"We lost another guy that could play potentially in our top nine," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told The Columbus Dispatch. "Sonny's been a bit up and down this year, but nevertheless has scored eight goals with five assists. He's gotten his feet wet in the NHL. (With Milano out) we didn't feel we had enough NHL players to get us 12 NHL forwards onto the ice. That's why we took Jussi Jokinen."
Milano, the No. 16 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, will be out 4-6 weeks. He has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 35 games this season.
Jokinen was waived by the Los Angeles Kings. He has six points (one goal, five assists) in 32 games with the Kings and Edmonton Oilers. He is expected to be available to play against the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-SW, NHL.TV).
"Jussi Jokinen is a player we know very well," Kekalainen said. "He can line up at center or either wing, is good in the face-off circle and can play on the power play and kill penalties. He has been a very good player in the National Hockey League for many years and we believe he will add great experience and versatility to our lineup."
Forward
Tyler Motte
was recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League. He has four points (three goals, one assist) in 29 games with the Blue Jackets this season, and eight points (six goals, two assists) in nine AHL games.
Forward Cam Atkinson skated on his own before practice Wednesday. He has been out since breaking his right foot blocking a shot Dec. 23 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 26 and was expected to need 4-6 weeks to recover.
