What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here? First, we learned that coach Scott Arniel considers Mike Commodore to be his seventh best d-man. This is hardly news. But then we learned that Mike Commodore wants to be traded. This brings the total number of people in Jacketsland that want Mike Commodore to be traded to 10,001. Again, hardly newsworthy.
Later on Wednesday came reports that the Blue Jacket put center Kyle Wilson on waivers. Say what? This just doesn't make sense. Or does it? First, let's look at why it doesn't:
- It was just one month ago that Wilson was told to "get a place," meaning he had earned a spot on the roster and didn't have to worry about being shipped to Springfield if he kept playing the way he had up to that point. And he has for the most part. In fact, a couple of weeks ago Wilson was given a brief stint on the second line as Arniel shuffled his lines in an attempt to generate more offense. If Arniel has been unhappy with Wilson's play of late, he hasn't said so publicly.
- On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets traded d-man Nate Guenin to Anaheim for center Trevor Smith. Smith isn't an elite prospect, but neither was Guenin. Springfield has a plethora of blueliners and needed some offensive punch. But if the Jackets were thinking of sending Wilson down, why trade for a center? (The Guenin trade might also suggest that Scott Howson isn't planning to call a d-man up any time soon, but that's a conversation for a different day.)
- Ethan Moreau suffered a rib cartilage injury on Tuesday night and is likely headed to the IR. He will definitely miss the last two games of the current four game road trip. This opens a spot on the roster. Usually when a spot opens up on a team's roster, the natural tendency is to call somebody up from the minors, not send one down. Things that make you go "Hmmmmm."
- Wilson was 2 for 2 in shootout attempts. Both goals were sick. If you follow the Blue Jackets and have watched them in shootouts, you are undoubtedly scratching your head over the move for that reason alone.
So how in the name of Espen Knutsen could this move make any sense? On Wednesday night Aaron Portzline tweeted that the Blue Jackets placed Wilson on waivers to clear a another roster spot (in addition to the one created when Moreau heads to the IR) "because [the] potential is there for a large trade." But that still begs the question: why Wilson? Does Howson think he is more likely to slip through waivers than, say, Derek MacKenzie? Or Andrew Murray?
If Wilson clears waivers is Howson contemplating a call-up? Would he call up Matt Calvert or Tomas Kubalik and risk stunting their development by rushing them to Columbus? Not likely. Nikita Filatov hasn't yet found his game in Springfield. Surely, that can't be the reason for this move . . . unless he's about to get traded. Or is Wilson to become part of a trade once he clears waivers? If I was wagering, I'd bet on the latter. But I would probably wrap it in a teaser with a Filatov trade.
If Wilson clears waivers is Howson contemplating a call-up? Would he call up Matt Calvert or Tomas Kubalik and risk stunting their development by rushing them to Columbus? Not likely. Nikita Filatov hasn't yet found his game in Springfield. Surely, that can't be the reason for this move . . . unless he's about to get traded. Or is Wilson to become part of a trade once he clears waivers? If I was wagering, I'd bet on the latter. But I would probably wrap it in a teaser with a Filatov trade.
During his weekly radio call-in show on 97.1 The Fan tonight, Scott Arniel sounded emphatic in saying that the Commodore situation would not be allowed to linger, that it would have an ending and that it would happen sooner rather than later. That, combined with the move to place Wilson on waivers, makes it abundantly clear. We have ourselves a Developing Situation.
The Twittersphere is buzzing with speculation about an impending roster makeover. In fact, some #CBJ followers (yours truly included) displayed a condition called "premature e-speculation" tonight when @EricSmithFSO provided a link showing Mike Commodore's profile on the New Jersey Devil's team page. Simultaneous panic and joy (but mostly joy I suspect) ensued briefly until @frickindannie restored order by pointing out that Commodore's profile was part of the Devils' all-time roster page on their web site.
If only. Then again, Arniel didn't sound like he was kidding around. Commodore's days in Columbus appear to be numbered.
The forecast for the next couple of days calls for dense fog followed by high winds (of change).
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