The Blue Jackets have announced via Twitter that LW Sonny Milano and D Dean Kukan have both been called up from Lake Erie on an emergency recall.
This will be interesting – Milano is on a hot streak lately, going 7-3-10 in his last 15 games, and the 2014 first round pick could potentially make his NHL debut if he plays tomorrow night against the Islanders. What kind of role he’ll be in or what ice time he gets is difficult to predict (it may depend on just who is out of the lineup), but it’s worth keeping an eye out.
Given the most likely candidates to be missing time due to recent injury or illness (Boone, Foligno), it’s entirely possible that we could see Sonny slotted in on the second or third line – and I have to admit the idea of a line of Milano – Wennberg – Bjorkstrand sounds pretty sexy on paper. Of course, the trick with emergency recall is that’s no guarantee he’ll play – if whomever he’s standing in for is cleared to play tomorrow, Sonny is just as likely to spend Thursday night driving back up 71.
For Kukan, this marks his second trip up to the club, and it’s harder to predict where he fits, but the bottom pairing (if he plays) seems likely.
We’ll keep an eye on this, and don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our complete game coverage.