It has been over three months and counting since the Columbus Blue Jackets moved on from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. We may finally have some significant development in finding Kekalainen’s replacement.
Welcome back to Blue Jackets News & Rumors. The Conference Finals are underway. The NHL Combine is less than two weeks away while the NHL Draft is almost a month away. Ideally, the Blue Jackets would like to make their decision on a general manager sooner rather than later, especially before the NHL Draft.
On Thursday night, some interesting news was shared about a potential serious candidate for the Blue Jackets.
Don Waddell Moving On?
As was first reported by Pierre LeBrun of TSN & The Athletic, the Hurricanes have given permission to GM Don Waddell to speak to other teams. Then Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blue Jackets interviewed Waddell on Thursday. LeBrun later confirmed this to be true.
Waddell joins Marc Bergevin as those that have been linked to the Blue Jackets. As John Davidson has said in the past, they have talked with a few people but these are the known most prominent ones.
Then on Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman said the following: “I do believe he’s a serious contender for a job there, a big job there and I think the Hurricanes know it.” He also said that Waddell being a top hockey mind and businessman is making him a serious contender.
While there is always the chance the Blue Jackets want to speak to other candidates, Waddell jumps to the top of the list for candidates to watch. He’s been a manager in some capacity since the late 1990’s when he was an assistant GM with the Detroit Red Wings. He was also the former GM of the Atlanta Thrashers.
Now that we’re starting to see some names leak out, one thing is obvious. The Blue Jackets were not lying when they said they were looking for someone with experience. There’s a reason why we haven’t heard names like Mathieu Darche and others linked to the Blue Jackets. Management appears to be seeking candidates with years of experience.
One look at the overall Blue Jackets’ situation and it makes sense to see them target experience. Davidson has said that there will be a full review of the team from A-Z. This is not the kind of situation that would suit many first-time GM’s. If there is any major takeaway in seeing Waddell in the mix, it’s that whoever comes in will be evaluating everything and making very tough decisions. Not even achieving 70 standings points in consecutive seasons demands that a full review takes place.
We’ll see where it all goes. The Blue Jackets need to get this right but also want to get someone in sooner rather than later. Hiring Waddell would bring a wealth of experience to a team that needs direction. Add to this that the Hurricanes believe Waddell is moving on and it’s something all Blue Jackets’ fans need to monitor.
Monsters Getting Ready for Hershey
The Monsters took care of business in Game 3 of the North Division Finals against the Syracuse Crunch with a 6-4 win. The three-game sweep sets them up with a clash against the Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Bears won all four games in the regular season against the Monsters. But it’s a clean slate for both teams as the situation is different now than it was in the regular season.
The big story at least at the start of the series will be the availability of goaltender Jet Greaves. He did not play in Game 3 due to an unspecified issue. Injury updates are on lockdown this time of year so we do not know what the issue is. The fact that he was not available to backup would point to an injury. Given how he played leading up to that point, the issue must have been significant enough.
The Eastern Conference Finals start Thursday in Hershey. That gives Greaves about another week to work through his situation. Unless it’s something week-to-week or worse, it’s reasonable to expect him to play in Game 1. But we’ll see.
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As for how the Monsters got here, outside of Greaves, it’s been their depth. Scoring on all lines coupled with a defense playing well enough has added up to a 6-1 playoff record. That depth will now be tested against the team who has been the best in the East from wire-to-wire.
So far in these playoffs, the Bears have been paced by Hendrix Lapierre and his eight points. Ethan Frank and Ivan Miroshnichenko each have five goals. But it’s their goaltending that has been their bedrock in a way similar to the Monsters.
Hunter Shepard has a 1.58 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in these playoffs. Greaves is at 1.39 and .951. Perhaps we need to be ready to watch some 1-0 or 2-1 games upcoming.
The Monsters will be the underdog in this series but have the depth and goaltending to make this a highly-contested series that anyone can win. The winner will advance to the Calder Cup Finals.
Side Dishes
- At the World Championships, Team USA lost a tough 1-0 game to Czechia. This means Zach Werenski, Johnny Gaudreau and Gavin Brindley are done for the tournament.
- Meanwhile Damon Severson and Team Canada will play Switzerland in the semifinals. That game will be on Saturday.
- The evidence seems to be pointing to Pascal Vincent starting 2024-25 as the head coach, doesn’t it? Unless a summer decision is made, it appears he will start and be under immediate evaluation.
