Brandon Saad spent the better part of Monday living out other peoples’ nightmare.
After taking a puck to the mouth during a Blue Jackets practice, he had to spend four hours with the dentist as he underwent four root canals. It’s not hard to imagine that Saad was in a lot of pain as a result and he did take painkillers so that he could get some sleep. Despite that, he returned to practice on Thursday while wearing full-face protection.
“It could be worse, but I felt pretty good (Thursday) out on the ice,” Saad told the team’s website. “I’m getting better every day.”
Saad might even participate in Saturday’s preseason contest. It would be his first opportunity to play alongside Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno in a game. The hope is that trio will help drive the Blue Jackets’ offense for years to come.
Columbus acquired Saad from Chicago over the summer and inked him to a six-year, $36 million contract.