The injury bug has bitten the Columbus Blue Jackets in a major way. Just days after the team placed captain Boone Jenner on injured reserve, the Blue Jackets announced that star winger Patrik Laine will miss six weeks with a fractured clavicle.
In the second period of the Blue Jackets’ 6-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, Laine was tripped by Leafs defenseman William Lagesson. Laine went sliding into the boards awkwardly, and he left the game with the assistance of medical trainers.
Before the injury, Laine was dealing with his share of struggles on the ice. He had only scored six goals and tallied just nine points in 18 games. To make matters worse, Laine’s play at five-on-five was brutal, and Columbus had a minus-seven goal differential with him on the ice in those situations.
Despite Laine’s slow start, he is still a key player for the Blue Jackets, especially as a power play weapon. With Laine sidelined for the next six weeks, Columbus will have to find someone else to fill his role as the trigger man on the man advantage.
Between Laine and Jenner, the Jackets will be without two of their most talented forwards for the next six weeks. As a team that was already well outside the playoff picture, Columbus will have trouble climbing out of that hole now.
