Brewin Flames

Game # 57 Bos 6 EDM 5 OT Charlie McAvoy scores in overtime, Bruins edge Oilers 6-5 Charlie McAvoy skates around the Oilers in overtime to tap in the game-winning goal. ByAP Updated: Feb 22, 2024, 02:39 am EDMONTON, Alberta -- — Charlie McAvoy scored in overtime to lift Boston to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night after the Bruins blew a three-goal lead. McAvoy sent a backhand past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner 3:10 into the extra period that started with Edmonton on the power play. Boston gave up leads of 4-1 and 5-4 in the game. “I just loved the way we kept forging ahead. We didn’t worry about what happened positively or negatively,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. “I thought we continued to play. Obviously they had a great push by a great team in the third period and it kind of snowballed, but we went right back to work afterwards. When they made it 4-4, the next four minutes I thought we controlled the game and started to push back." Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, Trent Frederic, Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak also scored for the Bruins, who had lost four straight before winning their last two. Mason Lohrei had three assists and Jeremy Swayman made 37 saves. “I think that’s an identity of ours,” Swayman said. “It was not exactly how we drew it up, but it was really special to get those two points and the way we did it through adversity and their push, I think that’s really something special for our group moving forward.” Warren Foegele had a pair of goals and Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, who had won eight in a row at home. Skinner stopped 30 shots. “You are happy with the way you battled back from down 4-1 to a really good team, to be able to come back twice and earn a point says a lot about our team and how it faces adversity,” Hyman said. “But at the same time you don’t want to put yourselves in that position. Since we have been back (from the All-Star break) we have put ourselves in that position too often and we have to learn to play consistently throughout the whole game again.” Boston got a power-play goal just 2:34 into the opening period as Geekie picked the top corner with a long shot. The Oilers tied the game with 8:20 to play in the first as Connor McDavid tipped a puck off a defender’s stick off the boards to Foegele who drove hard to the net before slipping a backhand past Swayman. McDavid’s assist extended his home point streak to 20 games. The Bruins surged back in front just 25 seconds into the second period as Edmonton coughed up the puck and Marchand beat Skinner to the short side. Frederic redirected in Jesper Boqvist's shot just four minutes later for a two-goal lead. DeBrusk made it 4-1 with six minutes left in the second, before Foegele scored his second a minute and a half later to make it 4-2 after two. Janmark and Perry scored 1:10 apart in the third tie to it at 4. Boston regained the lead with 7:19 left when Pastrnak scored his 36th of the season, but Edmonton tied it again on Zach Hyman's goal just 42 seconds later.

Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews scores goals 50, 51 in 54th game TEMPE, Ariz. -- Auston Matthews scored his 50th goal of the season Wednesday night in the Toronto Maple Leafs star's hometown return, becoming the fastest NHL player to reach that mark in 28 years. Playing his 54th game of the season, Matthews scored 5:01 into the game on a power play to give Toronto a 2-0 lead over the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. He added his 51st -- giving him 350 career goals in 535 games -- late in the second period for a 4-2 lead. The Maple Leafs went on to win 6-3. "It's great. It's a small step in the long season, but obviously coming to play at home and playing a team that has had our number for the last couple of seasons ... it was a good win, a good effort, everybody contributed," Matthews said. "I'll take the two points and get back at it tomorrow." From nearby Scottsdale, the 26-year-old center first scored Wednesday night on a shot from the circle to the left of goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Mitchell Marner and Timothy Liljegren assisted on the goal that came with Arizona's Michael Carcone in the penalty box for slashing. Matthews then scored off a rebound in the second period. "We had a couple of power plays and were kind of able to snap it around. I just tried to get open, and [Marner has] the puck and he's got a great sense of where I am on the ice and vice versa," Matthews said. "We just try to push ourselves to be the best that we can be individually and the best teammates we can be." Mario Lemieux achieved the milestone in 50 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. The fastest was Wayne Gretzky, who got his 50th in his 39th game for Edmonton in 1981-82 on his way to a record 92 goals. Matthews broke a tie as the fastest to 50 goals among U.S.-born players; he shared the previous mark with Kevin Stevens at 62 games, Stevens having set it in the 1992-93 season and Matthews having matched it in 2021-22. Matthews has nine goals in his past four games, having two consecutive hat tricks before a single goal against St. Louis on Monday night. He has 15 multigoal games through 55 team games, tied for the fifth most through 55 team games in NHL history and the most since Alexander Mogilny had 17 through 55 team games in 1992-93. Florida's Sam Reinhart is second in the NHL this season with 39 goals. Matthews had 60 goals two seasons ago to lead the NHL, making him the first to reach that mark since Steven Stamkos had 60 in 2011-12. The last players to score 70 or more in a season were Teemu Selanne and Mogilny, who each had 76 in 1992-93. Matthews' goal pace continues to accelerate, as he is now on pace for 76 this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He could become the third player in NHL history to record a 75-goal season with a Canadian team, joining Gretzky (Oilers) and Selanne (Winnipeg Jets).

