After being brought in as a free agent last year, Isac Lundestrom quietly made a solid impact in the Blue Jackets' bottom-six in a defensive-focused role. Although his lack of offensive production was admittedly disappointing, he still carved out a role for himself.
However, after a major injury setback, that role may not be his when he returns after the season has begun. The team's fourth line in particular has rather fierce competition, with both young and experienced players vying for a spot in the lineup on opening night.
To quickly recap just how successful Lundestrom was on the defensive side of things, he allowed the least shot attempts, high-danger chances, and expected goals from opponents when on the penalty kill out of all forwards, according to MoneyPuck.
He was aggressive and showed a lot of intelligence and skill when down a man, and was a big reason why the penalty kill wasn't the worst in the league, although it was still pretty rough.
His injury may cause him to lose his inside edge
Because of this value on the penalty kill, I would think that the coaching staff would have a hard time keeping him out of the lineup. However, him missing the start of the season could allow another player to prove their worth in a similar role and take his spot.
Especially when you remember that he only scored 4 goals and 12 points last year, it might be hard to justify disrupting the bottom-six by plugging him back in, especially if the team gets off to a good start.
Although he is still just 26 years old, he hasn't come close to his career highs of 16 goals and 29 points, which he achieved in the 2021-22 season with the Anaheim Ducks, the team he played seven seasons for prior to joining Columbus.
Especially with the injury being to his Achilles tendon, which can be a difficult injury to recover from, his skating ability could be limited for several months. He is expected to return sometime in November, but I wouldn't think he would be back to 100% at that point.
News update: #CBJ F Isac Lundestrom had surgery on his Achilles injury and all went well according to the team. For now, they anticipate an early November return. That’s good news considering what it could have been. https://t.co/jHijzT0K5Q
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) July 19, 2026
I'm still a big fan of Lundestrom's game, and with penalty killing being a weakness for the team for a long time now, I personally hope he can still find his way into the lineup sooner than later.
But with players like Luca Del Bel Belluz, Danton Heinen, Ryan Lomberg, Miles Wood, and Mikael Pyyhtia all in the mix (and perhaps even others), just one strong start from his replacement could make it really tough to get enough playing time to earn back the trust he built up.
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