John Davidson accepts buyout, leaves St. Louis Blues

St. Louis Blues president of hockey operations John Davidson accepted an undisclosed buyout offer from the franchise on Thursday afternoon, according to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Davidson had a reported three years and $6 million left on his contract.

When the Blues new ownership group headed by Tom Stillman took over control this past May, they made it clear that they wanted to cut costs and Davidson's sizable contract became targeted as an area that could be shed.

Originally hired in the summer of 2006, Davidson came into a club that had posted the worst record in the league and was in the bottom five in attendance. Last year, the Blues finished third overall, tied for the second-most points in the league (two points back of first place) and won the Central Division title.

Drafted by the organization with the No. 5 overall selection in the 1973 NHL Draft, Davidson spent two years with the Blues as a goaltender before being traded to the New York Rangers, where he finished his playing career.

As of this time, its unclear what the future holds for Davidson. He had interviewed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in June for an executive position and could be interested in joining another team's front office. He has also expressed interest in potentially returning to the broadcast booth or retiring.