Games played on 2/20/24 Wild Jake Middleton vs Jets Logan Stanley Winner ? Wild Jacob Lucchini vs Jets Vladislav Namestkikov Winner ?

Here ya go....

Games played on 2/19/24 Bos Brad Marchand vs Stars Joel Hanley Winner ? Bolts Michael Eyssimont vs Sens Jacob Bernard-Docker Winner ?

Game # 56 Nazem Kadri's 3-point game leads Flames over Jets 6-3 ByAP Updated: Feb 19, 2024, 08:59 pm CALGARY, Alberta -- — Nazem Kadri had two goals and an assist as the Calgary Flames rallied from a two-goal deficit to post a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. “I feel like we’ve done that several times this year,” said Kadri. “When things start to snowball and stack against us, we’re able to reset and refocus and pull out a big win against a great team.” Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrew Mangiapane had a goal and an assist and Oliver Kylington and Blake Coleman also scored for Calgary, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Rasmus Andersson had a pair of assists. Pulled in his previous outing, it was a solid bounce-back game for Flames’ netminder Jacob Markstrom as he made 28 stops. Sean Monahan scored all three goals for Winnipeg, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. “We don’t play like that. That’s just not our hockey game. That’s as soft as we’ve played, as loose as we’ve played,” said Jets coach Rick Bowness. “Shifted up the pairings, shifted the lines, it didn’t matter one little bit. We just had nobody going other than Sean and our goalie.” Connor Hellebuyck had 28 saves for the Jets. Hellebuyck had won his last three outings in which he had only allowed three goals on 90 shots. Down 3-1 in the first period, Calgary’s comeback started at 14:09 when Coleman scored on a setup from Mangiapane. The tying goal came 4:58 into the second when Kadri deflected MacKenzie Weegar’s point shot past Hellebuyck on the power play. The Flames surged in front 4-3 lead at 16:06 of the second when Huberdeau was set up neatly by Andersson, cashing in his ninth goal. “It hasn’t been easy on us lately, so for us to come back like we did tonight shows a lot of good things about our team,” said Huberdeau. Calgary got some breathing room at 13:18 of the third when Kadri wove into the Jets zone and set up Mangiapane’s one-timer that made it a two-goal cushion. Kadri put the game on ice with an empty netter at 18:03. Monahan scored three goals in a span of 5:58, giving him 17 goals on the season. “I think I’m just more comfortable making reads,” said Monahan. “We’re getting pucks to the net. When you get a couple on the power play you start getting some confidence and it goes a long way.” Monahan’s natural hat trick was his second career three-goal game. His first was as a member of the Flames in Philadelphia on Nov. 18, 2017. In his 200th game with the Flames — one of six in franchise history to reach that plateau — Markstrom became the fifth goaltender to win 100 games.

He's a big boy... Congrats kid, hope for many more.

2/19/24

Garbage....the NHL does not need, or should not add any new teams.

Game # 56 Bos 4 Stars 3 SO McAvoy scores in 9th round of shootout, Bruins rally past Stars Swayman makes 43 saves for Boston, Pastrnak gets tying goal late in 3rd period Play Video Recap: Dallas Stars @ Boston Bruins 2.19.24 ByJoe Pohoryles NHL.com Independent Correspondent 4:34 PM BOSTON -- Charlie McAvoy scored in the ninth round of the shootout and Jeremy Swayman made 43 saves as the Boston Bruins rallied for a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars at TD Garden on Monday. Jesper Boqvist had a goal and an assist for Boston (33-12-11), McAvoy had two assists, and Justin Brazeau and David Pastrnak scored. Swayman made eight saves on nine attempts in the shootout as the Bruins ended a four-game skid (0-2-2). Wyatt Johnston, Ryan Suter and Esa Lindell scored for Dallas (34-14-8), which has lost two in a row (0-0-2) after winning the previous three. Jake Oettinger made 25 saves and stopped seven of nine shots in the shootout. Pastrnak tied the game 3-3 at 18:15. With Swayman out for an extra attacker, McAvoy passed across the zone to Pastrnak, who scored on a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Boqvist gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 4:01 of the first period, scoring in front off Anthony Richard’s centering pass. Johnston tied it 1-1 at 11:14 when he redirected Thomas Harley's shot. The forward has six points (three goals, three assists) during a three-game point streak. Suter gave the Stars a 2-1 lead at 1:04 of the second period on a shot from the left face-off circle. The Bruins tied it 2-2 28 seconds later, when Brazeau scored from in front at 1:32. It was the forward's first NHL goal in his first game. He had signed two-year, two-way contract earlier Monday. Lindell gave the Stars a 3-2 lead at 10:44 of the third period, keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 rush and scoring from the right side.

