While many Blue Jackets headed to the tropics, the desert or the Olympics over the past 24 hours, general manager Scott Howson packed his bags for a scouting trip this week through several small Canadian towns.

That's not the only short stick Howson drew during the NHL's two-week Olympic break.

While many GMs are looking to add talent for a stretch drive toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, Howson expects to be unloading players.

"It's a gray area, but we're probably leaning more toward being sellers," Howson said. "Nothing is final yet.

"It is difficult for all of us, yes, because we didn't expect to be in this situation. But that's the reality. You have to make the most of it."

The Blue Jackets are nine points behind eighth-place Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with 19 games remaining.

Yes, they've looked more resilient and energetic in five games under interim coach Claude Noel (3-1-1), but the Jackets would need a record of 16-2-1 or 16-3-0 the rest of the way to even sniff the postseason.

They'd need to pass six clubs -- Minnesota, St. Louis, Anaheim, Detroit, Dallas and Calgary -- which might be the tougher task.

It makes sense for Howson to sell.

The Blue Jackets have three players who can be unrestricted free agents this summer -- wingers Raffi Torres and Fredrik Modin, and defenseman Milan Jurcina.

Of those three, Torres is the most attractive. He scored his 19th goal on Sunday, his highest total since he had 27 in 2005-06 for the Edmonton Oilers, and has a history of making an impact in the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets would rather have a draft pick than a prospect for Torres, and the market seems to suggest they'll get a late first-round or early to mid-second-round pick.

Modin, Howson and Modin's agent, Don Meehan, refused to reveal whether Modin has agreed to waive the no-trade clause in his contract. And it's unclear whether there's a market for Modin, although he is considered a "character" veteran and he's won a Stanley Cup (with Tampa Bay in 2004).

There's also a chance that someone else could be traded, somebody unexpected. Howson is looking for a No. 1 center and a top-flight defenseman so if the right deal pops up before March 3, a surprise could go down.

"It's hard to predict this time of year," he said. "There are lots of moving parts."

Meanwhile, Howson remains hopeful of a strong finish, even though the names will likely change.

"I like the direction and the spirit of our team," he said. "The key will be, are we able to sustain it?

"There's no question we have more spirit and energy. Spirit covers it, really, because we had too many games earlier in the season where things would go wrong and we'd be done with it."

The Blue Jackets blew a 2-0 lead but came back from a 4-2 deficit Sunday before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in a shootout.

"That wasn't there before," Howson said. "We had lots of opportunities to fold up the tent on Sunday, and we didn't do it. We were the better club in the third period.

"The players we expect the players to keep building off that positive energy. We'll be looking for that the rest of the way now to see if it keeps up."

Headed north

There will be no beach vacation for defenseman Mike Commodore, who has had a rough season.

Commodore will spend most of the 10-day break in Fargo, N.D., working with power skating coach Frank Burggraf.

Commodore has missed 24 games because of a variety of ailments and injuries, most recently a charley horse that kept him out for the past five games.

"The idea is just to do more hockey-related work during the break," Commodore said.

Slap shots

Center Derick Brassard missed the third period Sunday because of an upper-body injury, but he said it wasn't serious. He expects to be ready after the break. The Blue Jackets placed defenseman Mathieu Roy on waivers. If he clears at noon today, he'll be sent to minor-league Syracuse.

aportzline@dispatch.com