The 6-foot-4 center was playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning's top affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, marking the first time in his 15-year pro career he spent time in the minors.

Yesterday, the Blue Jackets claimed Gratton, 33, off re-entry waivers. He will join the team today as it flies to Calgary for a game Tuesday. It's a low-risk acquisition, as the Jackets are on the hook for about $150,000 of an expiring contract.

"I'm really excited to get back in the league," Gratton said. "(The Lightning) had so many guys at forward and at my position. I understood what they were doing. I learned long ago this is a business."

Gratton went from toiling in the minors for a franchise 15 points out of the playoffs to fourth-line work on a team in the postseason hunt.

The Jackets like his physical presence, face-off skills and penalty-killing abilities, general manager Scott Howson said. Coach Ken Hitchcock said he believes a former No. 3 overall pick in the 1993 draft can add depth at center.

"He's a big center-ice man who can play a number of roles for us," Hitchcock said. "He can play in the No. 3 or No. 4 hole."

The Blue Jackets are Gratton's seventh NHL franchise. He hasn't come close to matching his back-to-back, 62-point seasons in the late 1990s. He had 10 goals and 11 assists in 60 games last season in his third tour with the Lightning but fell out of favor with new management.

Gratton had three goals and 12 assists in 24 games with Norfolk.

"I came into camp this year and had no history with the coaches or new general manager," Gratton said. "They decided to go in another direction. I'm really fortunate to get this chance with the Jackets."

Four-point swing

The Jackets missed a chance to extend their lead to seven points over the ninth-place Anaheim Ducks last night and instead it shrunk to three.

"They're a desperate team; they look at the standings," Hitchcock said. "I didn't like our preparation all day. We did a lot of things to try to get it cranked up. It just seemed too casual."

Quotable

Goaltender Steve Mason offered a blunt assessment after he allowed five goals on 13 shots: "It was brutal. I wasn't very good at all. I let in a couple of bad goals at untimely times. I couldn't do a whole lot right."

Injury update

Winger Jason Chimera sat out because of a nagging groin injury. He hopes to play Tuesday. Chimera has a goal and two assists since returning to the lineup Jan. 27 because of groin problems and has lacked the explosive skating stride so important to his play.

Defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen was placed on injured reserve and likely will miss four to six weeks because of a balky knee. The club promoted defenseman Aaron Rome from minor-league Syracuse, where he had seven goals and 21 assists.

treed@dispatch.com