The Columbus Blue Jackets’ season took another blow on Friday when the team announced that Patrik Laine would miss two to four weeks with a triceps injury.
The snakebit winger hurt his arm during Thursday’s practice. Laine has already missed significant time this season thanks to an ankle sprain that sent him to the IR in November.
For the Blue Jackets, the bad news continues an unfortunate 2022-2023 season that sees them last place in the NHL standings.
Columbus had hoped they would return to relevance after acquiring Laine, Jake Voracek, and Johnny Gaudreau in consecutive seasons.
Though prized free agent Gaudreau has largely performed as advertised, Laine has not been able to stay on the ice in Ohio, and Voracek, whose rights were traded to the Coyotes earlier this season, has seen his career jeopardized by concussions.
The net result is a team that has nothing to look forward to except the chance of winning the draft lottery and the rights to generational prospect Connor Bedard.
Laine, once one of the top young players in the league, exploded for 110 goals over his first three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets but has not played an 82-game season since.
He has not managed more than 56 games in a season yet for the Blue Jackets, though he has rebounded from a lackluster first season in Columbus with consecutive seasons at or near a point-a-game pace.
So far in 2022-2023, Laine has 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games. The Finn, who assisted twice in Tuesday’s overtime victory against the Capitals, will turn 25 next month and is under contract for $8.7 AAV until 2026.
The Blue Jackets will take the ice without Laine at 7 pm ET tonight at home against the playoff-hopeful New York Islanders.
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