Blue Jackets offer promotion allowing fans to change Carter sweaters

Columbus Blue Jackets center Jeff Carter (7) celebrates with teammate Vinny Prospal (22), of Czech Republic, after Carter scored his second goal of the game against the Nashville Predators during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn. Carter earned a hat trick in the first period. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to help their fans forget about Jeff Carter.

With the forward set to make his return to Nationwide Arena on Thursday, the Blue Jackets announced they would change the nameplate on any Carter sweaters brought to the team store by the first intermission.

Fans can have "Carter" replaced by "Johnson" free of charge.

Defenceman Jack Johnson took Carter's No. 7 after being acquired in a trade for him from Los Angeles last month.

Carter's tenure with the Blue Jackets was forgettable.

The 27-year-old forward was unhappy when Columbus picked him up in a trade with Philadelphia in June and he battled injury issues while playing for the last-place Jackets before getting shipped out of town.