It didn’t take Blue Jackets president/GM Don Waddell long to replace Josh Flynn in the team’s front office.
The team announced Jan. 6 that Laurence Gilman, 61, has joined the organization as vice president of hockey operations. His hiring happened 16 days after Flynn, an assistant general manager and 17-year member of the Jackets’ hockey operations staff, re-joined former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen as an assistant GM for the Buffalo Sabres.
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“I have known Laurence for many years, and I am very excited to welcome him to the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Waddell said in a statement. “He is extremely knowledgeable about all facets of team and league operations, and his experience and personality will be a great addition to our hockey operations staff.”
Related Blue Jackets news: Former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen takes over another NHL team
MONTREAL, QC – JUNE 27: (L-R) General Manager Mike Gillis and assistant General Manager Laurence Gilman of the Vancouver Canucks sit at the draft table during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the Bell Centre on June 27, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Gilman will join a front office staff that includes senior advisor/alternate governor John Davidson, director of player personnel/Cleveland Monsters GM Chris Clark, director of hockey operations Rick Nash and senior manager of hockey operations Zach Abdou.
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Gilman began his NHL management career with the original Winnipeg Jets in 1994, prior to their move to Phoenix as the Phoenix Coyotes, then Arizona Coyotes before a shift to Salt Lake City as the Utah Mammoth. He worked his way up the ladder with the Coyotes until 2007 before joining the Vancouver Canucks as vice president of hockey operations/assistant GM from 2008-2015.
Vancouver had a lengthy run of success with Gilman helping shape its rosters, including five straight Pacific Division titles (2008-13), back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy wins 2010-12 as the NHL’s best regular season team and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
The Blue Jackets announced Jan. 6 that president/general manager Don Waddell hired Laurence Gilman, 61, as vice president of hockey operations. Gilman’s hire happened 16 days after former assistant GM Josh Flynn left to join the Buffalo Sabres. (Photo by: Getty Images)
Gilman, who’s from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, was most recently with the Toronto Maple Leafs for six seasons as assistant GM (2018-22) and senior vice president of hockey operations for the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. The Leafs qualified for the playoffs in all four seasons he worked for the NHL team’s front office and the Marlies won the AHL North in 2022-23 under his stewardship.
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“I’m very excited to join the Blue Jackets and want to thank Don for the opportunity,” Gilman said in a statement. “Columbus is a terrific market with great fans, and I look forward to working with everyone there and doing everything I can to help this team have success on the ice.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Laurence Gilman joins Blue Jackets as VP of hockey operations