The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-hired John Davidson as their president of hockey operations and extended the contract of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, the team announced Thursday.
Davidson signed a five-year contract with the club, while Kekalainen’s new deal will keep him with Columbus through the 2024-25 season.
OFFICIAL: The #CBJ have named John Davidson president of hockey operations and alternate governor.
Details https://t.co/gdyKtwj0Ob
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 20, 2021
Davidson held the president of hockey operations role with the Blue Jackets for seven years before leaving on May 17, 2019, to take the same role with the New York Rangers.
The Rangers shocked the hockey world as the 2020-21 season was coming to a close, firing both Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton on May 7. According to the Columbus Dispatch, as soon as Davidson was let go by New York, there were immediate calls from fans on social media to bring the long-time Blue Jacket back to Columbus.
Davidson was with the Blue Jackets from 2012-2019 and turned a struggling franchise into a perennial playoff contender. During Davidson’s time with the team, the Blue Jackets made the playoffs four years, which included the historic sweep of the No.1-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.
Columbus finished fifth in the Central Division this season, missing out on the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kekalainen was named the third general manager in Blue Jackets history on Feb. 13, 2013. Since he joined the team, the Blue Jackets rank 14th in wins with a 332-250-71 record.
“John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen worked tirelessly and effectively together to transform our hockey club from a team with one Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance in 12 seasons to one that reached the postseason five times in seven years from 2013-20,” said club president Mike Priest in a team-released statement.
“This is an important time for our organization and having stability and proven leadership at the top of our hockey operations department is critical for us to do what we want to do, which is bring a Stanley Cup championship to Columbus. Signing Jarmo to an extension and then bringing J.D. back gives us the right people to address the opportunities and challenges before us and we couldn’t be more excited.”
[relatedlinks]
