He helped build the Blue Jackets into the team that swept the Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lighting in the Eastern Conference First Round this season and then challenged the Bruins in the second round before losing in six games. It was the first time Columbus advanced out of the first round.
Now the pull of city and his ties to the Rangers have him back in New York.
"I wouldn't have left Columbus had I not been here originally and had a sense of home, a sense of people welcoming myself and our family back," Davidson said. "I would never have left Columbus. It's just this is a unique opportunity at a very unique time."
The Rangers haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, but they are in the middle of a rebuilding project that began more than 15 months ago, and by all accounts they're ready to accelerate the process to become playoff contenders as soon as next season.
They have the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, which will be held June 21-22 in Vancouver, meaning they're likely to select United States-born center Jack Hughes, the top-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Registry, or Finland-born forward Kaapo Kakko, the top-ranked European skater. The New Jersey Devils have the No. 1 pick.
The Rangers also have the No. 20 pick in the draft, which will give them seven first-round picks since 2017.
That's in addition to what they have on the NHL roster, including veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist and center Mika Zibanejad, who had 74 points (30 goals, 44 points) this season. They're also expected to have plenty of salary cap space this summer.
"The one thing I do see here is the culture," Davidson said. "I think that coaching staff has done a good job with that. They play hard, they play the game the right way and they're demanding of that. If you want to play for the Rangers, this is how it's going to be. If you don't have that proper leadership and culture within the locker room itself it becomes hard, and it's awfully hard to change it. It looks to me that they're well on their way in that area."