Confirmed with Link: Jarmo Fired, JD (& staff) named interim GM

[CBJWerenski8]

On Thursday's edition of "The Jeff Marek Show,"NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said the situation in Columbus was simmering before the regular season even kicked off.

"After the Babcock situation, and the statement the ownership put out at the time, everybody was on red alert," Friedman said. "If this season didn't go well, I think they knew we were coming to the end (of Kekalainen's tenure). A lot more (scrutiny from ownership) was being made into Kekalainen's decisions, and there were some things he thought about or looked at that (ownership had) pushback on that might not have been there in previous years.""At the end of the day, they knew they were going to be making a change," Friedman said. "And (the Blue Jackets) said, we might as well make it now...the decisions we might make now might not be what the knew regime (wants to do)."

 

[DarkandStormy]

SO as I've had a moment to sit and think about this, what do we think was the last straw?

Was it the handling of the 3 goalie situation blowing up? it's obviously been building up over time but there had to be something that made them realize it is time.

Losing Liam Foudy on waivers.

11 conference finals in that period, two teams per final. Thus, 22 chances to make at least one appearance.

Over half the teams in the Conference made the ECF during Jarmo's tenure (guess we're discounting 2013 in the WCF). 9 out of 16.

 

[DarkandStormy]

I, for one, am happy top hockey mind Mike Priest has been researching names to be the new GM. No red flags there.

 

[GoJackets1]

I, for one, am happy top hockey mind Mike Priest has been researching names to be the new GM. No red flags there.

Oh brother. What exactly do you think is going to happen? He’s going to pick some HF poster that messages him on LinkedIn?

 

[LoveCBJ]

Glad he is gone, now Davidson should be next. So many wasted picks over the years.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Viqsi]

Losing Liam Foudy on waivers.



Over half the teams in the Conference made the ECF during Jarmo's tenure (guess we're discounting 2013 in the WCF). 9 out of 16.

So basically you've decided that everything he ever did ever was unredeemable horrible failure with no upside and no bright spots and nothing that could ever be considered good... because of a coin toss. Cool. G-d forbid you ever have management power.

 

[pete goegan]

The Plain Dealer rarely covers the Jackets. Hell, they rarely cover the Monsters! So, there’s that:

Why the Blue Jackets could learn a lot from the Browns about urgency, after firing GM Jarmo Kekalainen

The Columbus Blue Jackets fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday after 11 years in charge with minimal playoff success. Could they learn from the Browns, who have had five GMs in that timespan but appear to have things right now?

www.cleveland.com

 

[VT]

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Granted I haven’t listened but I find that a stretch. if there was a Jenner deal blocked, I’d like to see the deal to know which side I’d be on.

I hate the thought of ownership not making a trade that could make the team better because they like a guy.

But in the flip side, the deal could have been a desperation move by jarmo and terrible on paper.

 

[VT]

Granted I haven’t listened but I find that a stretch. if there was a Jenner deal blocked, I’d like to see the deal to know which side I’d be on.

I hate the thought of ownership not making a trade that could make the team better because they like a guy.

But in the flip side, the deal could have been a desperation move by jarmo and terrible on paper.

The question is whether it would make the team better.

 

[Ice9]

JD thinks we'll get a lot of calls for the job ("in fact, I've already had a couple").
Points out that we're not starting from the bottom, and so there should be lots of interest.

Will look for "energy, smarts, a player evaluator, someone who understands analytics, everybody from A-Z".
Figures that "someone's going to pop right out for us" when discussing with Priest. (They've not even discussed replacements yet?

If JD can't step back and let a hockey GM do hockey things he'll NEVER get an experienced guy here. If he hires a ventriloquist dummy to sit on his lap there'll be no change seen.

Time will tell how this goes down...

 

[stevo61]

If JD can't step back and let a hockey GM do hockey things he'll NEVER get an experienced guy here. If he hires a ventriloquist dummy to sit on his lap there'll be no change seen.

Time will tell how this goes down...

Thats how Toronto does it and atleast they are good in the regular season

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

I still find it absolutely crazy that Jarmo gambled his job on of Babcock of all the people in the world.
All he had to do was pick literally any average coach out there, and he would have had a safe job until 2025. Maybe even further depending on how the team develops into the 24-25 season.

 

[Marioesque]

I still find it absolutely crazy that Jarmo gambled his job on of Babcock of all the people in the world.
All he had to do was pick literally any average coach out there, and he would have had a safe job until 2025. Maybe even further depending on how the team develops into the 24-25 season.

I really want to hear Jarmo asked about who actually brought Babcock into the conversation. Was it him or someone above him. Because that matters.

 

[LJ7]

Had not heard of this possibility, wonder if JD is considering that type of move

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

The triumph of my tired eyes...

 

[Sdrawkcab321]

Is that abnormal? Seems about right for 11 years.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

What a terrible mindset. I don’t even think Jarmo would agree with this nonsense.

Does Hedger want the Jackets to win a cup, or win “enough?” I’m glad the org isn’t quite that stupid.

I mean if you truly haven't gotten past the first round of the playoffs more than once in franchise history I'm pretty sure you haven't won enough.

 

[cslebn]

I was wondering what was up with Nash since we used to hear how he'd be a future GM

 

[DarkandStormy]

So basically you've decided that everything he ever did ever was unredeemable horrible failure with no upside and no bright spots and nothing that could ever be considered good... because of a coin toss. Cool. G-d forbid you ever have management power.

Holy hyperbole batman lmao

 

[Viqsi]

Holy hyperbole batman lmao

I'm just summing up what your argument here amounts to. If that's inaccurate, perhaps you should give specifics.

 

[DarkandStormy]

I'm just summing up what your argument here amounts to. If that's inaccurate, perhaps you should give specifics.

Yeah, you didn't sum it up, at all. You just made up a narrative because I dared to not fully agree with your viewpoint.

Kind of wild and childish, tbh.

It would be like me saying, "oh so you think Jarmo was the best GM in league history and should have been made PHOPs and gotten a statue."

See how hyperbole doesn't really add anything? And all this because I merely stated a fact that over half the Conference made the ECF during Jarmo's tenure lol

 

[Viqsi]

Yeah, you didn't sum it up, at all. You just made up a narrative because I dared to not fully agree with your viewpoint.

Kind of wild and childish, tbh.

It would be like me saying, "oh so you think Jarmo was the best GM in league history and should have been made PHOPs and gotten a statue."

See how hyperbole doesn't really add anything? And all this because I merely stated a fact that over half the Conference made the ECF during Jarmo's tenure lol

Did so in a context in which failure to make the ECF supposedly invalidated everything he ever did. All you "everything is forever terrible" folks are starting to blur together for me anyways and I don't give a f*** anymore. I'm getting enough unreasonable "nuhuh all is fail" garbage from the system recovery I've been working on for most of the day as is and I'm tired of y'all's petty rationalizations.

 

[NotTooWideArena]

I really want to hear Jarmo asked about who actually brought Babcock into the conversation. Was it him or someone above him. Because that matters.

That would be interesting to know, but I'm not sure the Babcock mess was a huge sea change in Jarmo's performance ratings.

I have to think it was the constant accretion of "small things" - contracts that proved slightly too expensive, free agents that never produced at expected levels, prospects that developed (at best) erratically, coaches who showed signs of competence but couldn't make sustainable progress. More about erosion than cataclysm.

Either way, I wish him well going forward. As a person with an inexplicable fondness for all things Finnish I was excited to see him arrive and am sad he had to go. But I do think it was necessary.