Blue Jackets, Kekalainen Agree to Contract Extension

The Blue Jackets and General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen have agreed on a multi-year contract extension. His contract was set to expire following the upcoming 2018-19 season.

Kekalainen will become the Blue Jackets’ longest tenured general manager in franchise history before season’s end and is the only European general manager in NHL history. He led the Blue Jackets to their second consecutive playoff appearance last season, and is responsible for 3 of the 4 playoff appearances in Blue Jackets’ history, though the franchise has never make it past the first round.

Some of Kekalainen’s more noteworthy acquisition’s since being hired in 2013 include:

• – Steve Mason to PHI for Michael Leighton and a 3rd Round Pick (April 3, 2013)
• – Marian Gaborik, Blake Parlett, and Steve Delisle from NYR for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore and a 6th Round Pick (April 3, 2013)
• – Marian Gaborik to LAK for Matt Frattin, a 2nd Round Pick and a 3rd Round Pick (March 5, 2014)
• – Nathan Horton for David Clarkson (February 26, 2015)
• – James Wisniewski and a 3rd Round pick to ANA for William Karlsson, Rene Bourque, and a 2nd Round Pick (March 2, 2015)
• – Brandon Saad, Alex Broadhurst and Michael Paliotta from CHI for Marko Dano, Artem Anisimov, Corey Tropp, Jeremy Morin and a 4th Round Pick (June 30, 2015)
• – Seth Jones from NSH for Ryan Johansen (January 6, 2016)
• – Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte and a 6th Round Pick from CHI for Brandon Saad, Anton Forsberg and a 5th Round Pick (June 23, 2017)

The Blue Jackets also announced extensions for President of Hockey Operations John Davidson and Assistant General Manager Bill Zito.