The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Zach Werenski will miss the next 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury.
Werenski, 26, got hurt midway through the second period of Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils when he got mixed up with Ondrej Palat, and was unable to put weight on his left leg when leaving the game. The current timeline for return will have him missing somewhere between 10 to 14 games, and will likely see him return around the time of the All-Star break.
Werenski has had a strong season offensively as usual, with one goal and 24 assists for 25 points in 34 games on the year. That would put him on pace for 60 points in a full 82-game season, which would have been the first time in his career that he’d hit 50, never mind 60, but that’s also because he’s struggled to get games in throughout his career due to health and shortened seasons, having not played at least 70 games in a season since 2018-19.
The Blue Jackets also announced that center Sean Kuraly will be placed on injured reserve after suffering an abdominal injury on December 23rd against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kuraly, 30, has six goals and five assists for 11 points in 35 games this season, a 25-point pace over an 82-game season that would be the second-best season of his career.
In response to Werenski’s long-term injury, the Blue Jackets have called up defenseman Jake Christiansen from the AHL. Christiansen, 24, has five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 28 games in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters. He also had four assists in 24 games with the Blue Jackets in the 2022-23 season.
The Blue Jackets will look to build on their comeback 6-5 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday when they head to Buffalo to take on the Sabres at 5 p.m. EST. They are currently last in the Metropolitan Division with a 12-18-7 record, which is the fifth-worst record in the league.
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