Blue Jackets Must Improve Hiring Practices for Top Talent – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the midst of one of their most important decisions in franchise history. Who will they eventually hire as their next general manager?

With the regular season over, the Blue Jackets have begun their process of determining which candidates to interview. They will likely have to wait until later in the playoffs before they can get to everyone they want to talk to.

There is one very important aspect to this entire story that is not getting enough attention. Before we dive into this topic, let’s ask a question. Keep this in mind as we go through the situation. Do you ever remember a time in which the Blue Jackets had either one of the highest paid GM’s in the league or one of the highest paid coaches in the league?

Setting the Scene

If you had a hard time coming up with an answer to this, you’re not alone. One thing the Blue Jackets have never really done in their franchise history is open the wallet for top coaches and executives.

The Blue Jackets have had big-name coaches. Ken Hitchcock and John Tortorella come to mind. But neither were ever close to being among the top paid among their peers.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The Blue Jackets have absolutely shown a willingness to open the wallet for big-name players. Zach Werenski got paid. Johnny Gaudreau chose the Blue Jackets and got paid. Although Artemi Panarin left in free agency, the Blue Jackets made a last-ditch effort to keep him. They reportedly offered a max contract that would have made him among the highest paid in the NHL.

But when it comes to coaches and management, that same effort hasn’t been made, at least not yet. But why? Ultimately that falls on ownership and what they’re willing to spend on certain aspects of the team.

For this most important hire, there can be nothing left off the table. Any and all avenues to bring in the right people have to be explored. If that means making them among the highest paid, you do it. If the Blue Jackets are serious about getting out of the NHL’s basement, they need to make decisions that show how serious they are in making that happen.

Current State

Two years of Brad Larsen. One year so far of Pascal Vincent. The Blue Jackets aren’t even close to sniffing the NHL playoffs. After Tortorella left, it’s been two first-time head coaches trying to make their way with a team that has both veteran players and young talent. It hasn’t worked.