After one of the Blue Jackets' recent losses, it was mentioned to injured winger Fredrik Modin that his club could really use some help from the Strapping Swede these days.

Modin looked down at his shoes and sighed. When he looked back up, he said, wistfully, "I really miss them, too."

Through all the injuries that have hampered Modin the past two-plus seasons -- his back, his knees, his groins, his hamstrings pick your body part -- nothing hurts Modin worse than sitting and watching.

"I'd be lying if I told you is doesn't get to me," Modin said. "My 8-year-old son (Jesper) asks me at times, `Dad, when are you going to play?'

"He's getting older, and he has seen his dad play hockey. But he'd like to see him do it on a regular basis."

Modin, 35, has missed 120 of the Jackets' 193 games since the start of the 2007-08 season, including all 29 games this season because of a sprained right knee.

"The worst part is feeling like you're not part of the team," Modin said. "No hanging out in the dressing room, no road trips, no bonding with the guys.

"And when you see the team going through tough times you feel worse, because you're not out there helping."

Modin took a big step toward happier times yesterday.

For the first time all season, Modin joined the Blue Jackets for practice. He was expected to take part for 20 or 30 minutes, but stayed for nearly an hour, despite it being one of the most physical practices of the season.

Coach Ken Hitchcock has always been a fan of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Modin. But over the course of that hour, Hitchcock was reminded how much the Jackets miss Modin and how much they could use his help to emerge from a 1-5-3 slump.

"I couldn't believe how good he looked for missing so much time," Hitchcock said. "You watch him and you realize why he's such a good player. His board play and his ability to protect the puck is so much better than most other guys because he's big, he's strong and he's experienced.

"It really shows when we got into the competitive drills, where he was doing stuff along the wall that nobody on our team -- other than Rick (Nash) -- can do."

The Blue Jackets are being cautious when asked to predict Modin's return date.

There's no way he'll play Wednesday against Florida in Nationwide Arena. He could travel with the club to Nashville for Thursday's game, but he won't play against the Predators, either. The best guess is Saturday against Anaheim, or early the next week.

Modin won't say. He's been down this road many times, enough to know that recoveries from injuries can't be rushed, that a doctor's timeline is merely a well-informed guess.

For instance, his current injury -- suffered Sept. 18 during an exhibition game in Minnesota -- was supposed to require a 4-to-6-week recovery. It's been 11 weeks, instead, after blood was found to be collecting in Modin's knee two months ago.

The blood is still there, and so is the pain, though in decreasing amounts.

"I can play if it stays like this," Modin said.

Modin was surprised to hear that he's become the butt of jokes and criticism on message boards and blogs. The internet can be a cruel world.

"It's an honest world," Modin said. "But trust me -- nobody wants to be out there playing more than I do."

aportzline@dispatch.com