Carolina has been one of the NHL’s best products on the ice for a long time, but in the office, the club is managed in a special way, writes NHL journalist Tommi Seppälä.
15:17•Updated 15:24
No surprise that Jarmo Kekäläinen the name is circulating in NHL rumors again. The Finn’s extensive knowledge of the sport is still highly valued in NHL circles, and finding a new job could easily be imagined to be only a matter of time – in which role, of course, is a different discussion.
Now we’re talking about the boss of Carolina’s sports side.
A well-known Canadian journalist Elliotte Friedman reports in his 32 thoughts podcast for Sportsnet that Kekäläinen is one candidate by Don Waddell To continue the GM work in Carolina. After the season, Waddell left his position and moved to Columbus, where Kekäläinen previously worked for eleven years.
If it wasn’t surprising that Kekäläinen’s name popped up, neither was the talk that followed. Friedman said that Carolina wants to make it clear already in the recruitment phase that the new GM does not have full power in the club. Owner Tom Dundon has always wanted to be actively involved in decision-making, and the situation does not seem to have changed.
Instead of an actual GM, the club is filling some kind of special advisor position.
The pattern is unusual to say the least, but in Carolina’s case there is nothing new about it.
Before Waddell was hired in 2018, the North American media reported exactly the same things. Even at that time, there was no power normally given to a sports boss, but owner Dundon’s hands were said to be everywhere. This caused many experienced and meritorious names to withdraw from the competition.
The owner’s smell also did its job.
Six years ago, the Canadian media reported that the salary of the new Carolina boss was only $400,000. Only first-year GMs are known to make less than a million bucks. The exceptionally low salary level served as the last straw for many experienced club managers.
This time, nothing has been talked about publicly yet.
Otherwise, the club has seen quick and spectacular moves on the office side. Before Waddell’s hiring, the club unexpectedly announced in the middle of the season in March that it would transfer the GM who had worked at the club for four years by Ron Francis as club president. However, it was not about a promotion and at the end of April this already got the boot.
If Kekäläinen goes to Raleigh and takes on the duties of the sports side boss of a club that has been successful for a long time in the regular season, there might be quite a rollercoaster. Where in Columbus Kekäläinen was allowed to operate in peace, now there would certainly be no such luxury.
– The most important thing is that we get along. I actually like to argue and disagree. “I don’t want to make the decisions and I don’t want somebody to come in here and just do what I want,” Dundon said before hiring Waddell.
Of course, this would not be foreign to Kekäläinen. It is certain that Kekäläinen, known for his tough nature, was a Columbus pilot at the time John Tortorella they hit their heads together hard at times. Kekäläinen is a hockey man who has seen a lot and is hard-boiled, who can withstand even a lot of pressure.
Still, the pattern in Carolina is peculiar and, I dare say, far from optimal. It is the players’ job to play, the coaches to coach and the club managers to lead the club. The owner’s task is to own, i.e. to create resources and make the circus possible.
A clear structure in Carolina’s pattern will continue to be sought if the GM is not allowed to do his work in peace.
The blank exists
And there will really be plenty of work in Carolina in the future. Although the team is of high quality in itself, successful in the regular season and won some series in the playoffs as well, the head has been hammered against the wall with the same concept for years. On that page, large amounts of money have been burned, for example Jesperi Kotkaniemi to such empty lotteries.
On top of that, the contracts of several key players ended in the spring.
A good boss from the sports side would bake a credible championship candidate from good blanks in a short time, but how does that work in a special leadership world?
It would still be more than interesting to see in which direction Kekäläinen would take Carolina. The challenge would be tough, and that’s exactly why the offered post might be of interest to a perfectionist with a competitive nature.