Like I said, he should be held accountable but I don’t believe it warrants him getting canned right at this moment.
there's no way jarmo hires babcock in the first place if he doesn't think that it's his last chance to keep his job. if you feel that your time is running out, you're more apt to take a huge risk.
jarmo and JD took that risk with babcock (provorov was a big PR risk as well) with the idea that they could live with the immediate backlash if the team ended up having success, and the knowledge that if it didn't, they'd be out.
the fact that their last-ditch effort to find a coach blew up this spectacularly before camp even opened, and they kept their jobs anyway, is a travesty. and i say that as a big jarmo guy. there has to be accountability.
This upcoming year is supposed to be a rebuilding year with nearly zero chance of competing, this head coach hiring mistake can still be fixed
they have some very capable hockey minds in that front office who could continue that work, even if it's with interim titles, without jarmo and JD. previous jarmo proteges (mcfarland + zito) have gone on to be enormously successful GMs immediately after leaving columbus. they have another guy who fits that bill (josh flynn) and a franchise legend in rick nash who has respect across the league.
firing jarmo and JD gives the team the public perception of a fresh start while keeping continuity in the rebuild. having rick nash's name in there earns goodwill back with the fans. it's a no-brainer!
you can't correct cultural flaws if you're guilty of practicing them yourself. jarmo and JD had the opportunity to avoid that by simply not hiring babcock. the mcconnells had the chance to stop it by firing jarmo and JD. in both cases, the personal relationships – and thus the shitty culture – won out.
