Casualties Have Cost The Columbus Blue Jackets
By Clint Linn
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been to battle, it seems like every battle they come home with another comrade injured. It began in the preseason, where Boone Jenner was just one of the Columbus Blue Jackets to sustain an injury and have to be relegated to the injured reserve list. Then it went from bad to worse, it was like the hockey gods went Oprah all over the Blue Jackets. Brandon Dubinsky you get a car, Matt Calvert you get a car, Sergei Bobrovsky you get a car, Nick Foligno you get a car, only it wasn’t a car they got, it was an injury that landed them on the injured reserve list. In all 11 top-tier players found themselves on the injury report and had to miss significant time.
Nov 1, 2014; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman
Andy Greene(6) trips Columbus Blue Jackets right wing
Cam Atkinson(13) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
This has led to the Columbus Blue Jackets losing their last 5 games, after a 4-2 start the Blue Jackets are currently sitting at 4-7 and in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. The offense has had its share of setbacks as has the defense, which has led to the goaltending to look anything but stellar. This is not how any fans imagined the season would start, nor can I imagine John Davidson, Jarmo Kekalainen or Todd Richards ever planned for this type of catastrophe. But that is life in the rough and tumble NHL, you have to deal with injuries throughout the season and that is why quality depth in the minors is a must. The Blue Jackets have some good depth, but when it gets to this point even good depth gets stretched thin.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to have Boone Jenner back in the lineup Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes, Matt Calvert could possibly make his return to the lineup as well. A home and home with Carolina couldn’t have come at a better time, the Blue Jackets are being held together by duck tape and gum at this point. There is never a gimme game in the NHL, however this is as close as it comes against a team that is struggling worse than the Blue Jackets currently are. They really need to get two big wins to boost the teams confidence, then getting more and more players back from injury will only help.
More from Blue Jackets News
- Blaming Columbus Blue Jacket Players for Babcock Fallout is Unfair
- The Mike Babcock Experiment in Columbus Has Failed
- Blue Jacket Prospects Win Traverse City Tournament: Who Stood Out?
- Mike Babcock Resigns as CBJ Head Coach: Reaction
- New Claims Bring Higher Level of Concern to Babcock Situation
This fan can only hope that the Blue Jackets have taken the brunt of their injuries for the year with this early epidemic. We all know there are going to be more injuries it is just the nature of the game, however if this type of plague continues this team can kiss its shot of a chance at the playoffs goodbye. No team in the NHL could survive if they lost a player a game to an injury for an extended period of time, no matter how much depth they had. Brandon Dubinsky should be coming back from abdominal surgery within a couple of weeks, James Wisniewski‘s finger should be healed about the same time, and BOB will hopefully be the one coming back, as he had some less than stellar outings before he broke a finger in practice.
Injuries were something the 2013-2014 Columbus Blue Jackets had to battle, although it never came all at once like this season. The team has lost over 60 man games in this short 11 game stretch, here’s to hoping that team learned a thing or two last season from the injuries and will come back better and hungrier than ever.