Madsen out; Kaufman in

Lost in the drama of the Aeros big OT win last night were a couple of roster changes, though, frankly, neither really has much effect right now.

First off is that Morten Madsen and his fierce hat are heading to Switzerland to join the Danish National team. At least I hope the hat is going. I know Morty is. Goodbye, Morty! Badbye, hat!

He's been a healthy scratch quite often lately, so I don't really see this being much of an impact to the team for the rest of the playoffs. Lundbohm and Ryznar have a good handle on that extra forward role.

So, there's your two Aeros who are participating in the World Championships which start tomorrow, and 5 Wild organization players total (Harding-Canada, Zidlicky-Czech Republic, Miettinen-Finland). I think the rest of the Wild had or will have off-season surgery or have concussions...

------------

Secondly, the Aeros signed Brian Kaufman, a "versatile" forward from Miami (Ohio) aka "Cold Miami" for the 2009-2010 season.

Apparently he had a fantastic junior year at Cold Miami, didn't set anything on fire his senior year, but he did attend Wild development camp this past summer, so he knows the organization and they know him. Here's an article from his time at dev camp.

He was the captain of his Miami team his senior year, much like trade-bait Ryan Jones was the year before that, so at least that indicates a certain quality of character, I would think.

Playoffs And Alums

Just wanted to take a moment and bring everybody up to date on a few matters.

First, the playoffs. If the Aeros can get the game with San Antonio to overtime tonight, they're in the playoffs and it doesn't matter what happens with Quad City. However, should the Aeros continue playing like they've been playing recently, they can still get in the playoffs tonight should Iowa defeat Quad City in regulation, overtime, or the shootout.

But I would much prefer that, instead of the Aeros relying on Iowa, that the Aeros just come out and defeat San Antonio tonight.

Theoretically, it's still possible for the Aeros to pass Peoria and grab the number two seed. Note I said theoretically because I don't see the Aeros getting five or six points this weekend. It's also still possible that the Aeros can grab the three seed. I'm not sure who I want to face in the playoffs, however. As the four seed, the Aeros would be taking on Milwaukee, and the Admirals have been pretty good this year. As the two or three seed, they're taking on Peoria, and the Aeros have struggled against Peoria.

******************
And a brief Aeros alum update. The Wild are playing Nashville tonight, and Wild beat reporter Michael Russo took the time to talk to former Aeros Joel Ward and Ryan Jones. Ward seems to have become a big favorite in Nashville. He's got a nice quote from the Nashville GM on Ward being a diamond in the rough who just needed the right chance. It's a shame the Wild could never figure out what to do with Ward.

Ryan Jones was here briefly for the Aeros at the end of last season -- he got the game winning goal in the team's only playoff victory last year. Jones thinks his rookie year in the NHL has been too inconsistent, but the team seems to be pleased with him.

A Houston Aeros Alumni Update, Ryan Jones Edition

Ryan Jones only played in four regular season games for the Houston Aeros last season, and he was traded to the Nashville Predators this off-season in the deal that netted the Minnesota Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky. But I thought that those of you who remembered Jones' brief tenure with the team would like a little update on how things are going.

Jones was the hero for the Nashville Predators last night as he knocked in a rebound with 2:18 left in the game against the Los Angeles Kings, putting the Predators up 4-3. The win jumped the Predators past the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers for the seventh playoff spot in the West. The win was also the eighth in the last 11 games for the Predators.

And Ryan Jones, on the strength of the goal, was named the game's third star.

P.S.: And Joel Ward, who Ms. Conduct discussed last week, had a goal and an assist for the Predators in that game.