The Buffalo Sabres have hired John Davidson as senior advisor, the team announced Monday.
Davidson, 73, has spent 20 years in NHL front offices, including 18 seasons as president of hockey operations for St. Louis, Columbus and the New York Rangers. He adds yet another layer of experience to the Sabres’ front office, which last season hired Josh Flynn and Marc Bergevin as assistants under general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen.
"I am thrilled to welcome John Davidson to the Sabres as a senior advisor,” Kekäläinen said. “John and I have a strong working relationship that we have developed over many years. His experience leading multiple organizations, combined with his player evaluation skills and relationships around the NHL make him a great fit for this role. He will lend his expertise and guidance to all areas within the hockey department as we aim to continue to improve our club."
“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and look forward to the opportunity to help the organization in any way I can,” Davidson said. “The momentum in Buffalo is palpable throughout the entire league and the passion from Sabres fans makes this opportunity all the more exciting. I look forward to continuing the relationships with many in the Sabres’ front office and building new ones in this role, all with the goal of contributing to a winning culture. Thank you to Jarmo and the Pegula family for this opportunity.”
Davidson has an established track record of successful team building. He transformed the Blues from a 57-point club to a 108-point contender during his six-year tenure in St. Louis, then worked alongside Kekäläinen to build the most successful era in Blue Jackets history.
Columbus had finished with 65 points in 2011-12, the year before Davidson took over as president of hockey operations. He hired Kekäläinen – who had been an assistant GM with him in St. Louis – as general manager the following season. The Blue Jackets quickly made the playoffs in 2013-14 and later went on to earn four consecutive postseason berths with Davidson and Kekäläinen at the helm, including a franchise-record 108 points in 2016-17.
Davidson also served as interim general manager in 2023-24, during his second stint with Columbus. He is one of three members of Buffalo’s front office with general manager experience along with Kekäläinen and Bergevin.
Davidson’s front-office career is only one chapter of a distinguished hockey life that few can parallel. A first-round draft pick by St. Louis in 1973, Davidson spent 10 years as an NHL goaltender for the Blues and Rangers. He then embarked on a highly successful career in broadcasting, earning induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the 2009 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.
