Jarmo Kekalainen was relieved of his duties on Feb. 15 after serving as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets for 11 seasons. However, his days as an NHL executive are far from over if he has anything to say about it.
“I’d be a lot better general manager the second time around,” Kekalainen said in a recent interview with Jon Lane of NHL.com. “I’m also realizing that I’m not ready to retire, so I’m staying active. I’ve [scouted] some games to make sure that I stay current with the other prospects coming into the NHL, which is a lot of NHL hockey, college hockey, major junior, [American Hockey League], so I’m definitely full of energy and ready for the next challenge as well.”
Blue Jackets Fired Kekalainen Because Results ‘Haven’t Been Good Enough’
Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor John Davidson relieved Kekalainen of his duties on Feb. 15, almost exactly 11 years after the team hired him on Feb. 13, 2013. A native of Tampere, Finland, Kekalainen was the first European-born general manager in NHL history.
The Blue Jackets went 410-362-97 in 869 regular-season games during Kekalainen’s tenure in Columbus, a time he called “the best of [his] life” in a statement he posted to social media the day after he was fired.
At the time of his firing, the Blue Jackets were – and still are – the worst team in the Eastern Conference. They have gone 9-12-2 in their last 23 games since Kekalainen’s dismissal, and they currently have a .413 points percentage in 75 games (25-38-12). Under Kekalainen, Columbus qualified for the postseason five times but won only a single playoff series – a shocking first-round upset of the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. They have missed the postseason every season since then.
“The progress is not linear, as one of my colleagues said, so I think that I know that process really well,” Kekalainen told Lane. “And I know that there are some learning lessons that you have to make sure that you do better next time around. But at the same time, even if you think that you’ve realized what you had to adjust, then something’s going to be different the next time around too. You just have to believe in the process and the plan. Wins and losses are a big part of it, but there is nothing like the excitement around the game.”
Kekalainen is ‘Definitely Not Ready to Retire’ Without a Stanley Cup
Even if he doesn’t get another general manager role, there are other plausible paths for Kekalainen’s potential return to an NHL front office. Lane noted Kekalainen’s strong track record in amateur scouting, highlighting his time with the Ottawa Senators as a European scout from 1995-99 and director of player personnel from 1999-2002.
From there, Kekalainen went on to become assistant GM and director of amateur scouting for the St. Louis Blues from 2002-10, where three of the players he drafted – David Perron, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko – became part of the core that helped St. Louis win its first Stanley Cup championship in 2019.
More than anything, Kekalainen wants another chance to get his own name on the Stanley Cup, and he has indicated his willingness to do so in any number of different roles.
“It’s such a thrill,” Kekalainen told Lane. “It’s more of a lifestyle. I still love hockey and I love the competitive part of it. I love building a team, managing different personalities and seeing it all come together. This is what I want to keep doing and hopefully I’ll get another opportunity at it. I have one goal left, which is to win the Stanley Cup, and I’m ready to do it as a grinder or first-line center and the captain or a fourth-line checker. I’ve always been a team player and want to stay as a team player all the way up until the end. But I’m definitely not ready to retire.”
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Ousted NHL GM Wants Another Chance: ‘I’d Be a Lot Better’