10 names to consider for the Columbus Blue Jackets' coaching vacancy

This one has to be a home run.

A little more than a decade into his tenure as the Blue Jackets’ general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen is searching for a head coach again. After firing Brad Larsen on Saturday, just two years into a three-year contract, the first European-born GM in NHL history is looking for his third head coach.

More: Columbus Blue Jackets fire coach Brad Larsen, part with goaltending coach Manny Legace

People in his position soak up more pressure with each hire they make, so the spotlight is now beaming brightly off his immaculately shaved head.

“I am willing to take all the pressure that’s out there,” Kekalainen said. “I take full responsibility on hiring the coaches. … This is the second firing, if I’m counting (John Tortorella and the Blue Jackets parted ways ‘mutually’ in 2021) and I take full responsibility for hiring the two coaches that I’ve hired so far, and for the team that’s on the ice. That’s my responsibility. I own up to that every day in front of the mirror and I will in the future, as well.”

More: Columbus Blue Jackets drop finale to Buffalo Sabres, gain second-best lottery odds

The future starts now in his new search for a bench boss and a flop is unacceptable. Without knowing the options atop Kekalainen’s wish list, here are 10 coaches listed in alphabetical order who may have what it takes to get and interview and get Columbus back into the Stanley Cup playoffs:

Jeff Blashill, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant

Blashill, 49, spent seven years as the Detroit Red Wings’ head coach and only made the playoffs once before a rebuild. He was fired last season and hired in Tampa to replace Derek Lalonde, who replaced him in Detroit. Blashill coached Western Michigan University for one year before joining the Red Wings in 2011 as an assistant. He also coached Detroit’s AHL team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for three years before replacing Mike Babcock (2015-16) in Detroit.

Blashill guided the U.S. won a bronze medal in 2018 as a head coach the 2018 world championships, where he coached Johnny Gaudreau.

Bruce Boudreau, free agent

Boudreau, 68, has 16 years experience as a head coach with four NHL teams. He also has a record of 617-342-128 that ranks him 20^th all-time in coaching wins. Boudreau wasn’t interviewed by the Blue Jackets two years ago and was hired midway through last season by the Vancouver Canucks – who replaced him this season with Rick Tocchet.

Boudreau has a sharp sense of humor and is a details-oriented coach. He knows how to handle young players and stars, which showed at his previous stops in Washington (Alex Ovechkin), Anaheim (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf), Minnesota (Zach Parise, Ryan Suter) and Vancouver (Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson).

Andrew Brunette, New Jersey Devils assistant

Brunette, a former longtime NHL forward, had zero experience running an NHL bench when pressed into that role last season for the Florida Panthers in the wake of Joel Quenneville stepping down amid a scandal tied to his time in Chicago. Brunette, 49, went 51-18-6 with a high-powered team that won the Presidents’ Trophy for most points in the NHL standings.

Brunette was not retained after the Panthers were eliminated in the playoffs and became an assistant for the high-powered New Jersey Devils ― who overwhelmed the Blue Jackets twice this season at Prudential Center with speed and skill.

Dan Bylsma, Coachella Valley AHL head coach

Bylsma, 52, has eight years of NHL head coaching experience that includes six seasons and one Stanley Cup (2009) coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins. He coached Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Kris Letang and other Penguins stars during his stint there, which included eliminating the Blue Jackets in 2013-14 (first round).

Bylsma had a forgettable two-year run as the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach, became an NHL and AHL assistant and was named head coach this season for Coachella, the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate. Bylsma has coached the Firebirds to a Calder Cup playoffs appearance.

Glen Gulutzan, Edmonton Oilers assistant

Gulutzan, 51, has run the bench for two NHL teams, the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames, but both stints lasted just two seasons. He has a winning percentage of .543 with a record of 146-125-23, but only got one of his teams, the Flames, to the playoffs (2017). Gulutzan was fired after Calgary was swept in the first round and became an assistant in Edmonton, where he coaches Connor McDavid while directing the NHL’s most potent power play.

Jukka Jalonen, Finnish national team

Alpo Suhonen is the only Finnish-born coach to run an NHL bench and it lasted only one season (2001-02) with the Chicago Blackhawks. Jalonen, 60, could become the second Finn to get a crack at coaching an NHL team after guiding Finland to gold medals at the men’s world championships and world juniors.

Jalonen has experience as a head coach in the Swedish Hockey League, Finland’s top professional circuit (Liiga) and the KHL. He’s been with the Finnish national program since 2007-08 and has a decorated international career. Jalonen is a close connection of Kekalainen's who attended a game in Columbus this season while scouting for Finland’s world championship team.

Peter Laviolette, free agent

Laviolette, 58, mutually parted ways with the Washington Capitals after three seasons. He’s one of the biggest names available, so it will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets are willing interested and willing to pay the required rate. Laviolette won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and has a career record of 752-503-150 with 25 ties in 21 seasons for five teams. He’s guided teams to the playoffs 13 times and has a postseason record of 78-76 in 154 games. His teams advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 (Philadelphia Flyers) and 2017 (Nashville Predators).

Joel Quenneville, free agent

Quenneville, 64, has three Stanley Cup titles, a pristine 25 years of experience as an NHL head coach and a lot of explaining to do regarding the Kyle Beach scandal in Chicago that led to his exit in Florida. Despite being second behind Scotty Bowman for all-time coaching wins with a 969-572-150 record, Quenneville comes with baggage from that incident along with, likely, a high salary demand.

It might be worth the price considering the NHL’s penchant for doling out second chances and Quenneville’s penchant for smoking victory cigars while hoisting the Cup. That’s ultimately the goal for Kekalainen, John Davidson, the team’s president of hockey operations, and Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell.

Brad Shaw, Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach

Shaw, 58, is a longtime NHL assistant who spent five seasons working with Tortorella and Larsen in Columbus. He wasn’t granted an interview two years ago, but maybe Kekalainen will circle back to the other Brad from the Tortorella era. Shaw is a defensive guru, but his lone experience as an NHL head coach was in 2005-06 in a mid-season interim promotion by the New York Islanders. Shaw went 18-18-4 in 40 games.

Pascal Vincent, Blue Jackets associate coach

Vincent, 51, was a finalist two years ago and was hired as associate coach after impressing Kekalainen, Davidson and Larsen. He and assistant Steve McCarthy each have a year left on their contracts and Kekalainen said internal candidates would be considered for replacing Larsen. Vincent has directed the Blue Jackets’ power play the past two years and they became one of the league’s most dangerous power play teams midway through the season.

Vincent’s only experience running an NHL bench was replacing Larsen during a handful of absences, but he was with the Winnipeg Jets for 10 years before the Blue Jackets — five as an NHL assistant and five as head coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ten coach who could be considered for Columbus Blue Jackets' vacancy