Hopefully, he stays in the line-up....kid looked like a gamer.

New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe fights on first NHL shift Greg Wyshynski, ESPNFeb 18, 2024, 04:49 PM ET EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Rangers rookie forward Matt Rempe made history Sunday, becoming the first player to make his NHL debut in a regular-season outdoor game. On his first shift at MetLife Stadium, Rempe tried to make an impression on the New York Islanders, too, with a fight against winger Matt Martin in the Rangers' 6-5 overtime victory. After the win, Rempe said Martin offered to fight him and that Martin told him afterwards that he had a longer reach than fighting former NHL All-Star defenseman Zdeno Chara. "Rempe came in here and provided exactly what we wanted him to do," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "Kudos to Martin to giving him his first one up here. It was a heck of a fight on a memorable day for him, dropping the gloves with a player that's a real tough customer." Rempe was called up from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack after the Rangers lost veteran winger Blake Wheeler to a leg injury Thursday night. Wheeler will miss at least the rest of the regular season. Rempe, a 21-year-old center listed at 6-foot-7, played the past two seasons with the Wolf Pack. The Calgary native was drafted in the sixth round in 2020 by the Rangers. Rempe took the traditional "rookie lap" alone before the rest of the Rangers came out for their warmup skate at the home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets. Just 1:29 into the first period, Rempe lined up across from Martin and the two dropped the gloves off the faceoff. Rempe used his reach to land a few punches on Martin. Neither player went down to the ice as the linesmen eventually intervened to end the tussle. It was the first fight in an NHL outdoor game since Washington's Anthony Mantha and Carolina's Jordan Martinook squared off last season at their Stadium Series game in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the first fight in a regular-season Rangers vs. Islanders game since November 2021. Rempe is only the second player in NHL history to play his first game with a new team outdoors, following Ron Hainsey with the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 2017 Stadium Series matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. Rempe said his mother and two sisters flew in for his NHL debut. On Friday after the Rangers' skate, he said he was looking forward to debuting against the Islanders outdoors. "I play a hard, physical game that runs on adrenaline, so I'm going be juiced up to the max. I think I'd be buzzing out there. How can you not be going, with all the fans and playing outdoors? Like, this is pure hockey. It's unreal," he said. His Rangers teammate Jimmy Vesey said a player making their first appearance in an outdoor game is one to remember. "I'd probably just say that it was the coolest NHL debut I've seen so far," Vesey said.

Matt Rempe vs Matt Martin 2/18/24 "If tonight is you're first night at fight club, you have to fight."

Games played on 2/18/24 NYR Matt Rempe vs NYI Matt Martin Winner ?

Brandt Clarke first NHL Goal 2/17/24

Games played on 2/17/24 Fla Jonah Gadjovich vs Bolts Austin Watson Winner ? Fla Jonah Gadjovich vs Bolts Erik Cernak Winner ? Ducks Radko Gudas vs Leafs Max Domi Winner ? Van Phillip Di Guiseppe vs Jets Adam Lowry Winner ? Bos Trent Frederic vs LA Andreas Englund Winner ?

Triple Fack.... Flames just letting points slip away....

