After firing general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets will prioritize experience in their search for his replacement, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The Blue Jackets have a long list they want to work through, but one thing they do are looking for is someone who has done their time in the NHL.
"They have a huge list they are going to work their way through. I don't think this is going to be a short process," Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada's Saturday Headlines segment. "One of the things the Blue Jackets have kind of made clear is that they are looking for an experienced candidate. It doesn't mean someone has to be a formal general manager, but someone who has been around NHL circles for a while."
President of hockey operations John Davidson made the call to fire Kekalainen midway through the GM's 11th full season on the job and with just over three weeks to go before the March 8 deadline. The 57-year-old Kekalainen, who is from Finland, was the third-longest tenured GM in the NHL.
Davidson and the hockey operations team will assume GM duties on an interim basis until a full-time replacement is hired. Davidson said at a news conference in Columbus the focus will be primarily on external candidates and predicted an exhaustive search.
The firing of Kekalainen came with the Blue Jackets in last place in the Eastern Conference and on track to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year. They could be sellers at the deadline, with centre Jack Roslovic set to be an unrestricted free agent and a few other potential trade candidates.
Columbus has won just 16 of its first 52 games, star players such as Johnny Gaudreau have been benched late in games and more significant changes beyond the firing of Kekalainen could be coming when the regular season is over in April.
— With files from the Associated Press
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