Jackets fire GM Howson

[Gaucho]

Odd timing. Guess they didn't expect to suck again.

[canaan]

From the "should've happened a long time ago" department

[MRandall25]

Portzline had a series of tweets the other day.

Basically, Howson brought in a bunch of the young guys (Atkinson, Moore, Johansen) to make a difference, not to fit in with the club. Obviously, they've been doing the latter.

Not to mention he's just bungled the **** out of literally every situation he's been in as a GM.

[Gaucho]

Jokerit GM Jarmo Kekalainen appears to be a strong candidate to replace Howson and become first European GM in the NHL.

[columbia]

Everyone but the Pens saw that one coming.

[meow]

I think I can hear Blue Jackets fans cheering. All eight of them.

[KG]

Forgot John Davidson was in charge of hockey operations. Hockeybuzz CBJ writer is speculating Dave Taylor could be a candidate....

[MRandall25]

Forgot John Davidson was in charge of hockey operations. Hockeybuzz CBJ writer is speculating Dave Taylor could be a candidate....

Portzline already shut that rumor down, about an hour ago. Taylor said he wasn't going to do it.

[Fire0nice228]

Guess it took Davidson to convince ownership that Howson was a moron.

[columbia]

Is Craig Patrick still there?

[KG]

Is Craig Patrick still there?

Think we may have a winner! I think he still is on there staff...

I personally wouldn't go near Patrick to be the GM right now....too many years out of the game as an executive...

[Gaucho]

Is Craig Patrick still there?

Think we may have a winner! I think he still is on there staff...

I personally wouldn't go near Patrick to be the GM right now....too many years out of the game as an executive...

So what, he's been reading all the important blogs.

[Tim Thomasen]

Jokerit GM Jarmo Kekalainen appears to be a strong candidate to replace Howson and become first European GM in the NHL.

I remember him, he the chief scout of the Blues not too long ago.

[Tim Thomasen]

Everyone but the Pens saw that one coming.

Meh.

[mikey287]

Last time around, Howson was a name out of the blue when the Jackets needed a GM. It was supposed to be down to four people and maybe two others...Howson was none of them. I think Davidson made the firing with a replacement already agreed upon. I think it's Jarmo Kekalainen from Jokerit. It would be a very good move I think, elite talent evaluator. Early 2000's Sens drafts, Mid 2000's Blues drafts, has the Jokerit team in first place in the SM-Liiga A I believe, he gets it.

[Gaucho]

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun
John Davidson makes it official: Jarmo Kekalainen is the new Jackets GM

[Idoit40fans]

I think I can hear Blue Jackets fans cheering. All eight of them.

Also DrBoni.

[mikey287]

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun
John Davidson makes it official: Jarmo Kekalainen is the new Jackets GM

Happy for Jarmo, excited to see him get a shot at this.

[pcm]

Mark Letestu leads the Jackets in goals... playing on the 4th line. He's also one of only two players who played more than 6 games to be a + on that team. What's going on in Columbus?

[MRandall25]

System-wide failure.

From the top of the chain (owners, everyone except Davidson), to the coaches, to the players. Everything is wrong.

[columbia]

I like Dubinsky.

[MRandall25]

I like Dubinsky.

But that's the problem. He fits in. He wasn't supposed to fit in, per se. He was supposed to bring something new to the table.

This happened with pretty much everyone, and is why we are here now.

[Tim Thomasen]

System-wide failure.

From the top of the chain (owners, everyone except Davidson), to the coaches, to the players. Everything is wrong.

So what your trying to tell us that bring in Jarmo won't change anything because the problem more lie with team owner John McConnell, Team President Mike Priest, Head Coach Todd Richards etc?

You have a point, lot of Jackets fans dislike McConnell as owner because of his supposed lack of committment to putting on a quality product and Mike Priest, who really is a guy more suited to running the business side of a team than the sport side of it. But it doesn't hurt that the Jackrts have quality hockey people running the hockey operations, you can't deny that Randall.

[ville5]

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun
John Davidson makes it official: Jarmo Kekalainen is the new Jackets GM

Happy for Jarmo, excited to see him get a shot at this.

Wait, when did JD leave the Blues? And why for Columbus?

[MRandall25]

System-wide failure.

From the top of the chain (owners, everyone except Davidson), to the coaches, to the players. Everything is wrong.

So what your trying to tell us that bring in Jarmo won't change anything because the problem more lie with team owner John McConnell, Team President Mike Priest, Head Coach Todd Richards etc?

You have a point, lot of Jackets fans dislike McConnell as owner because of his supposed lack of committment to putting on a quality product and Mike Priest, who really is a guy more suited to running the business side of a team than the sport side of it. But it doesn't hurt that the Jackrts have quality hockey people running the hockey operations, you can't deny that Randall.

Whoa. Where did I ever say anything that Kekaleinen won't change anything?

I agree with you, in a sense, because Davidson, when it happens, is going to be the one who gets the credit for turning this team around. And it starts with Jarmo.

I was referring to the last 5 or 6 years that Howson was GM. He should have been gone before the Nash trade even went down.