Game # 55 Flames 0 Wings 5 Reimer stops 38 shots to lead Red Wings to 5-0 win over Flames ByAP Updated: Feb 17, 2024, 08:15 pm CALGARY, Alberta -- — James Reimer stopped 38 shots to lead the Detroit Red Wings past the Calgary Flames 5-0 on Saturday. Patrick Kane and Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist each for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game losing streak. David Perron, J.T. Compher and Dylan Larkin also scored. “It’s nice when you contribute to the team,” said Reimer, who recorded the 30th shutout of his 14-year NHL career and second with Detroit this season. “That’s all you want to do. You want to be part of the team and you want to help get to our goal. You just try to be ready whenever your number’s called." Reimer was also in net when these two teams last met in Detroit on Oct. 22. He stopped 29 shots in a 6-2 Red Wings victory that game. Jacob Markstrom started in goal for the Flames. But he was pulled at 6:41 of the second period after allowing four goals on 12 shots. “It was short,” said Markstrom of his disappointing performance. “I saw all four pucks go in. It’s frustrating. You want to be there for the guys and the fans that paid money to come watch us play.” Dan Vladar then made eight saves in relief for the Flames, who’ve lost three straight games and six of their last seven at home. “That’s tough,” said Calgary captain Mikael Backlund of his team’s recent woes on home ice. “That’s not acceptable. We want to play well in front of our fans. We want to win games and if we want to be serious about playoffs we’ve got to win games at home.” The Flames carried the majority of the early play and had a great chance to open the scoring thanks to the efforts of the line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko. At 12:34 of the opening period, Reimer made a great glove save on Kuzmenko’s slapshot. It came shortly after he turned aside a wrist shot by Huberdeau. Kane opened the scoring at 14:56, just three seconds into a power play after Calgary rookie Connor Zary was called for high-sticking. Playing the point, Kane blasted a pass from Moritz Seider into the top corner over Markstrom’s blocker. The Wings made it 2-0 just 61 seconds later. Compher took a pass from Raymond and fired a quick shot that deflected off the shaft of Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson’s stick and past Markstrom. Larkin tapped in a nice cross-crease pass from Kane for another Detroit power-play goal at 5:12 of the second. Just 89 seconds later, Detroit went up 4-0 after Perron wired a pass from Andrew Copp past Markstrom, who was promptly relieved of his duties by Calgary coach Ryan Huska. Raymond rounded out the scoring with 4:20 remaining to play. “We battled hard today and Reims was unbelievable for us,” said Larkin of his team’s bounceback win. “We didn’t have the best start. We were a little bit flat. But our power play got us going. Special teams and goaltending and pretty good defensive play was the reason why we were successful today.”

Losing 4 in a row absolutely SUCKS !

Game # 55 Bos 4 LA Kings 5 OT Clarke scores 1st NHL goal in OT, Kings rally past Bruins Wins it with 27 seconds left after Kopitar ties it late in 3rd; Boston drops 4th in row Play Video Recap: Los Angeles Kings @ Boston Bruins 2.17.24 ByJoe Pohoryles NHL.com Independent Correspondent 3:48 PM BOSTON -- Brandt Clarke scored his first NHL goal with 27 seconds left in overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings rallied for a 5-4 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday. Clarke committed a hooking penalty at 2:24 of overtime to give Boston a power play, but he took a pass from Phillip Danault and scored on a breakaway after exiting the penalty box. Anze Kopitar tied it 4-4 on a tip-in at 18:25 of the third period on the power play with goalie David Rittich pulled for an extra attacker. Pierre-Luc Dubois had two assists, and Rittich made 28 saves for the Kings (26-16-10), who have won four of their past five games. James van Riemsdyk had two goals and an assist, and Linus Ullmark made 30 saves for the Bruins (32-12-11), who have lost four in a row (0-2-2). Van Riemsdyk gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 8:03 of the first period, knocking in a loose puck in front. Matt Roy tied it 1-1 at 11:02, banking the puck off Ullmark’s leg and in from the left side. Van Riemsdyk gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead when he backhanded a rebound past Rittich on the power play at 14:45. Anthony Richard’s first goal with Boston pushed it to 3-1 at 13:04 of the second period, but Vladislav Gavrikov cut it to 3-2 at 16:38 with a shot from the point. Alex Laferriere tied it 3-3 at 5:51 of the third period on a scramble in front. Trent Frederic gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead from the slot at 7:12.

Games played on 2/15/24 Leafs Simon Benoit vs Flyers Nicolas Deslauriers Winner ? Edm Corey Perry vs Blues Marco Scandella Winner ?

And Double Faaaack.

