Columbus Blue Jackets makes change in upper management ahead of upcoming season –NHL offseason Update
Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the weaker teams of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Western Conference, has shuffled up its upper management in hope of starting off the upcoming 2011-2012 regular season in a big way which would be lasting.
After Assistant General Manager, Don Boyd’s, and Director of Pro Scouting, Bob Strumm’s, contracts expired the upper management of the team has decided that both will not be offered an extension or negotiation option and thus, relieved of their services,
announced by the Columbus Blue Jackets’ team on Tuesday.
"We believe it was time to make changes in key areas of our organization as we strive to build a championship-calibre team”, Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Blue Jackets, Scott Howson, said in a statement. "I want to thank
Don and Bob for their hard work and commitment over the past 12 years as each has made very positive contributions".
Just by looking at the teams’ performance during the regular season, anyone could have expected this change sooner rather than later.
Blue Jackets played far below the expectation line and finished off the 2010-2011 regular season nowhere near the playoff elite-eight border line.
They finished with only 81 points at the 13th spot in the Western Conference and lost their four last games consecutively.
Columbus won only 34 games out of the 82 total games they played, resulting in an embarrassing winning percentage which had the team under fire from fans and the league itself.
"When a team does not have success for a long period of time, there's an expectation that changes will occur", Howson told a local newspaper. "It's a fact of professional sports. Everything is results-based”.
Columbus is expected to actively take part in the upcoming 2011 NHL Entry Draft and the 2011 Free Agency to look for more and better talent while also on the look for an experienced management to fill in the positions to lead the team to a better season.
If they continue to perform the way did last season, Blue Jackets could expect themselves being relocated if there are any takers.
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