John Davidson to be introduced as Columbus Blue Jackets director of hockey ops

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Wednesday morning that John Davidson will be introduced as the team's new director of hockey operations in a press conference at 2 p.m. ET. Davidson spent the last seven seasons as the president of hockey operations of the St. Louis Blues, but he recently accepted a buyout and stepped down from that position.

Davidson, who was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2009, first interviewed with the Blue Jackets in May. In his new position in Columbus, Davidson will report directly to majority owner John P. McConnell, giving him power over general manager Scott Howson and the rest of the team's front office.

There will be challenges ahead for Davidson. The Blue Jackets finished dead last in the NHL last season with 65 points and traded star Rick Nash to the New York Rangers in July. The team also fired coach Scott Arniel. The good news for Columbus fans is that Davidson has experience in this kind of situation -- when he took over the Blues in 2005, the team was coming off a 57-point season.