Should The Owners Fire Someone Due To The Blue Jackets Slow Start?

Who's to blame?

The Columbus Blue Jackets are off to a 4-9-4 start and have lost the last 7 games. Not exactly the start that new HC Pascal Vincent was looking for, but it's the current situation in Columbus, Ohio. 

Pascal Vincent was dealt a bad hand from the start. He was hired to replace Mike Babcock just days before training camp was supposed to start. Now, while he said that it shouldn't be an issue since he and Babcock were working during the summer to plan what would be the system for the new season, one can't help but think it had a negative effect. He also said that he wasn't going to change much of what they had already had in mind. 

Vincent has been in the spotlight lately since he's the one who talks to the media before and after games, but should he be blamed for this? Most of the games have been very competitive, they just haven't gone their way. He's also being criticized for benching stars like Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine. To his defense, he has said from the start that he will hold players accountable for their bad play or whatever else he decides doesn't meet his criteria. Some people have applauded him for this, while others have been harsh critics. 

GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and John Davidson have been heavily criticized since the hiring, and firing of Mike Babcock. Kekäläinen has two years left on his contract and many people who follow the Jackets closely have called for his job. Defenders of Kekäläinen have said that despite what is currently happening, he should be allowed to see out the next two years. He has been able to draft what is widely considered the top prospect pool in all of hockey after all. 

The day Babcock was fired the owners of the Jackets, who rarely speak or are even seen, put out a statement about the situation. 

So, what are they to do? Firing a GM or anyone in the front office doesn't really affect anything on the ice. NHL GMs are historically hard to fire and it usually takes something outrageous for it to happen. Should Jarmo be held responsible for the slow start? 

Kekäläinen's critics also point to players who have been scratched as a negative as well. Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist have been scratched almost every night. With teams being cap-strapped and not being able to make moves to attain players like these two, it's most likely been harder for Kekäläinen to trade them. He probably can't get much for them until the trade deadline either. Critics make the point that by failing to deal these players before the season, it's actually holding back young players who could be getting called up and getting some NHL time. Players such as Stanislav Svozil, Corson Ceulemans, and Samuel Knazko would love to see NHL ice. 

Pascal Vincent was just hired, so he's not going to get fired. He was given short notice to become the top guy behind the bench and should be given plenty of leash. He should also be given a chance to guide this young team through these tough times. Vincent is a good coach and can get this to work. Firing the coach is what sparks teams in most situations, but in this case, it's not feasible, and could actually make things worse. 

What are the Jackets going to do?

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