Columbus fires Jarmo Kekalainen

[Warden of the North]

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

Probably lack of financial resources. That would have gotten entire front offices cleaned out in other markets.

 

[King 88]

Took quite bit longer than I thought. Gl for next one who is gonna try fix that organization

 

[weaponomega]

I thought he was doing a decent job until the up to the Seth Jones deal. Then he just became confused as to what he wanted to do with the team. They were a rebuilding team, with good picks, but he tried to rush it and started making bad trades for low value players and overpaying for free agents.

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

Jarmo will be remembered for his astonishing longevity...

 

[bossram]

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?

Yeah. Doesn't really make sense to fire him now. Grier is obviously there to be the caretaker of a full-scale rebuild.

Like, did anyone expect SJ to be good this season? No, literally no one. That's not the criteria to judge Grier.

 

[Albatros]

JD is every bit as responsible for their recent failures as Jarmo is. I understand them going for a fresh start, but this isn't it.

 

[SantosHalper]

Next Isles GM

 

[JackieDaytona]

Pierre Dorion, disheveled and long unshaven, looks up from his hunched posture over a 3 day old Gabriel’s pizza box, dusts the crumbs off his sauce-stained wifebeater with a certain glint in his eye.

CBJ are… a team.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think Jarmo is a pretty good GM but this has been long overdue. Probably should of happened several years ago.

I did forget Babcock. Weird moment for Jarmo/Davidson,

 

[MNRube]

I’ve always liked Jarmo. A true wildcard. But I’m sure I would feel different if I was a Jackets fan.

 

[Viqsi]

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.

Laine wasn't a target; he was the best we could do with PLD Shows His True Colors, Part 1 Of 3.

 

[JKG33]

Laine wasn't a target; he was the best we could do with PLD Shows His True Colors, Part 1 Of 3.

The best he could do sure, but then flip the player. Don't rely on him to be a key piece, and certainly don't pay him like it

 

[Viqsi]

The best he could do sure, but then flip the player. Don't rely on him to be a key piece, and certainly don't pay him like it

Well, he's certainly played like a key piece most of the time he's been here. It's just that those moments keep getting interrupted by headhunting asshats.

 

[v00d00daddy]

Kinda feel bad for him but this was a long time coming.

 

[Jussi]

I'm a big Jarmo homer. The team was trash when he arrived. He made some bold moves, did well with the draft picks, handled the Dubois and Jones situations like a boss. BUT he was there for ten f***ing years, never did anything about the goalie situation after Bobrovsky bailed (betting on Korpi/Elvis was a clear mistake) and never acquired a #1C. The foundation is good though. Prospect pool is easily top-5. Curious to see who they bring to replace the bald mof***a.

Let's be reality, Lumbus isn't exactly the top target for free agents, top players. Any GM is going to have that working against them.

 

[Celtic Note]

Odd timing. I wonder what made them pull the trigger now? Maybe they didn't trust him going into the TDL?

Before trade deadline?

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

Let's be reality, Lumbus isn't exactly the top target for free agents, top players. Any GM is going to have that working against them.

Doesn’t matter. Draft one.

 

[William H Bonney]

Long overdue, even if he's not the organization's only problem.

 

[Crede777]

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.

As opposed to who? Mike Priest? John McConnell? There's no magical other party who can hire a GM for Columbus.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I thought he was doing a decent job until the up to the Seth Jones deal. Then he just became confused as to what he wanted to do with the team.

The Jones deal wasn't the problem. Having watched Panarin and Bobrovsky walk for nothing, he couldn't let yet another impending UFA do that. I don't even fault him for the PLD trade: PLD was going through the motions, he couldn't let that continue - and when you compare PLD and Laine + Roslovic, Columbus arguably got the better of that even knowing Laine could seemingly disappear for weeks on end.

They were a rebuilding team, with good picks, but he tried to rush it and started making bad trades for low value players and overpaying for free agents.

To be fair, every free agent gets overpaid. That wasn't the problem.

The problem was trying to use obvious castoffs from around the league to fill out a roster. It was letting Tortorella coach out his contract when it was clear Torts didn't give a shit about doing his job. It was deciding Erik Gudbranson was worth a roster spot. It was deciding to put 5 years into Elvis Merzlikins. It was not pulling the plug on Brad Larsen when, even in a season where the Blue Jackets had an insane amount of injuries, it was clear Larsen had no clue what he was doing. It was giving Rick Nash the "former player retirement" position of Director of Player Development and then having noted skill players Tommy Cross, Derek Dorsett and Jarkko Ruutu be player development coaches. It was other decisions like that.

 

[Viqsi]

As opposed to who? Mike Priest? John McConnell? There's no magical other party who can hire a GM for Columbus.

I think the expected order of operations is "first, sell the team, then fire absolutely everybody, then hire people who I haven't lost faith in yet".

 

[Figgy44]

Lots of how Jarmo is being described seems to mirror Treliving in Calgary too. A lot of really good, a bunch of bad, awful pro-scouting for UFA. Gutsy moves that succeeded, gutsy moves that backfired. Regardless of GM performance, was always a good ambassador for the city he was GMing for.

Both seemed to walk into tough situations and outperformed initial expectations. But that approach might have doomed the org long term. In the same way 14-15 revived fanbase interest in the Flames, I bet 18-19 revived interest in the CBJ fanbase. No idea on how to turn that retool into long term contention (both guys) caused it to end up like both guys had lost the plot. This made it so that it made more sense to part ways (mutual or not) than keep going.

Wishing CBJ fans the best going forward.

 

[Viqsi]

Lots of how Jarmo is being described seems to mirror Treliving in Calgary too. A lot of really good, a bunch of bad, awful pro-scouting for UFA. Gutsy moves that succeeded, gutsy moves that backfired. Regardless of GM performance, was always a good ambassador for the city he was GMing for.

Both seemed to walk into tough situations and outperformed initial expectations. But that approach might have doomed the org long term. In the same way 14-15 revived fanbase interest in the Flames, I bet 18-19 revived interest in the CBJ fanbase. No idea on how to turn that retool into long term contention (both guys) caused it to end up like both guys had lost the plot. This made it so that it made more sense to part ways (mutual or not) than keep going.

Wishing CBJ fans the best going forward.

Pretty much exactly. You could probably draw close parallels between Sutter in Calgary and Torts here as well.

I'm hoping we have a better future situation, tho, no offense. We're certainly doing really well with prospects, so, fingers crossed.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

That was three years late.

 

[ThisIsMyAlibi]

As opposed to who? Mike Priest? John McConnell? There's no magical other party who can hire a GM for Columbus.

The Blue Jackets ownership group needs to do what some NFL teams have done.

Call the league office. Admit you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. You don’t know how to hire a good GM. You don’t even know how to hire a good person who hires the other people. Like a president of hockey operations. You get their input and a list of people and you start from there.

And if that doesn’t work. You sell the team because you’re incompetent.

All of these things ALWAYS reflect on ownership. This organization returning to bottom feeder status - AGAIN - reflects on ownership who doesn’t know what they’re doing.