Snapshots: Roslovic, Thompson, Kuraly

In an update on injured Columbus Blue Jackets forward, Jack Roslovic, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Roslovic could return to the lineup on Friday, but is confirmed to be returning by Saturday. Roslovic has been out of the line with a fractured ankle since the team’s game against the New York Rangers on November 12th.

At the time, it was a tough blow to Roslovic and Columbus, as the forward was looking to have another solid season with the organization heading into unrestricted free agency next summer. Having only played in 14 games before the ankle fracture, Roslovic has two goals and eight points on the year, averaging approximately 16 and a half minutes of ice time per game.

Even with Roslovic set to come off the team’s injured reserve by the end of the upcoming weekend, they will still have four players on the injured reserve, severely limiting their depth as an organization. Nevertheless, with his ability to generate offense, Roslovic will be a welcomed return to the Blue Jackets lineup.

Other snapshots:

• Heading into tonight’s action against the Boston Bruins, the Buffalo Sabres announced they would be without star player, Tage Thompson, as he will be out due to personal reasons. Although his presence is heavily missed in the Sabres lineup, it has ultimately been a disappointing season for Thompson up to this point by his standards, scoring nine goals and 19 points in 26 games.
• Back in Columbus, as the team matches up against the New Jersey Devils, one player who was rumored to be returning tonight was Sean Kuraly. Instead, Kuraly still felt a tremendous amount of pain due to his abdominal injury, and will now likely return on Friday (X Link). As now the second highest-paid ’healthy’ forward on the roster, Kuraly has six goals and 11 points in 26 games this year.