Hot Seat Intensifies for Columbus Blue Jackets GM and Minnesota Wild Coach

When things are going your way as an NHL team, any matchup in the world seems winnable. The New York Rangers – 9-0-1 in their past 10 games and winners of four in a row – are a good example of that. However, when you’re at the other end of the win/loss spectrum, every minute of every game feels like an uphill battle. And there are the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild that are suffering greatly at the moment.

The Blue Jackets are the Eastern Conference’s worst team – and fourth-worst team in the league – with a 4-11-4 record. Only the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks have a worse points percentage than Columbus, who has dropped four straight games and are 1-7-2 in its past 10 games. 

Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent has tried sitting down some key veterans, including star winger Johnny Gaudreau, for parts of games. And Vincent made sniper Patrik Laine a healthy scratch on Sunday in a gamble that could either help Laine rediscover his game or hurt the connection between player and coach. But that’s all Vincent can do at this point.

With no clear solution for their woes, the pressure on the Blue Jackets has shifted to GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who was already on the hot seat entering the season for his botching of the team’s coaching position when he hired (and quickly parted with) veteran bench boss Mike Babcock before the season began. Kekalainen can’t just replace Vincent, so after more than 10 years on the job, Kekalainen is squarely in the line of questioning in regard to his job security. He’s had some years sunk by injuries, but this season is not one of those years. It’s simply not working, and accountability for the club's lack of success means going in another direction starting as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the Central Division, the Minnesota Wild have fallen to sixth with a 5-8-4 mark. They’ve gone 2-5-3 in their past 10 games, and they weren't good enough in their Global Series showdowns, losing both games in Sweden in extra time. Before they left for that trip, they had a team meeting with an incensed Wild GM Bill Guerin, according to The Athletic. It appears he can see this team is sinking fast if they don't turn it around.

As it is in Columbus, there’s no quick fix for the Wild. Their roster is simply not good enough to put them in favorable contention for a Stanley Cup, but they're putting their playoff aspirations into question as well. The Wild have got some above-average talent, but they don’t have enough of it at the moment to push aside a bunch of Central teams and get to the top of the division.

This was why Wild bench boss Dean Evason was this writer’s pick as the first coach fired this season. Former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft was the first coach to go after Babcock, but given the underperforming we’ve seen from this Minnesota team, Evason’s job seems in jeopardy right now.

The Wild and Blue Jackets both had aspirations of being a post-season force, but as it stands, they have to string together a bunch of wins before anyone will believe they’re a playoff-capable group. And that is no easy task. They’re not yet beyond the point of no return, but they can see the signs, and they’re closing in on it. Kekalainen and Evason are facing the most pressure right now, and they could be out of work sooner rather than later.