If and when the National Hockey League resumes playing games, the Columbus Blue Jackets will command more respect.

They will have John Davidson running that show.

After rebuilding the gutted Blues franchise into a Stanley Cup contender, Davidson is taking on a similar challenge in Central Ohio.

Finally that long-struggling franchise will have savvy leadership atop the hockey operation. Current general manager Scott Howson has some good moves at the helm of the hockey operation -- but he made a lot of bad moves, too, doing his part to keep that team in wheel-spinning mode.

The team’s initial president and general manager, Doug MacLean, never hit on a winning formula. He failed to build through the draft, something the Blues did in St. Louis.

The Blue Jackets ended up trading away eight of their first nine first-round draft picks. The franchise moved one player he hit big on, Rick Nash, to the New York Rangers as part of still another overhaul.

Previous top Columbus picks included the likes of Russian washouts Nikita Filatov and Nikolai Zherdev and epic disappointments like Alexandre Picard and Gilbert Brule.

Davidson will do the Blue Jackets what he did for the Blues. He will develop a realistic plan of action and then stick to it. He will keep the big picture in mind at all times. He won’t allow unexpected developments to distract him.

He will build a team that will climb into contention and come hard after his old team.

For more on this hiring, check out my story on STLToday.com.