The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without the services of forward Patrik Laine for the next two to four weeks. The 24 year old reportedly suffered a triceps strain during practice on Thursday.
If Laine were to fall on the longer end of that spectrum, that would effectively end his season as the Blue Jackets have only 12 games remaining on their schedule.
The former 2nd overall selection from the 2016 Entry Draft currently sits second on the team in both goals (22) and points (52) through 55 contests this year.
A former 44 goal scorer, Laine has struggled to find consistency since joining Columbus during the 2020-21 season. Acquired from Winnipeg alongside Jack Roslovic in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a 3rd round pick, the Tampere, Finland native has failed to reach the 30 goal plateau since the 2018-19 campaign.
With the team currently sitting in last place in the NHL with a dismal 22-41-7 record, there’s very little reason for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to try to rush his fellow Finn back to the lineup.
If the season were to end today, the Blue Jackets would have a 25.5% chance of landing the 1st overall draft pick in June. And with a treasure trove of talent available at the top end of the draft, it’s widely expected that the franchise will be cautious with their star forward down the stretch.
While Columbus possesses a bevy of promising prospects, it was always a stretch to see them competing in 2022-23. However, the addition of Connor Bedard, Matvei Michkov, Adam Fantilli, or Leo Carlsson could have them back in the playoff mix sooner rather than later in the Metropolitan Division.
Columbus is next in action Friday evening against the New York Islanders.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Eskopoik. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.