PHILADELPHIA -- For the past two years, Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock has been turning over letters like Vanna White.

From awarding a captain's "C" to Rick Nash in March 2008 to putting an alternate captain's "A" on Derek Dorsett on Monday, the leadership group has been in a state of flux.

Hitchcock said the Jackets need some stability in this area to grow as a team. Even since the start of the season, alternate captains such as Fredrik Modin, Mike Commodore and Rostislav Klesla have missed significant time because of injuries.

It has removed voices from what already was a quiet locker room.

In his 14 NHL seasons, Hitchcock said he has never had so many team leaders out of the lineup for such long stretches.

"It has been a major adjustment," he said. "It's like a ship that is just drifting. Now, I think we have stabilized and that's good."

Columbus acquired former Washington captain Chris Clark on Dec. 28 to assist the club's two main leaders, Nash and first-season alternate captain R.J. Umberger.

Clark is a 33-year-old veteran. Dorsett, 23, is on the opposite end of the experience spectrum. The decision to put a letter on Dorsett's sweater caught many, including Dorsett, by surprise.

The club likes the energy, desire and maturity the fourth-line forward exhibits. Dorsett already was willing to speak up before being summoned into Hitchcock's office on Sunday.

The hope is that Dorsett will serve as an advocate for about a half-dozen younger players in the leadership meetings.

"There are different kinds of leadership, and Dorse certainly brings that passion on the ice," Nash said.

Fathers and sons

Eighteen fathers of Blue Jackets' players accompanied the team to Philadelphia and Boston. It's the franchise's first father-and-son trip, a bonding experience used by other NHL teams in recent years.

The fathers will get an opportunity to attend team meetings, practices and eat with their sons at team meals.

Five hockey dads made the trek from Europe, including the fathers of Jake Voracek, Jan Hejda, Sammy Pahlsson, Anton Stralman and Kristian Huselius.

"(My father) doesn't show a lot of emotion, but you can tell he's really excited about it," Voracek said.

Slap shots

Hitchcock returned to Philadelphia as Jackets coach for just the second time since he was fired by the Flyers on Oct. 22, 2006. Ironically, his first game as Jackets coach came here on Nov. 24, 2006. Forward Alexandre Picard cleared waivers yesterday and was assigned to minor-league Syracuse. The Jackets activated Modin (bruised foot). The Jackets scratched defensemen Commodore and Milan Jurcina and forward Andrew Murray. Scouts from Montreal, Nashville, Chicago and Edmonton were in attendance.

treed@dispatch.com