The Flu Bug and Other Ramblings

By: Jeff Little • February 6th, 2009

Lots of random stuff today, so here goes:

Glad you’re well, now go away — after recovering from his recent injury, star prospect Nikita Filatov was victimized by the flu. His present for recovering? A trip to Syracuse . . . Ahh, it’s a brutal business. Seriously, this has long been expected, and hopefully Nik will get some more seasoning and bulk up a bit.

More Flu–Kristian Huselius missed practice with the flu, and Mark Methot will not make the trip to Pittsburgh, also courtesy of the flu bug, according to Puck-Rakers.

Let The Trade Speculation Begin — The Dispatch kicked off the final month countdown to the trade deadline, with it’s morning piece on who might be on Howson’s radar. Some expected names (Antropov, Weight, Tkachuk), some intriguing inclusions (Lombardi, Kelly, Reasoner), and some curious omissions (Vermette, Kubina). I still think a deal is going to happen sooner than later, and suspect that tomorrow night is Wade Dubielewicz’s first and last audition as a backup. If he does well, he stays and we focus on a forward and maybe right hand shot defenseman. If he gets smoked, expect a goalie play, such as Curtis Sandford from Vancouver, in addition to a forward.

God Bless Games In Hand — The standings are pretty bizarre to contemplate right now, with 4 points separating 5th from 11th. While the CBJ give up a game each to Edmonton and Minnesota, and 2 to Dallas, they hold 2 in hand over Phoenix, and after tonight will hold 4 big games in hand over Anaheim. Visnovsky for the Oilers has just gone on the IR, the Canucks are struggling, and everyone except Dallas seems to be hurting to one extent or another right now. It will be a wild rush to the finish.

Tomorrow we’ll do a preview of the Penguins game and do a little more on the trade front.

Go Jackets!!

About

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A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980's when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.

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There Are 4 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Rick on 6 February 2009:

    I’m really hoping Filatov comes to Cbus this summer to work with Brennan. He definately could use some bulk. I, too, was curious by the omission of Vermette from the trade list. According to Cannon Fodder they (Portzline) think a trade won’t happen until days before the deadline. Dubie has to have a strong game tonight if he wants to stay with the Jackets. Looking forward to the Pens preview.

  2. Comment by roadman on 6 February 2009:

    I wonder if the omission of Vermette has as much to do with the tenuous situation in Ottawa as much any thing else. Murry is under such pressure there, maybe he is asking too much, maybe they haven’t decided how much tweaking/rebuilding they’re going to do. Timing maybe as much of a factor here as anything.

    I also can’t help but think that Howsen has something else up his sleeve that none of us has thought of.

  3. Comment by Rick on 6 February 2009:

    Howson does seem to surprise us, doesn’t he?

  4. Comment by JAL on 6 February 2009:

    I agree totally with the Howsen comments. He is like my formula for finding the killer in a murder mystery — identify the unnecessary character, and there is your killer. Here, find the guy that nobody would think of, and he is likely your man.

    Also, with Legace now on waivers, the goalie situation becomes more intriguing.

    My game preview is up. I am battling flu as well, so can sympathize with the Jackets.

    I have no doubt that Filatov will bulk up, given the training. Keep in mind that with the large ice in Europe, there is far less contact, as the defense can’t afford to miss a big hit. Look at what happened with Voracek.

    Go Jackets!

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