from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

John Davidson, one of the NHL’s most respected figures during 40 years as a player, broadcaster and executive, will travel to Columbus this weekend for follow-up interviews with Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell and president Mike Priest, sources told The Dispatch.

The three first gathered on May 29 in Nationwide Arena, while Davidson was president of the St. Louis Blues. Just last week Davidson agreed to a contract buyout with the Blues, and in an interview last weekend expressed interest in the possibility of working for the Blue Jackets.

Apparently, the feeling is mutual. In addition to the interview process, sources said Davidson and his wife, Diana, will be given a tour of Columbus neighborhoods and suburbs.

Both Davidson and Priest declined comment yesterday.

It’s unclear how Davidson would fit within the Blue Jackets’ hockey operations department, but it’s widely assumed around the NHL that he would need the promise of complete autonomy, just as he had with the Blues since joining them as president in 2006.

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