CLEVELAND SUCCESS A REASON FOR HOPE FOR COLUMBUS

MONTREAL, QC — It wasn’t supposed to play out like this – something former Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has probably been pondering since being relieved of his duties over a month ago.

Following the disappointment of the 2021-22 season, Kekalainen tried to jolt the team and the market with the biggest Free Agent splash – yes, even more so than Nathan Horton – by inking forward Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year deal.

Another let down of a season followed, resulting in the dismissal of Head Coach Brad Larsen, replaced with the always polarizing Mike Babcock. Kekalainen went big game hunting on the backend, bringing in defensemen Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson to reform the club’s second pair.

From Babcock not making it to training camp, to a rash of injuries, to underperforming stars, everything ultimately came to a head this season for Columbus. For Kekalainen, the clock officially struck midnight after a decade with his hand on the wheel.

It will always be an uphill battle for a small market team like Columbus to establish itself as a destination. To Kekalainen’s credit, the Jackets did become more relevant than ever before during his reign, though much of that can be attributed to former Head Coach John Tortorella. Despite just one playoff round win (excluding the play in victory in the 2020 bubble playoffs), the club drafted well and was established as a perennial playoff team up until very recently.

Kekalainen’s tenure was not a complete wash – but it’s time for a fresh vision.

That new vision will be decided by whoever the next GM is, and while the search has yet to officially get under way, Mark Hunter of the London Knights appears to be an early favorite. But no matter who the next man in charge is, some optimism can be pulled from within the organization, as Columbus’ AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters have been one of the league’s best teams all season.

Sitting second in the North Division as of Wednesday, Cleveland’s success has not gone unnoticed, and could be something the Jackets’ next brass will look towards to help translate to the NHL.

“We had a lot of talented players turn pro the last couple of years,” said Monsters GM, and Blue Jackets Director of Player Personnel, Chris Clark on his team’s success. “We had a bunch of draft picks within the same two or three years turn pro at the same time. We have a lot of young talented players, and though they can make mistakes, there’s a lot of talent there so you can live with that.”

Despite the unsuccessful seasons in recent memory at the NHL level, the Blue Jackets have been quietly assembling a very impressive stock of young talent throughout the system. There have already been some impressive players make impacts at the NHL level, but as Clark alluded to, there is more to come from the Monsters’ roster.

Among the younger players, Jake Christiansen, David Jiricek, Mikail Pyyhtia and Tre Fix-Wolansky were the ones singled out by Clark. All four have been with the Jackets at some point this season (Christiansen and Pyyhtia still being on the main roster) and expect to translate to consistent NHLers sooner rather than later.

“We have some guys on the horizon that are going to get some looks next year,” said Clark. “Probably Jiricek will have the biggest impact next year.”

With Columbus’ season going off the rails – both on and off the ice – it is impressive that things have gone so smoothly in Cleveland. For a team transitioning into an organizational overhaul in the front office, the next crop of young talent will be integral to the team’s future. For Clark and the Monsters, the plan didn’t change despite what was unfolding in the NHL.

“It’s been business as usual (for Cleveland), we’ve had the same game plan from the start of the season,” he said. “We’ve had a bunch of young defensemen, more than six at any given time, so we’ve had some tough decisions to make. Came up with a plan before the season, because everyone on our team deserved to play. Especially on defense we had some talented players that just turned pro, so when they were going to sit out a game during the schedule they’d be in the weight room trying to get stronger, work on the off-ice stuff.

“We had a development plan for three or four of these guys to make sure they got enough playing time and weight room time, as well.”

In addition to Clark’s role as GM in Cleveland, he serves as the Director of Player Personnel with the Blue Jackets. Given the impending front office shift, many in NHL circles have speculated that Clark’s role may increase (in some capacity) over the next several months. Should he take on a bigger role in the Blue Jackets front office, would there be anything he would hope to bring to the NHL level?

Despite there being similarities, Clark admits that running an AHL team is far different than the NHL.

“It’s different, wins and losses in the NHL are the end all, be all,” said Clark. “Sometimes icing the best roster isn’t what you do in the American league, players who may not be the best players right now but may be in a year or two (need to play). It’s a different way of looking at it.

“Winning is part of development, but developing players to be at their best for when they get called up is our job. So sometimes the winning has to take a backseat to development at times.”

Cleveland has had a lot of success and has showcased promising talent for the Blue Jackets’ future. But as Clark alluded to, things change drastically when you go from the AHL to the NHL. Making sure the talent on the existing roster come together with the talent from Cleveland to form a cohesive unit will be key to success at the NHL level, no matter who the next GM in Columbus is.

“We have the talent, but we also have players around them (as veterans is important),” said Clark. “Like Brendan Gaunce, who has NHL experience, but are also great leaders when they’re in Cleveland is huge. Guys with more veteran in them who can help the young guys and also take that role seriously. AHL teams need leadership like that, and I think having good leadership in addition to have good young drafted players.

“We have a good mix and that really helps the process.”

The last several years have been difficult for the Blue Jackets, but what Clark has helped build in Cleveland showcases reasons for optimism. They aren’t a finished product just yet, but there does seem to be some sunlight through the clouds through the pipeline; the next step will be making it come together at the NHL level.

Kekalainen did not leave behind a waste baron of talent, so his successor will have some talent to work with as the Blue Jackets transition to the organization’s next phase.