What Is John Davidson's Legacy Going To Be Remembered As In Columbus?

The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to hire Don Waddell to run the Hockey Operations side of the club. With that comes a few changes including John Davidson stepping aside.

With John Davidson taking a step back from running the team, it's time to look back at his time in Columbus.

Back in October 2012, the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to do something that they had never really done in their history, and that something was to hire actual hockey people to run the hockey team. They hired John Davidson to run the Hockey Operations Department, and from there the expectations of the franchise were set.

Davidson came to Columbus after he had his contract bought out by the St. Louis Blues just a week or so prior. Just a few months after coming to Columbus, the club made the decision to fire Scott Howson and hire first time GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Kekäläinen would be the first European General Manager in the NHL. 

In 2019, just after the historic sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Davidson would bolt for his true love, the New York Rangers. He was named the President in May of 2019. But in 2021, less than two years after he left Columbus, He would be fired by New York. And 15 days later, he was again hired by the Blue Jackets. But this time, the franchise was in an entirely different spot. Many fans thought Davidson had something to do with getting Artemi Panarin to New York, and many held a grudge after he came back. And to top it off, the team was headed in the wrong direction. Since that 2019 season, the Jackets have only a single round one loss on their resume. The Covid playoffs of 2020 in Toronto was the last playoff berth for Columbus.  

During his tenure as PHOPs in Columbus, he only hired and fired one GM in Jarmo Kekäläinen. Many people point to this as a major misstep on his resume. Some Fans and media think Jarmo should've been moved on from long ago, while others point to the fact that the franchise's most successful period was from 2012-2024 under Davidson's and Kekäläinen's leadership. 

Prior to Davidson, the Jackets record was 342-441-33-86 with one playoff berth. And from 2012 to 2024 the record was 373-338-74 with five playoff seasons. 

When people think of a position like President of Hockey Operations, they think it's a position of all knowing. In regards to the way Davidson seemed to supervise Kekäläinen, it was definitely hands off. From an outside perspective, Kekäläinen seemed to make all the decisions in terms of the actual team. Now whether or not Davidson had any input is all speculation, but the owners of the CBJ let Davidson and Kekäläinen run the ship, that's for sure. 

John Davidson will be missed for his colorful radio interviews and bluntness. Hopefully he continues to do those on the Columbus radio waves. 

So what will John Davidson's legacy be remembered as here in Columbus? 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.

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