Blue Jackets forward Andrew Murray has been playing with shoulder pain since training camp.

The club is going to give him time to heal. The Jackets placed Murray on the injured reserve list yesterday retroactive to Oct. 20.

Murray, 27, is expected to miss up to four weeks, general manager Scott Howson said. The fourth-line forward has a muscle tear, but it will not require surgery.

Howson said the Blue Jackets are unlikely to recall a player from minor-league Syracuse.

More ice time

Two days after saying Nikita Filatov was "in survival phase," coach Ken Hitchcock said he has seen improvement in the rookie's play.

The winger had his best back-to-back games after being a healthy scratch the previous three games.

Filatov had a season-high 9 minutes, 51 seconds of ice time Sunday in a 6-2 loss at Los Angeles. He is expected to play tonight against Phoenix.

"Filatov has played really well the last couple games," Hitchcock said. "He's more competitive on the puck, and he's more determined. It looks like he's making some adjustments, and if I were him, I think this is a great opportunity right now."

King returns

Ex-Jackets coach Dave King walked into Nationwide Arena for the first time since 2003 yesterday afternoon as a member of the Coyotes coaching staff.

He remains a beloved figure to many Jackets fans who watched him lead the team to a 28-39-9-6 record in the 2000-01 season -- the second-best expansion mark, not counting the 1967-68 season when the NHL doubled in size to 12 teams. King spent two-plus seasons with the Jackets.

He sees similarities in the inaugural Jackets and the current Coyotes, who are off to a 6-4 season despite the uncertainty surrounding the franchise.

"We're a hard-working, busy team who competes," King said. "In Columbus, we were trying to establish a franchise. Here, we are trying to rekindle a franchise.."

King said his old team can be a force this season.

"They are not only a team good enough to make the playoffs, but I think this team can go a couple of rounds," he said.

Dorsett off hook

Right winger Derek Dorsett will not be fined or suspended by the NHL for his actions in a loss Sunday at Los Angeles.

Dorsett came on the ice seconds just before teammate Jason Chimera received a low hit from Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi. Dorsett went after Scuderi and had to be restrained by officials, who assessed him a game misconduct.

There was some concern that Dorsett might be suspended for leaving the bench to start an altercation, but the Jackets were able to prove otherwise.

"I was in the play for several seconds before the hit," Dorsett said. "I thought I would be OK because I was playing in the defensive zone."

treed@dispatch.com