The Jackets made it clear that a callup to help replace Derek Dorsett while he recovers from injury would be coming before tomorrow’s game vs. Vancouver. Thanks to Shawn Mitchell over at Puck-Rakers we now know the man tapped for the trip up from Springfield will be Dane Byers, the Former Ranger, Former Falcon, Former Coyote, Former Pirate, and now current Jacket.
Yes, I am having a little fun with that.
Byers brings size and a willingness to get physical, but he also has seven goals and eight assists in 23 games with the Falcons this season. Assuming he dresses tomorrow night, it will be his first regular season game at the NHL level for the organization, but he did have a few games back when he was with the Rangers.
The other interesting news is that Steve Mason will be getting the start tomorrow night. Scott Arniel had said previously that Mason would have a chance to get back in net during this homestand, but a lot of people assumed it would be against the LA Kings or the Lightning, both of whom have been struggling offensively.
If Mason wants to grab the net back from Sanford, this would certainly be a worthy opponent to prove himself against, but I suspect that most fans are going to be clenching their sphincters until we see how Mase looks after over a month on the bench.
It’s a ballsy move. Now the question is if the team will continue the strong defensive play that has aided Sanford, or fall back into bad habits?