.”
5 Takeaways
Why Now?
The Blue Jackets had a rough start to the season when they hired Mike Babcock. He didn’t make it to training camp. Then the team got off to a rough start. They could have done this earlier in the season but chose to wait until February to make their move. It’s similar to the way they handled Scott Howson’s firing in 2013.
Davidson admitted that his health played a role.
“One reason is because I had back surgery. I was out of commission for some time. I know I’ve certainly done my best to stay in touch with everything. But I haven’t been around. Physically, we talked with Mike (Priest.) We talked with our ownership and this is the conclusion we came to.”
Davidson earlier in his statement said the Blue Jackets needed a new voice. Whether that means there was a disagreement on how to handle some decisions, we may never find out. However, it’s apparent the team wanted to make this move in front of the deadline. If Kekalainen isn’t part of the plan moving forward, then moving on now makes sense.
“It’s just sometimes when timing is right, we just felt now is the time,” Davidson said. “We have a lot ahead of us. We’ve had an up and down at times turbulent season. I just think that going forward now is the time to turn the page and go forward with all the decisions that we have to make that are ahead of us.”
Who’s in Charge?
While the search for the next GM is ongoing, a big question would be who would run things. Davidson made it very clear that he is in charge.
“I’m in charge right now of everyday hockey operations,” Davidson said when asked if he’d have to be more hands on. “I’ll work with Josh Flynn and Basil McRae the two assistant general managers. I’ll be working in conjunction with Mike because it’s more than just our games. There’s the process we’re going through with finding a new general manager. So it’s gonna be a good, hard ride. A good hard ride.”
Plans for the trade deadline are well underway. Davidson said that everything is documented on their side as to what talks have happened and what their upcoming plans could involve.
What Team is Looking For
The Blue Jackets need a general manager that can put everything together to make them a competitive team. Davidson called out some things they are looking for. He also believes many people will inquire about the job.
“I think we’ll get a lot of calls. I really do,” Davidson said. “In fact, I’ve already had a couple. It’s a good situation here with ownership, the city itself with the amount of talent we’ve already assembled. It’s not like starting from the bottom. So yes, I think there will be a lot of interest.”
“I’m looking for a person that going to, we will look outside of the box. We’ll look everywhere. And that’s what we have to do. That’s why we’re in no rush to do this. But we’re gonna look for energy. We’re gonna look for smarts. We’re gonna look for a player evaluator, a person that understands analytics. Everything from A to Z. That’s what it’s gonna be. I’m sure that when Mike and I discuss this with people, somebody’s just gonna pop right out for us. And nothing’s out of bounds. Zero. We’re gonna look everywhere we possibly can.”
The Blue Jackets have to take this approach especially given how the Babcock hiring happened when there wasn’t enough vetting in that process. Some names immediately come to mind such as Jeff Gorton, Mathieu Darche and Mark Hunter just to name a few. But don’t expect too much out in the public on this search. The team may look to the NHL for some advice. They may also hire a firm to help them. They say the search will be far and wide. We’ll see if that is true in time.
Priest Addresses Ownership Availability
Another big piece of news fell regarding the Blue Jackets. But as usual, the owner was not present to speak. Davidson was directly asked about this aspect. Priest stepped up and answered the question.
“There’s a couple things. The first I would offer up to you, I don’t think you’ve ever seen ownership on the day that we’ve terminated people,” Priest said. “That’s just not what you do. I get the narrative a little bit but I’m in the know so I know how much they’re involved, but it’s not their style. And it never has been their style. Nor do I think when you ask other people around our league, that’s why they call to want to come to this organization is because they empower people.”
“They have to do the right thing and to run the company. That’s their expertise. They give them great autonomy to do that. They’re totally informed and they totally have a say, trust me, I hear it. They are very engaged, but they’re not gonna come up here and pretend they have the expertise that JD has or Jarmo had.”
Simply put. Don’t expect Mr. McConnell’s approach to change anytime soon. This is how he’s run things. They’ll release statements when needed like they did at the start of the season. But media opportunities directly with ownership will be extremely few and far between.
What’s Next?
The Blue Jackets still have plenty of games to play out as they wind down their 2023-24 season. How will the team handle the news? Coach Pascal Vincent said there was some shock in the players when they found out the news.
All of the team captains spoke on Thursday and took their own responsibility for this. It’s going to be on them to help the team finish the season the right way while keeping the room as tight as it’s been.
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Once the season is over, then the big decisions will start to come down. Once they decide on a general manager, other key decisions will have to be made. Davidson said there won’t be other changes at this point. But once a new manager is in place, what will they want to do?
For the Blue Jackets, they felt they needed a new voice and a fresh perspective. They thought the time was right to make the move now. They’ve done that and they’re turning the page. They know there’s a lot of work ahead of them.
Thursday was just step one of what’s going to be a long process in getting the Blue Jackets to where they eventually want to go.
