guess who is coming to town......

[puckhogg]

from puckrakers...............


Left winger Nikita Filatov has informed the Blue Jackets that he'll arrive in Columbus on Wednesday, the Dispatch has learned, giving him roughly six weeks to get acclimated before the start of training camp.

Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson confirmed Filatov's travel plans.

This will almost certainly delight the Blue Jackets coaches, players and executives, who sent development coach Tyler Wright to Russia last month to evaluate Filatov's workout routine and gauge his feelings heading into the 2010-11 season.

And it confirms Filatov's comments to the Dispatch shortly after Wright's visit, that he would arrive the first week of August.

Filatov, 20, needs a big 2010-11. At the least, he needs to establish himself as a consistent NHL performer. New Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel, who had yet to speak with Filatov late last week, has said that Filatov -- like the rest of the players -- will get a clean slate heading into training camp.

The Blue Jackets' top six appears fairly set, but Filatov -- the club's first-round pick in 2008 -- will be given ample opportunity to crack the top two lines.

Arniel's desire to play an up-tempo, puck-possession style should certainly benefit Filatov, who never meshed in the positional/checking style favored by former Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock. Filatov left Columbus last November amid dwindling playing time, signing a one-year loan agreement to play for CSKA Moscow, his former club.

Filatov joins a slew of Blue Jackets players and prospects already in Columbus. Derick Brassard, Jake Voracek, John Moore, Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett, Tomas Kana, Kyle Neuber and Maksim Mayorov are in Columbus right now. Many have been here all summer. Center Ryan Johansen, the No. 1 pick, spent many weeks in Columbus before departing for home yesterday.

[CORUPTWJ]

SANTA?!?!?!?!?

I am very happy to hear this.  Hopefully he has matured a bit and has realized, he isn't a super star...yet.

I hope he is ready to work to earn his spot on the team, just like all the players should be.  I hope he turns into the sniper we have needed for quite a long time.

But on the other side, if he pulls the same thing he did last year, or ends up being another dud, it is really going to hurt us if we try to ship him out to another team.

[Tuskin]

I told you ... he'd be back

[alxzanki]

Knew it....but now we have a problem, where overflowing up front, surely we could spare a winger for a defensman.

[dasnut]

Question is, who do we give up for the kind of return we need?

[hidden_gem]

Question is, who do we give up for the kind of return we need?

Answer: He'll be here Wednesday!!