March 10, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Tim Erixon from the Springfield Falcons tonight. He will be eligible to make his CBJ debut for the 2012-13 season against Edmonton on Tuesday. Dalton Prout was scratched today against Ottawa due to back spasms, so it is currently unknown if Erixon is being called up as an emergency backup option, or if someone else will sit in his favor. Erixon’s 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) currently leads Springfield, so the Jackets are getting a key piece of the Falcons offensive attack.
Springfield is off until Friday, so whether this is a temporary call up, or a vote of confidence in Erixon’s ability to play at the NHL level will determine if they will be without their leading scorer.
Columbus finally got some consistent play from their blue line today, so it will be interesting to see if Coach Todd Richards will be hesitant to shake up the defensive pairings too much. However, if Prout still cannot go on Tuesday, I can’t think of a better fill in than Erixon.
If the Jackets are going to call him up, it would be a waste to have Tim Erixon watch from the press box. He has certainly showed he can handle AHL talent with his performance with the Falcons. In his 31 games with Columbus last season, Erixon tallied 5 assists. He also contributed 5 goals and 24 assists in 40 games with Springfield. Now we must see if his talent can allow him to compete at the NHL level.
Photo Courtesy Of Paul J. Sagan
Erixon is often the forgotten piece of the Rick Nash trade, as both Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov have been much more visible to Jackets fans. The Jackets have taken a cautious approach to developing Erixon this season and have allowed him to grow his game in the minors.
That does not mean his performance in the AHL has not caught the eyes of the CBJ fan base. With the blue line under performing at the start of the month, fans were wondering when we would see Erixon called up. It appears now is that time, but the reason is mostly due to injuries, and not just poor play.
Along with Erixon, Columbus also announced that Springfield forward Jack Skille has also been called up. This will be Skille’s second time on the Columbus roster, as he also filled in back on October 19th against the Washington Capitals. Skille has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) with the Falcons this season.
The Blue Jackets are already one of the youngest teams in the NHL, and with these recent call ups, it appears they may regress in age just a bit more for Tuesday’s game against Edmonton.