The 2018-19 NHL season isn’t even a week old and the Columbus Blue Jackets have already had to deal with a few significant injuries, including a new one that popped up over the weekend.
On Monday, the team announced that center Brandon Dubinsky was going to miss four-to-six weeks of action because of an oblique strain, which means he’s headed for injured reserve. What makes the injury even more frustrating, is that it occurred during a team practice on Sunday. The 32-year-old was off to a nice start, as he collected one point in each of his first two games. He’s also won almost 69 percent of his faceoffs so far this season.
The Jackets have also been without top defender Seth Jones so far this season. The 24-year-old is sidelined because of an MCL sprain he suffered during training camp.
There’s been plenty of drama surrounding Columbus over the last few weeks. Not only have they had to deal with injuries, they’ve also had the issues surrounding pending unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky potentially leaving the team at the end of the season.
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Getting this team to focus on the task at hand may be challenging for head coach John Tortorella, but it’s his job to keep this team on the straight and narrow path. They’re in a tough Metropolitan Division, so they can’t afford to fall behind the eight ball early on.
Flyers lose JVR for up to six weeks
The news wasn’t much better for another Metropolitan Division team, as the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they’ll be without James van Riemsdyk for anywhere between five and six weeks because of a lower-body injury.
The 29-year-old was banged up during Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. The Flyers can go in a number of different directions to replace his scoring touch, but none of those options are as good as having him back healthy.
Van Riemsdyk signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Flyers over the summer. He has one assist in two games so far this season.
MORE:
• Bobrovsky talks contract distraction, says he’s ‘human’
• Panarin took one game to spotlight his importance to Jackets
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.