The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Thursday they fired Jarmo Kekalainen as general manager.
President of hockey operations John Davidson will assume interim GM duties for the time being.
"This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here," Davidson said in a statement. "While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.