Columbus Blue Jackets GM Candidates: Meghan Hunter
As the days go by and the Columbus Blue Jackets don't name a GM, we must continue to speculate.
When John Davidson relieved Jarmo Kekäläinen of his duties a few months ago, the speculation started almost immediately as to who they would hire. Davidson made a few points known early though about who they were looking for. They had to have some kind of experience and had to know analytics.
But during interviews, Davidson kept saying he or she, which caused some ears to perk up when he said it. The same recycled names keep popping up as possible GM candidates like Ken Holland and Marc Bergevin. As well as some new names like Mathieu Darche and Eric Tulsky. But what if the Columbus Blue Jackets went completely off the board and broke new ground? Instead of looking at the Hail Mary hire, what if they actually did something innovative and different?
In terms of women with executive roles in the NHL, there are many, and some are rock stars. The two that stick out are Kate Madigan of the New Jersey Devils and Meghan Hunter of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Regarding Meghan Hunter, there are many reasons why the CBJ should absolutely talk to her and give her serious consideration. But who is she? Meghan Hunter is the niece of London Knights co-owners Dale and Mark Hunter. Yes, the same Mark Hunter that many Blue Jacket fans want as their next GM. The London Knights-CBJ connection is just too strong to ignore.
Hunter got her start with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016, being hired in the hockey operations department. From there, she would start getting promoted quickly. In 2020, she was given the title of Dir. of Hockey Administration and was also a scout. She would hold those positions until 2022.
In 2022 Hunter was again promoted. This time to Asst. General Manager under GM Kyle Davidson. Some of the job responsibilities include managing the Hawks’ salary cap space, managing the hockey operations budget, daily operations, executing contracts, team security, player services, scouting, roster construction, and daily player transactions. She's also the principal contact between the team and NHL HQ. Hunter also looks over the salary cap, compliance, and works closely with the coaching staff and the player development staff. She literally does it all.
With Chicago in rebuild mode, the drafting of picks has come easily. Drafting #1 overall last year was a no-brainer in Connor Bedard. This year they will draft #2 overall and will need to work a little bit harder to determine who they want. All this experience she's getting in these situations are nothing but good for her resume. The Blackhawks are drafting well and will continue to build around Bedard and she has a lot to do with it.
Hunter's not only a star in the front office but was a star on the ice as well. She played for four years at the University of Wisconsin where she collected 177 points in 132 games.
Should the Columbus Blue Jackets go off the board and hire a fresh-minded, new-age GM? Or should they stick with the status quo and hire a retread? Many people who follow the team are split on this question. They want experience but want new ideas, if this is even possible. Some want to completely rip it apart and hire someone with current ideas and who has an imagination, no matter how much "experience" they have. But do the people in the CBJ front office feel the same?
Names like Eric Tulsky, Mathieu Darche, and Chris MacFarland dominate the GM talk around Columbus, but there are others, like Hunter who should be getting their shot really soon. And if I'm the Blue Jackets, I'm seriously considering Meghan Hunter.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.
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