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Columbus Blue Jackets: 2017-2018 is Critical for Jarmo Kekalainen’s Legacy

By William Espy

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets and President, Hockey Operations John Davidson of the Columbus Blue Jackets watch the team practice during the morning skate before playing against the Vancouver Canuckson March 7, 2013 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 7: General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets and President, Hockey Operations John Davidson of the Columbus Blue Jackets watch the team practice during the morning skate before playing against the Vancouver Canuckson March 7, 2013 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Jarmo Kekalainen has quickly become the most successful general manager in Columbus Blue Jackets history. With two playoff appearances, he has already passed every other general manager, but he still has a lot to prove.

Jarmo Kekalainen has changed the Columbus Blue Jackets from perennial bottom feeders to legitimate contenders through a variety of moves and building through the draft. On the other hand, in terms of consistent success; his legacy is still in question.

Drafting

Kekalainen took over the reigns of the Blue Jackets in early 2013. His first NHL entry draft as Blue Jackets general manager saw the team add Kerby Rychel, Alexander Wennberg and Marko Dano in the first round. The team also added Oliver Bjorkstrand in the third round. Rychel and Dano have since moved on, but Wennberg still remains and is looking like he will live up to the hype and turn into a star. Bjorkstrand is fresh off of his incredible rookie season, and looks to be another bright spot in the talent pool.

The rest of his draft selections include Sonny Milano, Zach Werenski, Gabriel Carlsson, Markus Nutivaara, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and most recently Alexandre Texier. With these selections, and other surprises that may come out of the recent draft classes, Kekalainen has set a strong and long-term base for the organization.

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Trades

Many of Jarmo Kekalainen’s trades have been relatively small moves, however several of them have still had a positive effect on the team. Trading R.J. Umberger to the Flyers in exchange for Scott Hartnell in 2014 prevented a catastrophe for the Blue Jackets. Umberger’s production fell off a cliff and caused him to be bought out by the Flyers in 2016. Hartnell would reach a similar fate and be bought out in 2017, but not due to his production; only because of his salary.

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The first Brandon Saad trade allowed the Blue Jackets to add a forward who gave them two solid seasons. Losing Artem Anisimov was the biggest hit in this deal, but the second Brandon Saad trade would make up for this loss. Artemi Panarin and Tyler Motte are both huge acquisitions for the Blue Jackets. Trading away Anton Forsberg was a good thing too. Forsberg had unfortunately already lost his spot on the depth chart to Joonas Korpisalo after failing to shine at the NHL level. Additionally, Brandon Saad still seemed to be struggling a little bit while trying to find his way in Columbus.

Adding an elite scorer in Panarin and a solid top six potential prospect in Motte is already great. It’s even better that they were in exchange for a player who wasn’t living up to expectations and another who had fallen out of favor with management. This deal very much was a steal for the CBJ.

The Legacy

Despite providing himself a phenomenal groundwork for his legacy, Jarmo Kekalainen’s legacy and standing amongst the top NHL GMs will be judged on the 2017-2018 season. Last time the Columbus Blue Jackets made it to the playoffs during his tenure, it was followed by a season of failure. If the team cannot make it back to the postseason this year, then questions will begin to follow about how great of a GM he really is.

If the Blue Jackets fail to make the postseason or get eliminated in the first round again, it will seem as if Kekalainen has built an inconsistent team that cannot be trusted. It will show that although he has built the team that has experienced the highest level of success in team history, the same team can’t get over the hump. For him to be solidly cemented as a great general manager, Jarmo needs the 2017-2018 season to be a successful one.

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