injured reserve

Blue Jackets place two defensemen on IR as fun continues

By James O'BrienFeb 10, 2012, 10:05 PM EST

Say what you will about another miserable season in Columbus; it’s not as if the Blue Jackets have received a lot of lucky breaks.

They’ve faced injuries and suspensions left and right, including issues for big off-season acquisitions Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski. The misery keeps building, however, as the team announced that defensemen Marc Methot and Brett Lebda have been placed on the injured reserve.

Not enough of a beating for you? The Blue Jackets also revealed that Curtis Sanford is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, forcing an emergency recall of netminder Allen York.

Defenseman Dalton Prout also received the emergency recall treatment to try to patch up one of the spots that has opened up.

Methot has seven points and averaged 20:03 minutes per game in 46 contests while Lebda scored a goal and zero assists while logging 20:16 minutes per contest in five appearances in the NHL this season.

Blues place Jason Arnott on IR

By James O'BrienFeb 10, 2012, 8:03 PM EST

2 Comments

A lot of things have gone right for the St. Louis Blues this season, but they’ve had to roll with some injury punches.

From Alex Steen to Andy McDonald and David Perron, the Blues have fought off adversity. Now it’s apparent that one of their pleasant (if subtle) free agent surprises will be on the shelf for at least a bit longer as Jason Arnott was placed on the injured reserve.

Arnott is dealing with an injured shoulder suffered thanks to a tumble into the boards on Feb. 3. There’s no word on how significant the issue is (aside from the fact that he’s on the IR, of course).

The Blues signed Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner to matching one-year, $2.5 million contracts this summer. Arnott’s been a nice fit with 12 goals and 24 points while Langenbrunner has a respectable 18 points.

St. Louis scores by committee, but it will miss Arnott’s experience – and most importantly – his hard shot and scoring touch.

Jeff Carter’s separated shoulder lands him on IR

By James O'BrienJan 13, 2012, 8:14 PM EST

3 Comments

With one playoff appearance and zero postseason wins in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets have plenty of bad seasons to choose from. This current campaign has to rank up there, though, as spending/expectations were soaring high but the Jackets are falling flat on their faces.

Things somehow continue to get worse, though, as the Blue Jackets placed Jeff Carter on the injured reserve today. His separated shoulder leaves him at a dreaded week-to-week status.

Carter already missed 10 games with a broken foot, so this was a tough first season in Columbus even before the former Philadelphia Flyers sniper injured his shoulder. There’s really no reason to rush him back, either, being that the Blue Jackets are the NHL’s only team under the 30-point mark with 27 coming into Friday’s action.

Mike Smith activated from injured reserve

By Matt ReitzJan 3, 2012, 8:01 PM EST

1 Comment

Things are moving quickly for Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith today. Not only was Smith activated by the team from injured reserve, but he was immediately put into the lineup to start against the Blues in St. Louis. The Coyotes aren’t exactly easing him back into the fold, are they?

Mike Smith hasn’t played since December 20th when he hurt his groin in the 3rd period of a game against the Florida Panthers. After winning the first game without Smith, the Coyotes have limped to a 1-3-1 record over their last five games. Nothing against Jason LaBarbara or Curtis McElhinney, but the team that is built on strong team defense and solid goaltending could use Smith back between the pipes.

Smith had been one of the good stories of the early season before falling to the injury bug. His strong play behind one of the best defensive systems in the league has helped the Coyotes raise a few eyebrows in the early going. After the mini-slump with Smith out of the lineup, they need to put their foot back on the gas if they want to compete for one of those last playoff spots in the Western Conference.

Sidney Crosby put on injured reserve… again

By Matt ReitzDec 17, 2011, 5:52 PM EST

20 Comments

We were told that Sidney Crosby was only supposed to miss a couple of games because the player and the team wanted to err on the side of caution. First it was a two-game mini road trip that he was supposed to miss. Then it was announced by the Penguins that he’d be out “indefinitely,” but he was still on their roster to return as soon as he felt like he like he was ready to go. Then there was today’s news.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that Sidney Crosby has been retroactively placed on injured reserve as he tries to recover from his concussion-like symptoms. The move (along with Robert Bortuzzo heading to IR) allowed the team to clear up a couple of roster spots so they could recall Jason Williams and Carl Sneep from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre. Yet at this point, corresponding roster moves are the last thing on NHL fans minds.

Does this mean that he’s going to be out for an extended period of time? Not necessarily. The main reason that the Penguins would put Crosby on IR would be so it creates a roster spot for a forward that is able to play; Jason Williams for example. However, it makes one wonder if the team is preparing for a longer absence when they reach to the AHL affiliate for reinforcements.

Crosby had been playing well since initially coming back from the concussion he suffered in January. He managed to rack up 12 points in only eight games–including four points in his first game back against the New York Islanders on November 21.

At first, Crosby was just taking a few games off as a precautionary measure because he “didn’t feel right.” Now the team is bringing in someone to replace him on the roster while things get sorted. It’s a significant step.

The Pens superstar has already been scratched in four games since being sidelined. The strong Penguins have had a 1-3 record over the recent stretch, but they’ve been dealing with injuries to Kris Letang, Jordan Staal, and Zbynek Michalek among others; and now Paul Martin is out with a lower-body injury.

But far more important than any short-term success (or failure) for the Penguins is the long-term recovery for the face of the league. It’s hard to look at this most recent development as good news for anyone.