Columbus Dispatch - Preseson News & Notes

[Virtual Jarmo]

The big news out of Columbus is that the Blue Jackets are shopping young sniper Nikita Filatov. They're reportedly looking for a veteran presence and an upgrade on defense. The move comes as a bit of a shock given the trade of the team's second leading scorer Marian Gaborik, but Jackets GM Adam Burke is confident that there is enough scoring punch on the roster already. "Brass [Derick Brassard] keeps improving and we like what he can do to feed Nasher. That first line LW position is up in the air, still, but our second line looks to be solid."

The team isn't quite sure how to manage Mike Fisher as this stage. He has the ability to be a strong two-way presence on a second line, but would he be better served playing on the third line? "We have a lot of things to sort out. Guys like Pahlsson, Clark, Lynch, and some others are locked in to third and fourth line spots. We're actively trying to move Jochen Hecht. We love what he brings, but it'll be hard to justify his contract playing on a bottom two line."

While nobody from this year's draft class has been signed, Burke expects to get some negotiations underway in the near future. "We want the kids to experience training camp. That's the biggest thing for us right now. Then we need to make sure that they're getting the proper training. I anticipate we'll sign several, if not all our picks. They'll be playing for the chance to be our underagers in the AHL."

John Moore is going to get serious ice time during this year's camp and he will be playing for his position on the depth chart. "John's done everything we asked of him in Syracuse. He won't be going to Springfield this year. He'll be suiting up nightly on our blue line."

Breaking news as we speak here. Sources are reporting that the Jackets have received two very "compelling" offers for Nikita Filatov. One comes from an Eastern Conference team, the other from the West. The Jackets have nearly 6M in cap room to use in any Filatov trade, so money will not be an issue. It appears, at this stage, that Burke is intent on moving Filatov and will do so in a trade that makes the most sense for the team.

Other things of note: The team is very upset with Rick Nash's physical shape as he came in to town to begin some preseason workouts. Nash sat down for a long talk with coach Ken Hitchcock, and the two sides reportedly had some good discussions. "We expect Rick to be a leader here," Hitchcock said via text message. "We have some young guys and he needed to be aware of that. It won't be an issue again."

Many questions surround the future of Kris Russell in Columbus. The Mathieu Schneider signing may make Russell the victim of a numbers game. He is eligible to play for Springfield this season and may be used in a depth capacity. Taylor Ellington falls into the same category, along side Teddy Ruth. Springfield looks to have an excellent team on defense and may get more help with draftees Nils Andersson, Daniel Krejci, Patrick McNally, and Dylan McIlrath.

Keep checking in to the Dispatch News & Notes section for more Jackets info throughout the preseason.