HELSINKI — There was a well-publicized meeting in Nice, France, last summer between Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and forward Artemi Panarin, just weeks after Panarin declined to negotiate a contract extension before his final season in Columbus.



Less known is that Kekalainen tried to arrange another meeting during the same trip, one with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who was vacationing with Panarin. But Bobrovsky refused to meet with his general manager.



It might have been the first sign that the relationship between the Blue Jackets and their franchise goaltender was irreparably harmed, which is why Kekalainen immediately thought he needed to plant a seed with Bobrovsky’s likely successor.



Kekalainen visited with Joonas Korpisalo in Helsinki in July 2018 as he made his way to his summer retreat farther north in Finland. He wanted Korpisalo to know that his chance for the No. 1 job was starting to appear on the...