Blue Jackets busy off-season continues, Gleason shipped to Atlanta for Boyes

Columbus, OH

In no small measure the Columbus Blue Jackets have added the player they needed....Brad Boyes. Boyes, a young playmaking forward with finish, was acquired from Atlanta in a swap for defenseman Tim Gleason. " A guy like Brad doesn't come around everyday, and when you can get a player like him, in our situation, we had to get it done." said GM Peter Dell'Olio during a summer skate session at the Jackets practice facility. Tim Gleason, a potential power play quarterback and top 2 defenseman will be missed he went on to say, but Brad Boyes gives the Jackets a bonafide top 3 forward, with a solid skill set.

Going forward the Jackets are now deep in young forwards and will likely continue to add more of the same via the draft and free agency. Boyes will likely join Christian Berglund and Raffi Torres on top line duties. The departure of Gleason signals more ice time for playmaking defenseman Deron Quint, and potentially newcomer Denis Grot, acquired earlier this week from Los Angeles.