Clay gets the call

According to Puck-rakers its 25 year old defensemen Clay Wilson who is getting the callup with Torres on the IR. Lindsay Kramer of the Crunch media also comments on the promotion:

The most deserving player on the Syracuse Crunch was recalled on Friday, although I'm a little suprised at the position tapped.

The Blue Jackets brought up veteran defenseman Clay Wilson to join them on their West Coast trip. Wilson leads all AHL defensemen with eight goals and is third in Crunch scoring with 15 points.

Read more from Kramer here .

Whelp... count me as one guy who never saw this one coming not when you consider the Jackets A. lost a forward in Torres and B. were already carrying 7 defensemen.

Now that I think about it though, I shouldn't be surprised at all.

This move clearly shows that Jackets management is just as concerned about our powerplay as the fans -- why else call up an offensive d-man when you already have 7 d-men on the roster?

There is no other explanation although the thought of a trade does creep into my mind... more on that in a bit.

So now the question becomes who sits? We know one will be Tollefsen with Norrena being another.

Could it finally be...dun dun dun.....Backman? I hope so.

A combo of Russell and Wilson on the points sounds intriguing although we are talking about a pair of small d-men.

Unfortunately I think it will be Russell who gets more time in the press box b/c for some odd reason (probably 3.4 million worth of reasons) the Jackets will not scratch Backman. I just want to see what this lineup looks like just once without him.

Another option is the Jackets could carry 7 d-men and scratch a forward like Novotny.

Wilson should get some prime time PP time so it will be interesting to see what he can do with it. He showed some nice flashes at the end of last season so maybe he can provide a much needed spark this time around.

Be sure to check out this coverage on Nikita Filatov and how he is adapting to North America. Lindsay Kramer does a fantastic job with these stories and there is a great pic of Filatov and his mom Yelena.

Check out this trade rumor from Philly.com:

Defenseman Randy Jones (hip) hopes to return to the lineup around Dec. 16. Jones reportedly has drawn interest from Columbus, coached by former Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock

Here is the skinny from Forecaster.ca on the 27 year old defensemen:

ASSETS: Has good size and upside. Is still young enough to develop into a bona fide NHLer.
FLAWS: Is not a typical Flyer, since he's 6-2, 200 pounds but doesn't play a big man's game. Must tighten up his defensive-zone coverage.
CAREER POTENTIAL: No. 6 or 7 defenseman.

That breakdown doesn't give me a lot of warm and fuzzies and quite frankly I don't know much about this guy.

Looking over his stats he did put up 5g and 26a for 31p and was a +8 in 77gp last season while the season before he threw up 22p in 66g so there certainly appears to be some offensive upside here.

He's signed for this year at 2.5 mil and next year at 3 mil before becoming an UFA.

From what I understand Philly is going to have to move someone once he comes off the IR on the 16th to stay under the cap so perhaps that someone may be him.

Looking at his numbers I can certainly see where the Jackets could have some interest. He isn't that right handed shot we desperately need but at this point we can't be too picky assuming he can launch the bombs from the point.

I'm going to have to find some highlights of this guy or check out some Philly games once he comes of the IR (if not traded by then) to see what this guy could bring to the table for us.

Hypothetically though if the Jackets were to make a move for this guy you'd have to think some money would go the other way. They certainly won't take Backman off our hands as they are trying to clear salary but a guy like Tollefsen may interest to them in addition to a draft pick or prospect.

Heck I'll throw a Klesla for Jones swap?

Keep in mind though this could all be the media connecting the dots in terms of the Jackets real need for offensive skill on the blueline and using the Hitch-Philly connection to fuel the rumor fires.

Fire away - thoughts on the Wilson callup or the Jones rumor?

-LTL