Assistant general manager Jason Karmanos was getting ready to enter his 15th year of operations with the Hurricanes before he was shockingly let go 4 days before training camp. Karmanos had served in multiple roles during his time with the Canes, most recently overseeing the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and the Florida Everglades of the ECHL.
What makes this story particularly interesting is that Karmanos is one of the seven sons of Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmonos Jr. Perhaps the one lesson to take from this story is simply to avoid mixing family with business. Under optimal circumstances, this would have been a clean break, but it is clear that this is not the case in this situation.
“The disagreement I had with my father had nothing to do with the direction of the team or the business of the team,” Jason Karmanos said. “This has nothing to do with my job performance.
“It’s an unfortunate situation and it’s extremely disappointing. My emotions are still raw. A big chunk of my life has been devoted to working for the team and I will miss it very much, as well as all the great people that I have worked with on a daily basis.”
Peter Karmanos Jr. has stayed extremely quiet about the matter, releasing only this statement (via NHL.com):
“This is a family matter,” Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos said. “I have no further comment at this time.”
Karmanos’ duties will be taken care of internally. Hall-of-Famer Ron Francis, who had been serving VP Hockey Operations, and video scout Darren Yorke. With training camp so close, it remains to be seen if these men can adequately prepare themselves for their new expanded role. The role of assistant general manager will likely be filled before the end of the season. Whether that replacement comes externally or internally remains to be seen. One potential replacement could be former Dallas GM Joe Nieuwendyk, though that is pure speculation at this point.