We’ve used this meme once already in discussing Columbus’ health -- or, lack thereof -- but it still feels like the best way to reflect how the organization probably feels right now.
Just hours after losing the services of Artem Anisimov and James Wisniewski -- and having already lost the services of Nathan Horton, Boone Jenner, Brandon Dubinsky, Matt Calvert and Sergei Bobrovsky -- the Jackets learned they’d be without Mark Letestu for the next 2-4 weeks, due to a groin ailment.
So, the gory details:
-- The Jackets are without three of their top five scorers (Dubinsky, Wisniewski, Anisimov) from last year.
-- They’re without the first and only Vezina winner in franchise history (Bobrovsky).
-- They’re without their No. 2, 3 and 4 centers (Dubinsky, Anisimov, Letestu)
And to put it another way, per the Columbus Dispatch:
The projected top 13 forwards, eight defenseman and two goaltenders would carry $59 million this season for the Blue Jackets. That’s salary, not salary cap.
By the end of Tuesday’s game, the Blue Jackets had $32 million worth of players out of the lineup.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen told The Dispatch. “It’s a nightmare, but what are you going to do?”