The Dispatch is reporting that Raffi Torres is headed to the IR again for his re-occurring knee problem. Man that a tough pill to swallow for Raffi as he was coming off an injury riddled campaign that ended with major knee surgery and was looking to make an impact with his new squad. He certainly showed some signs of the impact he could make but just wasn't quite able to bring that game every night -- now we know why.
So with Raffi out who gets the call?
I'll tell ya I doubt its Filatov. If it was a top 6 skill position then maybe but I think the org feels he needs some more time baking down in the 'cuse. Filatov has 6g 7a for 13p in 18g but like most of the Crunch players he has cooled of late offensively. I haven't got to watch him play so I can't say one way or the other if his stats reflect the play.
Instead I look for a veteran like Derek MacKenzie to get the nod. I think Hitch will want a dependable "worker" in the bottom 6 and MacKenzie brings that to the table and showed well in that role last season. In 12 games since coming off his injury in Syracuse he has 13 points (6g, 7a).
Another guy to keep an eye on is Mike York. He looked slow and sluggish in camp but he's quietly leading the Crunch in points with 4g, 15a for 19p in 22g. Again I haven't watched the Crunch so I'm not sure how his play reflects his stats but he's another veteran the organization could look to to fill the Torres void.
To this point the Jackets have recalled mostly their young guns on the farm. Filatov, Dorsett, Russell have all gotten the nod. Howson may want to give one of his hard working vets a cup of coffee this time around....not only to fill the void up on the big team but it never hurts to have your morale up amongst your veterans in terms of getting a shot in the NHL this season as it does for your youngsters.
Also keep an eye on Craig MacDonald. He's another vet whose racked up 7g, 8a for 15 points in 22 games.
Of course the biggest draw back with the vets is the dreaded waivers. Once a player comes off IR chances are that veteran will get sent back down and all 29 other teams will have a shot at him... if he's playing well the Jackets could lose him.
Fire away - who would you recall?
-LTL
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Let's not forget Picard. He didn't play poorly up here there really just wasn't room to retain him. He's a high energy guy that would allow Boll to play with Peca and Modin - still a very good line.
Novotny could step into the lineup with a guy like McKenzie or McDonald holding down the extra foward position but I think Picard could be a benefit to this team with his energy. Let's face it whomever they recall will likely be playing 8 min or less per game on most nights. Boll or Murray can pick up Torres extra 3-4 min per night on the 3rd line.
i gotta think york gets the nod here... or one of the MC guys ( take your pick ) ... either way they arent ready to pull up FILATOV or MAYOROV yet... which is ok for now...
but i can see a time this year when they are BOTH up and scoring points for us ...
I think it has to be Picard. Thats just where he fits and he has earned it. If he snagged on re-entry later then so be it. He's never going to be the player DougieMac tried to imagine so lets get some use and if he goes he goes. York is a possibility, but I think he would get snagged on re-entry and we kinda need that type of player available for late season injuries.
At first believing that they only wanted to be left alone, Torres helped enhance their technology. The Torres Family describes their riding technique inside the steel globe much like that of an air show stunt pilot.
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jnny
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Did everyone see that the Legin of doom wants back into the sport of hockey? Guess making pizza wasn't as glamorous as originally believed
You may have gotten the wrong blog Jnny/Neal!
Anyonymous.. yep.. I caught that about Legein. I'm not really surprised as a career in the service industry must not have suited the kid.
I also read over on HF from a poster that he will be joining the Crunch in January.
I'll have a post up about this in a bit.
-LTL
Thanks, LTL! I was thinking that I was caught in an LSD flashback or something. ;-)
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