COLUMBUS, Ohio — Boone Jenner stood on the bench with his right arm in a sling, the product of a surgery he had last week in Colorado. To his left was Erik Gudbranson, whose left arm was in a sling, perhaps awaiting surgery, too. Next to them was Dmitri Voronkov, who doesn’t need surgery, but won’t be back until late next month.
The Columbus Blue Jackets couldn’t even make it to the “player introductions” part of the season without major players being snatched from their lineup.
While the club’s healthy players skated to center ice to be recognized before the unofficial home-opener in Nationwide Arena — the first home game of the season was instead dedicated to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau — their captain, alternate captain and budding power forward stood in suits, watching.
And the list, incredibly, may be growing.
There was much to celebrate on Thursday. The Blue Jackets smothered the Buffalo Sabres early and cruised to a 6-4 win before 16,176. It marked the second time this season the Jackets have scored six goals in a game, and in both instances, there were six different goal scorers.
But, as often seems the case in Columbus, no bit of good news can be enjoyed with a sobering smack in the face just around the corner.
Kent Johnson, who has been arguably one of the Blue Jackets’ best players, but inarguably the franchise’s greatest beacon of hope at the start of the season, suffered a left arm injury in the first minute of the second period and immediately left the game, throwing his glove down the tunnel as he made his way through the bench to the dressing room.
#CBJ Dean Evason is viewing the early prognosis with Kent Johnson in much the same way he did Erik Gudbranson’s injury last game.
Doesn’t look good, but will wait for official word on Friday.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 18, 2024
Johnson, of course, missed the final six weeks of last season after suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery. He appeared to be holding the same arm on Thursday as he left the ice.
Blue Jackets Coach Dean Evason let out a sigh and shook his head when asked postgame about Johnson.
“We’ll see how he is tomorrow, but as I said with (Gudbranson on Tuesday), it didn’t look good,” Evason said. “We’ll get the evaluation.”
Johnson had a first-period assist to start the season with a four-game point streak (2-3-5), and he’d been elevated to the second line to play with center Adam Fantilli and veteran left winger James van Riemsdyk.
But only 52 seconds into the second, van Riemsdyk was hooked coming out of his own zone by Buffalo’s Alex Tuch and tumbled to the ice, sliding forward to a rest. Johnson was skating directly at van Riemsdyk, and may have had his view blocked by a Buffalo skater in front of him,
Johnson collided with van Riemsdyk and launched up and over him, landing hard on the ice and sliding to a rest in obvious pain. He was up on his skates quickly, but skated slowly to the bench holding his arm. The club announced early in the second intermission that he would not return.
“It’s super tough,” said Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger, one of Johnson’s closest friends on the team. “Obviously the way he was playing and everything like that, you never want to see it. The thing with KJ is, (that) he deals with adversity extremely well.
“I’ve already talked to him and he’s got a smile on his face, trying to think the most positive outcome. He doesn’t deserve that with what he went through last year.”
The Blue Jackets have 890 man-games lost to injury over the last two seasons, one of the biggest numbers in the NHL. They’re off to a flying start again this season.
This recent wave of injuries has been truly bizarre, though.
Voronkov was hurt in a preseason game when he was checked hard against the glass. Those things happen in the NHL, right?
But Jenner lost an edge in practice near the end of training camp and slammed hard into a wall, his right shoulder taking the brunt of his weight. Gudbranson was injured in Tuesday’s game when he collided with fellow Blue Jacket Sean Monahan away from the play.
And now Johnson gets hurt running into his teammate, van Riemsdyk.
“It’s again kind of a freak thing,” Evason said. “Taken out, again, by our own player, who freakishly falls.”
The Blue Jackets also lost goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to an upper-body injury, but his absence is expected to be short-term. They nearly lost Sillinger on Thursday after he was hit in the first period by Buffalo’s Connor Clifton, who was called for interference.
Sillinger continued to play the ensuing power play, but was forced out of the game by the NHL’s concussion protocol. He was cleared, however, and allowed to return.
The Blue Jackets did get forward Justin Danforth back in the lineup on Thursday after he missed camp and the start of the season following offseason wrist surgery. But there will be many fingers crossed over the next 12-24 hours while the Blue Jackets wait on a definitive word on Johnson.
“It’s not ideal, but what are you going to do, feel sorry for yourself?” Sillinger said. “Nobody else feels sorry for us. It’s an opportunity for guys to step up.
“We can’t hang our heads. We have to dig in for each other and guys have to step up.”
(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
