The Blue Jackets returned Jet Greaves to the AHL's Cleveland Monsters yesterday, leaving us all under the assumption that they needed to call up a defenseman. Both Dante Fabbro and Jack Johnson were injured over the last two games, so that was an obvious leap to take. Instead, the team called up forward James Malatesta. Dean Evason is going to love having this guy on his roster.
At a first glance, "Jimmy" might not have been the obvious recall choice here. Even if the team was looking to add an extra forward ahead of the league-wide roster freeze that comes at midnight tonight, we might have guessed that Trey Fix-Wolansky or even Owen Sillinger would be the guy. They are both scoring at much higher rates.
But I think it's obvious here that they didn't recall a player to add more scoring depth to the lineup. Over the last few games, the team hasn't played all that well. They haven't been terrible, but they've clearly been lacking a spark. James Malatesta is going to bring that spark.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight...
Malatesta is going to bring a ton of energy to the bottom-six for the Blue Jackets. It looks like he'll go right into the lineup tonight in place of Kevin Labanc, and he is going to make his presence felt. At 5'9" and 190 pounds, he will never pass up the opportunity to throw a hit, in spite of his stature.
While having veterans like Labanc, James van Riemsdyk and Zach Aston-Reese has been great for this young team; they've clearly lacked energy lately. Adding a young player who is bringing his lunch pail and an attitude could provide the energy they've been missing.
I have a feeling they will be hard pressed to send James back to the AHL, even when guys start getting healthy again. They may have their hands forced when that happens; but one thing I know for sure: Dean Evason is going to love having this guy at his disposal.
He may not score a ton, but he's going to bring it each and every shift. He'll get under the skin of the opposition and make them look twice for him when they have the puck. That's all you can ask for from a mid-season AHL call up.