Rumor: Kekalainen and Davidson Out Soon?
Bruce Garrioch, of the Ottawa Sun recently released an article about the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anytime international media start writing about a team, that usually means something's wrong.
In his article, he states:
The belief in NHL circles is that both could be shown the door if the club doesn’t get its act together and owner John P. McConnell isn’t the least bit pleased with where the Jackets sit. This isn’t the hope that Davidson and Kekalainen were selling coming into this year.
On December 10th, Aaron Portzline of the Athletic released an article where he wanted to talk to John P. McConnell but got shot down.
The Athletic has requested to speak with majority owner John P. McConnell twice since then, and his office has declined those requests. This week, they responded by making Mike Priest, the Blue Jackets president of business operations and a close confidant of the McConnells, available for an interview.
“I can say we’re all very frustrated,” Priest said. “We’re disappointed. Emotions are high among everyone. That’s just … nobody wants to be where we are with our record. That’s not what we expected. John (McConnell) is a fan. That family is a fan. Our ownership group is a fan. They share this frustration right along with the fans.
It's no secret that the Jackets Front Office has made some mistakes over the years, but none more glaring than the Mike Babcock debacle. With Pascal Vincent being thrust into the Head Coaching role without any prep time, some say it's the reason he's struggled to find his footing so far. And with that, the team has failed to find its footing as well. This all goes hand in hand and starts at the top.
General Managers rarely get fired during a season, or at all for that matter. But something has to give with this franchise. They have great young talent on the roster, with more waiting their turn. It's the vets that people talk the most about, however. Unfortunately, Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau are square in the sites of some people who think the CBJ needs to sell them off and start from scratch. Some have even mentioned trading Captain Boone Jenner, the team's leader and leading scorer.
Fans hope that if firing the front office is the way to go, they don't make drastic trades before they go and set the team back even more. Trading young talent, or guys that actually perform just get a few wins on your way out would be catastrophic.
With Columbus' front office now getting attention on both sides of the border, this situation could become a ticking time bomb. When will the timer run out?
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.