Carolina Hurricanes

HEADLINES: The GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets has Kekalainen’s replacement.

Published

1 month ago

May 28, 2024

It appears like Don Waddell’s weekly news frenzy is now over. His hiring was officially announced by the Columbus Blue Jackets organization today. Four days have passed since Don Waddell’s initial departure from the Carolina Hurricanes, according to his news reel. He would be collaborating with Columbus, according to reports that appeared the next day, but it wasn’t officially announced until today. In addition, he was appointed General Manager, President of Hockey Operations, and Alternate Governor. This is a terrific opportunity for Waddell to maintain his standing as one of the hockey industry’s brightest minds.

The 14th Blue Jacket general manager will be Don Waddell.

Don Waddell, in addition to his current positions with the Columbus Blue Jackets, will take on the role of general manager for the team. He steps in following the mid-February release of Jarmo Kekalainen from his position in the previous season. Although it was understood that John Davidson, a capable NHL executive in his own right, was only taking over temporarily. In addition to serving as an alternate governor, Davidson is currently a senior advisor for the Blue Jackets, just like Waddell.

Waddell intends to revitalize the Blue Jackets organization. The Blue Jackets have the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft and are a team full with potential. Their last three first-round selections, all ranked between third and sixth. They were Kent Johnson, David Jiricek, and Adam Fantilli. It will be the responsibility of the Waddell staff to determine whether they can develop players of this caliber, just like he did in Carolina. Encourage the appropriate combination of veterans to join the team, and they might have a perennial postseason contender on their hands.

How Did Waddell Get to This Point of His Career

As we mentioned, Don Waddell is a savvy business man and great hockey mind. He was most recently serving as the Carolina Hurricanes President and General Manager. That is a title he had held since 2018. Moreover, in his time with Carolina, he had been extremely successful. Waddell turned the organization into a winner, and more recently a Stanley Cup contender. Before Waddell came in to Carolina, they had missed the playoffs nine years in a row. Within his first year with the club, he brought in names like Dougie Hamilton or Nino Niederreiter to stock up the lineup. Also, he brought in a new goaltender tandem featuring Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. The team had a combined .910 SV% and a 2.55 GAA that year.

Great moves, but not necessarily eye-popping ones in hockey. The Canes have qualified for the playoffs every year since then and have twice advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in a span of six years. In addition, Waddell was the Atlanta Thrashers’ longstanding general manager. Despite spending 11 seasons there, he only made one post-season appearance.

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