The Columbus Blue Jackets needed a win on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. While they accomplished their goal, it came at a big cost.
The Blue Jackets defeated the Flyers 5-2 thanks to two goals from Boone Jenner, a three-point night from Johnny Gaudreau and a strong performance by Joonas Korpisalo. However all of this was overshadowed by what was announced postgame by head coach Brad Larsen.
Werenski Out Long Term
Defenseman Zach Werenski left the game late in the first period after crashing into the boards awkwardly while trying to hit Travis Konecny. He left the ice in obvious pain.
“It’s not good for (Werenski.) It’s not gonna be good at all,” Larsen said.
While no official timeline has been placed on a potential return yet, the Blue Jackets are going to have to prepare for life without their best defenseman. One indication of this was the late night news of a pair of callups from the Cleveland Monsters.
According to the Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, both Gavin Bayreuther and Marcus Bjork will be called up to the Blue Jackets (from ‘A Win at a Great Cost: Blue Jackets Lose Defenseman Zach Werenski to Injury’, Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 11/11/2022.) Both are expected to be at Friday’s practice and each are expected to play Saturday night against the New York Islanders. If Bjork does draw in, that would be his NHL debut.
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You can expect several roster moves coming to accommodate all of this. The Blue Jackets had 23 on their roster prior to the Werenski injury. In addition, Erik Gudbranson left the game in the second period after an unfortunate collision with Nicolas Deslauriers on the boards. Larsen said postgame this injury is more day-to-day.
If Gudbranson cannot play Saturday night, here are the six defensemen expected to suit up for the game.
- Jake Bean
- Andrew Peeke
- Vladislav Gavrikov
- Nick Blankenburg
- Gavin Bayreuther
- Marcus Bjork
Bean took over PP1 point responsibilities after Werenski left the game so expect him to play heavy minutes in the near term. This group will try to keep things steady while the Blue Jackets navigate the injury waters. Adam Boqvist remains sidelined also.
This sets up to be a big opportunity for players looking for more ice time and to make a bigger impact. The Blue Jackets are not going to replace a player like Werenski. They will have to do it by committee by playing within themselves and not making huge…
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