Nothing monumental has happened in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ organization since the last Union Junction podcast, right? Wrong. The Hockey Writers’ Nicholas Arnold and Mark Scheig guide you through maybe the most earth-shattering week in the Blue Jackets’ last ten years. They start with the news that Jarmo Kekalainen was relieved as the team’s general manager (GM) and answer tons of questions on the topic. They continue with the news that Ohio State will be hosting a 2025 NHL Stadium Series game and how monumental that is for the team and city. That and more in this episode of Union Junction.
Jarmo Kekalainen Fired
Eleven years into his tenure as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kekalainen was relieved of his duties. For some organizations in the NHL, a new GM might not be earth-shattering, but for the Blue Jackets, this is massive. The team has only had three GMs in their nearly quarter century of existence, so now they are looking for their next leader.
There were good times and bad in the Blue Jackets under Kekalainen. It was without a doubt the most successful stretch in franchise history. Their first playoff win in 20 years. Their first playoff series win in spectacular fashion against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning. Their first point-per-game player over a full season with Artemi Panarin. Two Vezina Trophies were won by Sergei Bobrovsky, and a 16-game winning streak in the franchise’s best season in 2016-17 when they finished with 50 wins and 108 points.
On the other side, there were some poor decisions made – particularly in the last 365 days. The Mike Babcock fiasco was a major misstep. I’m not sure if there’s ever been a time in the NHL when a head coach was hired and fired without having coached a single game.
Kekalainen had a reputation as a hardball negotiator, not only with his fellow GMs but also with his players in contract negotiations. Josh Anderson’s storied restricted free agent (RFA) negotiations are a perfect example of that. When it came to trades, that hardball attitude may have hurt many of his deals in his later years as he may have missed getting a higher return, as he might have waited a little too long to pull the trigger on a trade. The negligible return for players like Max Domi and the decline in interest for Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke could be examples of that.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Kekalainen Left Lasting Impact But Time Was Up
Ultimately, the clock struck midnight on Kekalainen’s time in Columbus. The ‘in Jarmo we trust’ slogan will remain a relic of a bygone era for Ohio’s hockey team.
Ohio State Stadium Series Game
As of the 2023-24 season, there were only three NHL teams that hadn’t participated in an outdoor game – the Arizona Coyotes, the Florida Panthers, and the Blue Jackets. As an aside, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins have participated in six each. However, the news broke this week that the Blue Jackets will be scratched off that list as they will host a Stadium Series game in 2025.
There had been talk for years about holding a game in the massive Ohio State football stadium, but the building needed some infrastructure upgrades to winterize it. Holding it as a Stadium Series game lets them have it on March 1, 2025, which means they can avoid that hurdle. Columbus will play the Detroit Red Wings, so the Ohio-Michigan rivalry will get a chance to materialize in the NHL for the first time in a formal event.
Other topics discussed on the show include:
- Boone Jenner’s post-All-Star Game boon
- Blue Jackets’ games over the past week
- How the new management structure could affect the trade deadline
- Listener questions
Union Junction will be back with more coverage in the coming weeks. The Blue Jackets wrap up their California road trip with a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 21, before a two-game homestand at Nationwide Arena against fellow Eastern Conference teams, the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers. You can find the podcast on Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a new episode.
