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Report: Hejda signs PTO with Lake Erie

It appears the Lake Erie Monsters, minor league affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, are about to get another veteran player added to their roster, only a few days after Manny Malhotra signed a PTO with that club.

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that defenseman Jan Hejda is close to signing a PTO with the Monsters, and will be rooming with Malhotra at an apartment in Cleveland. Between the two of them, Malhotra is the youngest at 35 years old. Hejda is 37. So, this arrangement could make for a few age-related jokes among teammates as both get settled.

All kidding aside, both have experience within the Blue Jackets organization. Malhotra and Hejda were teammates in Columbus for two season -- 2007-08 and 2008-09 -- before their careers took different paths.

Hejda spent the last four seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, but his time there ended in the summer when he became an unrestricted free agent. He skated with the Chicago Blackhawks in training camp on a tryout.

Now, does he have a realistic shot at getting back into the NHL with the Blue Jackets? He has only 627 games and 135 career points in the league, and, as Aaron Portzline reports, would need to first sign a new contract in order to be recalled to Columbus.