Columbus fires Jarmo Kekalainen

[Oberyn]

Great scout but terrible GM

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Best to do it now before he did something extremely stupid at the deadline

 

[trick9]

There's some speculation on HFCBJ that this is a phased exit - that JD might retire at the end of the season. I dunno if that's plausible or if it's just wishful thinking, tho. I dunno where I stand on it myself.

I hope so, for their sake. That'd make sense.

 

[jonu]

I always appreciated that he went for it in a big way back in '19. Obviously didn't work in the long run, but it was gutsy and the league could use more of that.

He also got way too much flak back then for going for it. I remember all the comments about not having any picks left and ruining their future, he proceeded to fleece himself some good picks and young players.

 

[Habs 4 Life]

One of the most overrated GM's ever. I'm shocked he lasted that long!

 

[Mobiandi]

He was who the Jackets needed for a while. Made some good aggressive moves to break their malaise. Completely lost the thread in his final 2 years, though. Hard to see a way out for the Jackets, another rebuild?

 

[squashmaple]

He also got way too much flak back then for going for it. I remember all the comments about not having any picks left and ruining their future, he proceeded to fleece himself some good picks and young players.

Going all in that year was 100% worth it to the fanbase. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone around CBJ spaces who doesn't think so. Was it the wisest course of action a hockey team should take? No, probably not, but for a young franchise that had never had even one minute of success before that, it was worth it.

I've said this a lot, but the right time to fire him was 2020 or 2021 when the genuinely decent team he built fell apart, but I can see why the team didn't with the uncertainty of the pandemic. This is a very, very conservative ownership and upper management (the guy in charge of the whole thing, Mike Priest, is the kind of bean-counter other bean-counters aspire to be). Jarmo has not had a good few years since Torts left, and he definitely should've been fired along with JD over the Babcock debacle. I've been a big Jarmo defender over the years, but I could not defend or forgive that.

I come to bury him, not to praise him. Hopefully we don't inter the good things he did along with his bones.

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

Davidson has to go too. Let him commence the fire sale. Then gone.

 

[The Electrician]

Jarmo has been a fraud all the way back to his time in St. Louis.

J.D. is a shyster, as well.

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

The coaching hires were red flags about his horrible process in making decisions. Davidson signed off on everything by the way. He’s a f***ing clown who needs to go.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

....this student-journalist had a scoop last night....

 

[JKG33]

Congrats Columbus fans! What an absolute shit GM he was.

I will say this, I give him credit for going all in by keeping Bob and Panarin instead of selling off. But beyond that... yikes. Gaudreau was a horrible signing. Laine should've never been a target, the goaltending is awful.

His drafting wasn't awful, and he made a good trade with Seth Jones (did he acquire him too?), but the overall team's he's put together were just not good.

 

[Leafs87]

Fun Fact: Jarmo is the first Finn-ished GM ever in the NHL.

Not the first impression international GMs wanted to make

 

[TBF1972]

It was a given that he wouldn’t be there after this season, but I am a little surprised about the timing.

I guess in the end, it was time to fire something other than that stupid canon.

may they were afraid he does more stupid at the deadline

 

[CupofOil]

About 3 years too late but better late than never

It was a given that he wouldn’t be there after this season, but I am a little surprised about the timing.

I guess in the end, it was time to fire something other than that stupid canon.

Fire him before he makes another dumb decision at the deadline so the timing makes sense to me. I wish the Oilers did this with Chiarelli back in the day before he created more damage out of desperation.

 

[EpochLink]

Jim Benning about to leave the witness protection program so he can apply for another GM job.

 

[bossram]

Finally. Yeesh. I respect that he took some swings to make CBJ a good team. But when the swings kept missing and missing, they really should have changed direction earlier.

And after the Babcock botch job, hard to understand why they waited until now.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

His drafting wasn't awful, and he made a good trade with Seth Jones (did he acquire him too?), but the overall team's he's put together were just not good.

Jones was a 2013 Nashville draft pick, came over in the Ryan Johansen trade. So yes, that was a JK move. And once Seth signaled he wasn't going to sign an extension, JK made the smart move in shipping him out.

Net, it ended up being Ryan Johansen, Nolan Allen (31st, 2021) and Dominic James (173rd, 2022) for Adam Boqvist, Cole Sillinger, David Jiricek, Aleksi Heimosalmi and 5 1/2 years of Seth Jones [or, arguably his greatest years in the league].

 

[GAGLine]

"Mike Grier, you're next", - Seravelli.

I don't get the hate for Grier. He's only been there for a year and a half. Has he worn out his welcome already?

 

[CaptainShark]

About 3 years too late but better late than never


Fire him before he makes another dumb decision at the deadline so the timing makes sense to me. I wish the Oilers did this with Chiarelli back in the day before he created more damage out of desperation.

I get that, still think it’s odd after they let him off the hook for the Babcock fiasco and thought the would stick it out for the season…

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

Congratulations. Better late than never.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

There are supposedly many underlying reasons for the change in Columbus but one rumor being reported is that their vowel to consonant ratios were all out of whack...

 

[SEALBound]

I think he's a likable guy but it's about damn time.

That said, I don't like some of the moves he made. For awhile there, he built a contender out of nothing. He never got the 1/2OV franchise player to build out from.

Sometimes you just need someone new. Doesn't mean Jarmo is a bad guy though.

 

[MessierII]

How on earth did they not just do this after the Babcock fiasco?

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

Apparently, they’re gonna let Davidson hire the next GM. You know, the same guy who hired Jarmo and cosigned every major decision he’s made in the last five years.

Columbus is not going anywhere as long as the same people continue to run the organization at the highest levels. Get used to being a bottom feeder again.