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The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to announce that the Lake Erie Monsters will become their top affiliate, according to a report.

(Eamon Queeney / Columbus Dispatch)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The long-rumored deal that would join the Lake Erie Monsters with the Columbus Blue Jackets is expected to be announced within days, according to a report on the Columbus Dispatch website.

The Monsters, a member of the American Hockey League, would become the top affiliate of the Blue Jackets beginning next season. The Monsters are currently affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche and have a deal that runs through the 2015-16 season.

Columbus' top affiliate for the past five seasons has been the Springfield Falcons, but the Falcons have called a press conference for Friday, when they are expected to announce the end of their affiliation. That deal also ran through the 2015-16 season, but the two teams have agreed to exercise a mutual option to end the agreement early, according to the Dispatch.

The Monsters would not comment.

"It's not appropriate for us to comment right now," said Pam Frasco, the team's vice-president of marketing and communications. "We hope to be able to comment very soon. That's all we can say right now."

The Blue Jackets also refused comment, but the Dispatch reported that the announcement was likely to come next week and was expected to be a multi-year deal.

Speculation about the Monsters becoming a Columbus affiliate has been discussed ever since Dan Gilbert acquired the Monsters, along with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, where the Monsters play. It gained steam in January when the AHL announced a five-team Pacific Division beginning next season, part of the long-awaited byproduct of the NHL's westward advancement in recent decades. The Avs were not part of the realignment.

Monsters Chief Operating Officer Mike Ostrowski told The Plain Dealer before the realignment announcement that he was not worried about the team's future.

"We're excited about how all this will play out,'' Ostrowski said. "We feel we have a first-class operation and the experience that lends itself to getting players prepared to play in the NHL in a downtown arena. We're going to see how it all plays out.''

The Blue Jackets have long tried to attract Cleveland hockey fans to Columbus games and this affiliation would certainly help with that as fans could follow the organization's top prospects. It would also make it easy for players and team officials to travel between the two cities for call ups, scouting, etc.

The Monsters played Grand Rapids on Thursday at the Q and at least one fan in attendance was pleased to hear about the possible deal.

Ryan Gaab, 26, of Strongsville, was asked if the prospect of the affiliation with Columbus excites him. "Yes. Definitely. I lived in Columbus for three years when I was at Ohio State. I went to many Blue Jackets games."

Would he attend more Monsters games if they are affiliated with Columbus? "Yeah, probably, to see the players who will be going to the Jackets and coming from them."