 Rome was assigned to the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, immediately following the trade.After appearing in 41 games with Syracuse, scoring 3 goals and 24 points, he was called up to Columbus on February 26, 2008.He scored his first NHL goal late in the season against goaltender Dominik Hašek, in a 3–2 loss against the Red Wings on April 3, 2008.