Game # 54 Flames 3 Sharks 6 Zadina has 2 goals and 2 assists for career-high 4 points in Sharks' 6-3 victory over Flames Updated: Feb 16, 2024, 01:45 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Filip Zadina had two goals and two assists for a career-high four points in the San Jose Sharks' 6-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. “It felt pretty good, obviously,” said Zadina, who just a goal and two assists in his previous 18 games. “We haven’t scored as a line in a little bit but we got rewarded for the work we’ve done recently.” Luke Kunin also scored twice, Justin Bailey had a goal and two assists for his first career multi-point game and Mikael Granlund added a goal. MacKenzie Blackwood made 31 saves to help San Jose improve to 15-33-5. Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund and Andrei Kuzmenko for Calgary and rookie Dustin Wolf stopped 25 shots. The Flames have dropped two straight to fall to 25-24-5 — and have lost five of their last six at the Scotiabank Saddledome. “These are games and days that you look back on and they suck, but at the same time, it’s a great opportunity to evaluate yourself as a player and a person and come back stronger,” Wolf said After setting up the tying and go-ahead goals in the second period, Zadina put it away with goals 37 seconds apart early in the third to make it 5-2. Zadina deflected Marco Sturm’s shot high into the air with it toppling over the head of an unsuspecting Wolf and landing in the net. Zadina’s second goal came on a shot from the left wing that got a piece of Rasmus Andersson’s stick on the way in. “I think for Z, he’s obviously a very, very skilled player that can put the puck in the net,” linemate Justin Bailey said. “He’s a high pick and a skill player for a reason and you saw that showcased tonight.”

Game # 54 Bos 1 Seattle 4 Beniers leads Kraken to 4-1 victory over sputtering Bruins ByAP Updated: Feb 15, 2024, 10:47 pm BOSTON -- — Matty Beniers had a goal and two assists as the Seattle Kraken concluded a five-game road trip with a 4-1 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Jordan Eberle, Eeli Tolvanen and Jared McCann also scored for Seattle. Joey Daccord stopped 36 shots to snap his three-game losing streak. “Unreal. He’s made huge saves every night he’s been between the pipes,” Beniers said. It was a thrilling experience for Daccord, who grew up in Boston. “Real special night,” he said. “Trying to put everything into perspective. I grew up a Boston sports fan. It was pretty emotional for me.” Boston has dropped three straight and four of five, with all the defeats coming at home. David Pastrnak scored for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves. The sputtering Bruins fell into a tie with Florida atop the Atlantic Division standings, with the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers one point behind them for most in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins took the lead five minutes into the game when Pastrnak fired a shot on Daccord and then drove home the rebound for his 34th goal of the season. A high-sticking penalty on Boston resulted in Seattle getting the equalizer at 10:49 of the first period as Eberle’s persistence paid off after Swayman made the initial stop. Boston hit two posts and James van Riemsdyk missed an open net in the second. That frustration was magnified when the Kraken capitalized on a 3-on-1 break late in the period as Tolvanen fired in a one-timer. Beniers was credited with his second assist of the night. “We're not getting the results right now, but sometimes you go through this during the season. We hit some posts. Those things happen,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’re going to stick together and keep grinding and keep working.” Bruins forward Charlie Coyle had a good look to tie it but his backhand bid hit the post two minutes into the third. The deficit grew to two goals when Beniers — a Massachusetts native — beat Swayman on a rush from the left side. “Boston kids love coming home to Boston,” Beniers said with a smile. “I know (Daccord) was pumped up. I was pumped up. It was fun to get the win.” The Bruins needed to kill off a penalty before getting an extra skater for a 6-on-5 advantage with 1:30 remaining, but Seattle found the empty net as McCann made it four goals for the Kraken’s top line. Boston went 0 for 2 on the power play and is 0 for 15 in a four-game drought. “I think we do a good job of looking at the game as a whole. (Montgomery) and the coaches do a good job of being encouraging in these moments,” Coyle said. “It hasn’t gone our way as much as we would have liked since coming back from the (All-Star) break. Overall, we’re still building our game and what our mission is. There’s no reason to get discouraged by any means.”

