Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Josh Anderson from Cleveland

The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled winger Josh Anderson from his conditioning assignment with the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday afternoon.

Josh Anderson was loaned to Cleveland on Oct. 5 to get some conditioning after sitting out all of training camp and missing the Columbus Blue Jackets’ eight preseason games. He played one game with the Monsters, 4-0 loss to the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday night. Anderson recorded a game-high seven shots on goal.

This quick recall was expected out of the Blue Jackets as the team played a back-to-back to open the season, but will have a few days off before playing again on Tuesday.

Anderson’s contract negotiations with the Blue Jackets lasted all summer as neither side seemed to budge much through the ordeal. At numerous points, Josh Anderson’s agent Darren Ferris threatened that the young forward to play in Switzerland if a good enough offer was put on the figurative table. And negotiations got so tense that Anderson reportedly requested a trade, although Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen denied that report. Fortunately for both parties, Anderson signed a three-year, $5.55M contract with the club on Oct. 3.

Without Anderson, the Jackets started their season with a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders with five different players scoring goals. But the following game, Saturday at the Chicago Blackhawks, didn’t go as well. Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game and never let up as the Hawks defeated the Jackets 5-1. Rookie Sonny Milano was the only CBJ player to score, tallying his second of the year.

With his return, Anderson brings physicality, size, lineup flexibility and even some scoring. At 6’3″, Anderson is a presence on the ice that can throw his body into many of the smaller players he matches up against. He was also able to rack up 29 points in just 12:01 average TOI.

Prediction: Top 5 Goal Scorers for the CBJ

The Blue Jackets will expect more out of the 23-year-old this season with a new contract and most likely, more minutes on the ice. Anderson is expected to take over the right wing position one either the third or fourth forward line. In the first two games, Matt Calvert played in that position on the third line while Zac Dalpe played on the fourth line.