The 18-year-old Russian forward has careened from joy to sadness and from heartbreak to happiness.

The Blue Jackets recalled Filatov from the minors yesterday just hours after a funeral was held in Siberia for friend and former teammate Alexei Cherepanov.

Cherepanov, 19, died Monday after collapsing on the bench near the end of a Continental Hockey League game outside of Moscow. Investigators say Cherepanov suffered from a chronic condition in which not enough blood gets pumped to the heart and other organs.

As Filatov prepares to make his NHL debut Friday in Columbus, the first-round draft pick is still searching for the words and perspective.

"It is a very difficult time right now," said Filatov, speaking on a cell phone last night from an airport in Syracuse, N.Y. "I'm excited, of course, but I haven't slept for two days. He was a special friend and I have been reading everything I can about what happened and I have been talking to other friends in Russia.

"It is just difficult to understand; it's not possible to understand."

Filatov was promoted on the same day the Jackets placed winger Jared Boll on injured reserve because of neck and head injuries. Boll played in the Jackets' first three games but had been struggling with the effects of an opening-night fight against Dallas' Krystopher Barch.

The Jackets are minus four forwards because of injuries to Boll, Manny Malhotra (lower body) and Raffi Torres (separated shoulder) and the suspension of Michael Peca. Boll will miss at least three games.

"Realistically, this is a short-term recall with our injuries, but you never know," general manager Scott Howson said. "Nikita is a big part of our future; we just didn't think it would come so quickly."

Suddenness has underlined everything in Filatov's world the past two weeks.

After missing much of training camp because of a hairline fracture in his right leg, Filatov put on a dazzling display in the Jackets' final exhibition game in Toronto on Oct. 5. He scored a first-period goal, supplied the shootout winner and showcased the array of talents that helped make him the No. 6 overall pick in June.

Three days later, he was dispatched to the minors, but a smiling Filatov told reporters that they probably would see him in Columbus sooner rather than later.

"Nikita is the most confident 18-year-old I've ever met," Howson said. "He feels like he can play in the NHL right now."

Last weekend, Filatov scored a goal in each of his two games with the Syracuse Crunch. But Monday he received an e-mail from a friend concerning Cherepanov, who had been a teammate on two Russian world junior clubs.

Filatov sat at his computer and recalled their final conversation in May when they discussed their futures and how Cherepanov eventually planned to play in the NHL.

The New York Rangers selected Cherepanov with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2007 draft in Columbus.

"I'm just trying to remember all the sentences, everything he said," Filatov said.

The medical response to Cherepanov's collapse and concern about how such a condition could have gone undetected have spawned inquiries in Russia.

Filatov, however, is still dealing with the grief.

"Everyone knows he was going to be a superstar," Filatov said. "He was so talented. He was also very kind and funny. He was smiling all the time."

Crunch coach Ross Yates and Jackets management members Chris MacFarland and Tyler Wright have spoken to Filatov the past two days to offer their support. They have done the same with Crunch forward Maksim Mayorov, who also knew Cherepanov.

"All of what Nikita is going through has to be surreal," MacFarland said. "Getting on the ice and playing might give him a little reprieve."

treed@dispatch.com