Kekalainen fired as Blue Jackets general manager, Davidson to assume duties Held position since Feb. 13, 2013 © Getty Images ByCraig Merz NHL.com Independent Correspondent 2:23 PM COLUMBUS -- Columbus Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson put aside personal feelings and fired Jarmo Kekalainen as general manager Thursday. The Blue Jackets (16-26-10) are last in the Eastern Conference and 18 points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "Unfortunately, as a team, our results haven't been good enough," Davidson said. "We all, starting with myself as head of hockey operations, share responsibility for that. It became apparent a new voice was needed to lead us forward as we turn the page. This decision was difficult because of the quality of person that Jarmo is. He's a dedicated, loyal, hard-working guy who did a lot of great things, both on and off the ice, in our community over the past decade. "The pluses outweigh the negatives as to where we are as a team on the ice. We're going to need someone who will open our eyes, make us think further and to help us keep going in the right direction to where we're going to be a club that is a threat." Kekalainen was named the third GM in Blue Jackets history Feb. 13, 2013. "It's about results. It's a business, but there's also human beings involved," Davidson said. "So, I knew when we brought Jarmo in that someday this might happen. It happened. It's not a lot of fun, but that's hockey. It's pro sports and we go on. Now is the time to turn that page and go forward with all the decisions that we have to make that are ahead of us. We've also done some very good things this season." The 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 played a factor in the decision, Davidson said. Columbus has not made the postseason since four consecutive appearances from 2016-20. "We're all in there and we take responsibility, too, for where we are as a team," Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. "Obviously, I just want to thank [Jarmo] for the relationship and the work over the last 11 years since I've been here with him; been through ups and downs with him." The Blue Jackets were 410-362-97 in 869 regular-season games since Kekalainen was hired. They qualified for the playoffs five times, including a four-game sweep of the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round to advance in the postseason for the first time since joining the NHL in 2000-01. They lost the 2020 first round in five games to the Lightning and subsequently haven't finished higher than sixth in the Metropolitan Division. "If you're a winning team consistently, a playoff team consistently, things like this don't happen," Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski said. "We're obviously not where we want to be." John Tortorella left as Blue Jackets coach May 9, 2021, after six seasons. Brad Larsen, promoted after he was an assistant under Tortorella and previous coach Todd Richards for seven seasons, was fired April 15, 2023, after Columbus went 25-48-9 to finish 31st in the NHL ahead of only the Anaheim Ducks. Mike Babcock replaced Larsen on July 1 but resigned Sept. 17, five days after the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast reported that he asked players to share personal photos on their private mobile devices, which was investigated by the NHL Players' Association before Babcock announced his resignation. Associate coach Pascal Vincent was named his replacement and signed a two-year contract through the 2024-25 season. Blue Jackets ownership said in a statement at the time they were "deeply frustrated and disappointed" by the events surrounding the Babcock situation but following "candid conversations" did not anticipate changes to the hockey leadership team. Davidson, with Blue Jackets president Michael Priest standing a few feet away inside Nationwide Arena on Thursday, said he still has the support of ownership. The search for a new GM begins immediately outside of the organization without a timetable. "I think we'll get a lot of calls. I really do," Davidson said. "In fact, I've already had a couple. It's a good situation here with ownership, the city itself, with the amount of talent that we have already assembled. It's not like starting from the bottom. "I'm looking for a person that's going to look outside of the box, will look everywhere, and that's what we have to do and that's why we're in no rush to do this. But we're going to look for energy. We're going to look for smarts, we're going to look for a player evaluator, a person that understands analytics, everything from A to Z." Before joining the Blue Jackets, Kekalainen was GM of Jokerit of Liiiga in his native Finland. He was also the assistant GM and director of amateur scouting in 2002 for the St. Louis Blues, where he was part of the front office that drafted defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron, core players who helped the Blues win their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Notable moves during Kekalainen's tenure were the trades for defenseman Seth Jones with the Nashville Predators on Jan. 6, 2016, forward Artemi Panarin with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 23, 2017, and forward Patrik Laine with the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23, 2021. Panarin and No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky each left Columbus on July 1, 2019, as an unrestricted free agent. Jones, who at the time was a pending unrestricted free agent, was traded to the Blackhawks on July 23, 2021, with a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft for forward Adam Boqvist, a first- and second-round pick in 2021 and a first-round pick in 2022 or the 2023 NHL Draft. Perhaps Kekalainen's biggest move as GM was signing unrestricted free agent forward Johnny Gaudreau from the Calgary Flames with a seven-year, $68.25 million contract ($9.75 average annual value) July 13, 2022. Notable Blue Jackets draft picks during Kekalainen's tenure are Pierre-Luc Dubois (No. 3, 2016), forward Adam Fantilli (No. 3, 2023), and defensemen David Jiricek (No. 6, 2022) and Werenski (No. 8, 2015). The Blue Jackets visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, BSOH). They're 3-7-1 in their past 11 games. "It's unfortunate," Vincent said. "It happens but we chose that business. Our job, just like what we tell the players, is to move forward, learn, move forward. All I can do today is take care of today with the team. And that's how we move forward."