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Columbus owner knows of “no reason” why Howson won’t be GM next year

Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets owner John P. McConnell has confirmed to the Columbus Dispatch the earlier reports that general manager Scott Howson and team president Mike Priest are not on the verge of being fired.

Regarding Priest, he said: “I don’t know how he gets roped into the on-ice performance by some people because he doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

As for Howson: “As of right now, I know of no reason why he won’t be our (GM next season).”

That sound you’re hearing is every Jackets fans bashing their heads against the wall.

What McConnell did say is that changes are coming, though he wouldn’t get into specific details.

“We’re going to get to a point very quickly where it’s going to be obvious to people how extreme we’re getting,” he told the Dispatch.

So if the president isn’t getting fired and the GM isn’t getting fired, reading between the lines you can assume some big player moves are coming. Not sure what other “extreme” measures McConnell could be referring to, unless the whole team is going skateboarding.

“You can’t look at one thing,” McConnell said when asked what went wrong this season. “Goaltending is certainly No. 1 on the list.”

Of course, it was Howson who decided to roll the dice with Steve Mason when anyone who followed the Jackets knew that was a huge risk.

As we mentioned Wednesday on PHT, a number of the team’s fans are planning a protest Saturday outside Nationwide Arena to let the club know how they’re feeling.

What does the owner think of that?

“Certainly, we’re aware of it,” McConnell said. “We’ll see what comes of it Saturday. We’re certainly prepared to get out some hot liquids for them.”

Hmmm...like coffee or tea? Or like during medieval times when they poured boiling oil on armies that were attacking castles?