Blue Jackets, worst in East, fire GM Kekalainen

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired Jarmo Kekalainen, the longest-tenured general manager in the franchise’s history.

Kekalainen, 57, was hired in February 2013 by the Blue Jackets, becoming the first European-born general manager in the NHL.

The Blue Jackets have the worst record in the Eastern Conference with a .404 points percentage in 52 games (16-26-10). The Jackets last made the playoffs in 2019-20. Under Kekalainen, Columbus qualified for the postseason five times but won only a single playoff series — their shocking 2019 first-round upset of first-place Tampa Bay in a sweep.

“This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here,” said John Davidson, the team’s president of hockey operations and alternate governor. “While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.”

Davidson, along with the team’s hockey operations management team, will assume general manager duties while the club goes through the process of hiring a replacement.

Kekalainen had a contract that ran through the 2024-25 season, but his status beyond this season was in question. Not only were the Jackets one of the worst teams in the NHL but Kekalainen oversaw a preseason debacle as new coach Mike Babcock resigned days before training camp after a National Hockey League Players’ Association investigation into claims that he violated players’ privacy when he asked to see photos on their cellphones. Kekalainen had hired Babcock in July.

“Obviously, that was a mistake, and that responsibility is mine,” Kekalainen said at the time. “We understood the dynamics of hiring Mike before we did so and understand the criticism now that it didn’t work out the way we had planned.”

At the time, Blue Jackets ownership opted not to take any action against Kekalainen or Davidson for the hiring.

“We had candid conversations with our leadership after last season about our goals and expectations for growth and progress on the ice in 2023-24. Those expectations are still in place and can still be achieved, so we do not anticipate further changes to our hockey leadership team at this time,” ownership said in a statement.

But as the season progressed, those goals weren’t met. The Blue Jackets were a last-place team again, and Kekalainen finally reached the end of his long tenure in Columbus.