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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Miles Wood to miss at least week with 'scary' injury
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- Columbus Blue Jackets forward Miles Wood to miss at least week with 'scary' injury
Miles Wood might be out of the Blue Jackets ' lineup for a while.
After taking a high stick near his left eye in the Jackets' 3-2 loss Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena, the veteran forward will be sidelined for at least a week before he's re-evaluated. That means he'll miss a game Oct. 16 against the Colorado Avalanche , who traded Wood and center Charlie Coyle to the Blue Jackets for forward prospect Gavin Brindley and two draft picks before the 2025 NHL Draft.
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More concerning for Wood is what coach Dean Evason said Oct. 15, when asked after practice if Wood "will be OK" over time.
"I can't answer that," Evason said. "I think it's more of an evaluation after everything gets healed up and calmed down. But he's OK ... but you never know is these types of situations."
Blue Jackets left wing Miles Wood takes a high stick to the face against the Devils at Nationwide Arena.
Evason said Wood has vision in his left eye, which took the brunt of Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton 's stick blade as the Blue Jackets winger bolted for the net-front. Wood immediately dropped and started pounding the ice in pain before being led to the locker room for medical assessment.
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He didn't return, which for a hockey player is a scary indicator of severity.
Hockey players pride themselves on gritting through painful injuries, often needing dental repairs and/or stitches to keep playing. Wood left with a gash under his left eye, couldn't continue and Evason said his initial week away is just to allow swelling to subside for further assessment.
Blue Jackets left wing Miles Wood is tended to by trainer Mike Vogt after taking a high stick to the face.
"Any time, even with the (face) shields ... sticks can get up in there," Evason said. "So, yeah, 100%, when your head's involved or your eyes are involved, it's scary as hell."
This is the second straight season that a Blue Jackets player has been hit near the eye with a stick.
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Last season, it was defenseman Jack Johnson catching an inadvertent stick under his visor that scratched the cornea in his right eye. He left the game, returned later for two shifts and departed again. Johnson had to wear a protective contact lens to protect the eye until it healed.
The Blue Jackets may also be without Erik Gudbranson (upper body) when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 16 at Nationwide Arena. The veteran defenseman was smashed into the boards by Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno on Oct. 11 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota with a hit Evason said the Blue Jackets "didn't like."
He missed the home opener against the Devils and hasn't been assigned a recovery timeframe, which is often the case with players who have a concussion. Yegor Chinakhov is set to make his season debut to replace Wood, while Jake Christiansen could play his second straight game replacing Gudbranson on the third defensive pairing.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets' Miles Wood to miss time with 'scary' injury
