Columbus Blue Jackets: Lukas Sedlak Out for Four to Six Weeks
The Columbus Blue Jackets were dealt a big blow with news on Monday that Lukas Sedlak will be out at least four weeks.
So about that center depth we were all concerned about. Those worries were just amplified ten fold on Monday when news about Lukas Sedlak injuring his ankle broke. The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without the center for at least a month.
Sedlak suffered a high ankle sprain according to the team. It occurred during Monday’s practice at Nationwide Arena.
Sedlak had been playing well in his second season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The fourth line center was a spot the Jackets didn’t have to worry about as they scrambled to figure out the rest of the play down the middle.
Now that all changes. Sedlak will be put on injured reserve and Markus Hannikainen has been recalled from AHL Cleveland. Hannikainen though is a winger so the replacement of Sedlak will come from a player already with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus Blue Jackets
High ankle sprains are notoriously difficult injuries to come back from. The time table for recovery is four to six weeks but it has taken players in the past two months to return fully healthy.
Center Options
The Jackets have three options as they look to replace Sedlak. Boone Jenner, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Zac Dalpe all can, and have played center before.
Boone is just returning from an injury though and only played his first game of the season on Saturday. He played well on the wing, his rightful spot, and should be kept there for the time being. His physical play in the corners is needed on the the second line where he slotted in against the Kings.
Pierre-Luc is an intriguing option. He played center in the QMJHL and the team gave him opportunities at that position in preseason training camp. But it just never worked out for Dubois and he was moved to the wing where he has been playing well. His scoring numbers won’t blow you away but if you watch the game he makes plays happen from the wing.
But if he wasn’t good enough for center at the start of the year I don’t foresee the team moving him to center now. I think Jarmo and Torts think Dubois will develop better on the wing.
That leaves Zac Dalpe as the go to guy on the fourth line. Dalpe, who the Jackets picked up off of waivers in February, has been in and out of the lineup as a winger for the CBJ so far this year. I think now he will have a chance to prove himself at center.
A definite blow to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sedlak will be missed. Let’s hope the next man up mentality is instilled in these Blue Jackets as they look to move forward without the young Czech.