Scott Howson fired by Columbus Blue Jackets

It's been a long time coming, but after nearly seven years at the helm, the Columbus Blue Jackets have fired general manager Scott Howson.

"Scott Howson is a caring man who gave everything he had to the Columbus Blue Jackets over the past six years," said CBJ director of hockey operations John Davidson in a team press release. "This was a difficult decision but one that I thought was in the best interest of moving our hockey club forward. I have enjoyed working with Scott and want to thank him for his service."

No replacement has been named as of yet.

For more on the Blue Jackets, check in with The Cannon.

Many believed Scott Howson would be out a year ago after he seemed to go all in with the acquisitions of James Wisniewski and Jeff Carter. Those two moves have gone terribly wrong, with Carter basically demanding a trade to Los Angeles and Wisniewski dealing with injury problems and suspension woes.

Many thought he'd be gone after the Rick Nash trade fiasco, which consensus says Howson handled extremely poorly. He ultimately sent the franchise player the New York Rangers for a package much smaller than originally desired.

The Blue Jackets hired Davidson away from the St. Louis Blues over the lockout-prolonged offseason, and it was his task to make Columbus relevant in the NHL. Firing Howson, he must believe, is necessary to make that happen.

Under Howson's supervision, the Blue Jackets compiled a 173-190-59 record. Collectively, they've been the worst team in the NHL over these last six years. Ironically, they won on Monday night, his last game as general manager.