CBJWerenski8
Formerly CBJWennberg10 (RIP Kivi)
- Jun 13, 2009
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Item #1: Meet the new boss
With all of the excitement surrounding John Davidson’s return to the Blue Jackets’ organization last week, one could only wonder what was going through the mind of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Kekalainen and Davidson have been friends for at least 15 years, and Kekalainen is forever indebted to Davidson for hiring him as GM in Columbus in early 2013, becoming the first — and still only — European to ascend to that title in the NHL.
But there’s no getting around this fact: Kekalainen became the head of the Blue Jackets’ hockey operations department when Davidson went to the New York Rangers two seasons ago, giving him the strongest voice and final say on every major decision, from making trades to hiring coaches to negotiating contracts.
Davidson’s return changes that. Kekalainen insists he still will have final say on the club’s hockey decisions, but Blue Jackets president Mike Priest didn’t bring Davidson back to Columbus to shake hands and attend charity functions.
Kekalainen insisted that he wasn’t humbled or angered by Davidson’s return, and that the two-year contract extension he received — he’s now under contract as GM through 2024-25 — was not given to him to help soften the blow.
“To me, it’s a question I don’t even understand being asked,” Kekalainen said. “I’m happy. J.D. is great with communication, representing the organization … he has a big presence, absolutely. He’s a larger-than-life type guy. I love the guy. We have a great relationship, and I consider him a really good friend, even since our St. Louis years (together).
“He wants me as a GM because he knows how I do my job. That’s why he hired me in the first place. That’s why he wants to have me as GM now that he’s here again.”
Blue Jackets president Mike Priest told The Athletic late last month that Kekalainen was comfortable with the club’s current front-office structure — even after the departure of Davidson and Bill Zito, who became GM in Florida last summer — but that he was free to ask for additional hires if he felt they were necessary.
Davidson, 68, was abruptly fired by the New York Rangers, along with GM Jeff Gorton, on May 5. The next day, Priest said he met with Kekalainen to discuss, among the other things, the possibility of Davidson’s return.
There’s no question that Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell and Priest hold Davidson in high regard, and they almost certainly wouldn’t have moved to fill the position if Davidson didn’t fall back into their lap.
Davidson, a Hall of Fame broadcaster with the Rangers for more than 20 years, had job offers to return to television. He also had offers from multiple NHL clubs, though he declined to say which teams or even how many.
“I had plenty of chances to do different things,” Davidson said. “At my age, I contemplated a few things, including retirement. But I knew if I retired, come September, I’d be sitting around the house wondering, ‘What am I doing?'”
Davidson said there was never any sense of hard feelings from Kekalainen when his return to Columbus started to become clear.
“Not one ounce,” Davidson said. “Zero.
“Jarmo and I have known each other too long. I know Mike Priest talked to Jarmo prior to getting my discussions going. I talked to Jarmo, and his arms are wide open.
“We’ve known each other too long. Part of my coming back to Columbus is knowing what you know and knowing who you’ll be working with, who’s in the group. Well, all they want to do here is work hard and win, and I want to help them. We’re going to be a team. It’s that simple.”
The Blue Jackets inner sanctum of hockey operations is as follows: Davidson (president of hockey operations and alternate governor), Kekalainen (general manager and alternate governor), Basil McRae and Josh Flynn (assistant general manager), Rick Nash (special assistant to the GM, team ambassador) and Chris Clark (director of player personnel).
“I report to J.D. about everything,” Kekalainen said. “We talk about everything. I explain what my thought process is and then (Davidson) supports me. That’s how it’s always been and that’s how it will be.”
Davidson, Kekalainen and their wives had dinner together Friday. It was like old times, Davidson said, like his two years away in New York didn’t even happen.
“It’s like I left for two years because of COVID, and I’m back now,” Davidson said. “It hasn’t changed an ounce. It’s a great working relationship.”
Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Is Jarmo Kekalainen OK with John Davidson's return?
