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'Banged up' Blue Jackets hopeful Zach Werenski can play through injury
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- 'Banged up' Blue Jackets hopeful Zach Werenski can play through injury
An upper-body injury caused Zach Werenski to miss the third period of the Blue Jackets ' 5-1 road loss to the Washington Capitals on Nov. 24 , but moving forward, the team hopes it is something he can play through.
The star defenseman also missed practice Nov. 25 at Nationwide Arena, but coach Dean Evason thought it possible Werenski would return Nov. 26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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"He's obviously working through some stuff today, but we'll have a better idea [at the morning skate]," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. "I don't know yet what [the diagnosis] is going to be. I won't know, I'll be honest with you, until he tries it on the ice [in the morning]."
More: Injuries catch up to Blue Jackets in loss to Capitals: takeaways
Werenski is off to another outstanding season after finishing runner-up for the Norris Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL's best defenseman. He's second only to Kirill Marchenko in scoring with 21 points in 23 games (seven goals,14 assists), and Werenski is averaging 26:26 in ice time. That's nearly on pace with his 26:45 average last season, which led all NHL players.
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski skates by Oilers left wing Andrew Mangiapane on Nov. 13.
Werenski plays in all situations, often draws the toughest defensive matchups and has developed into a strong leader as an alternate captain who's unafraid to speak up when needed. Losing him for any length of time would be a big hurdle for the Blue Jackets, who also lost Marchenko and power forward Mathieu Olivier to upper-body injuries in Washington.
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All three visited with doctors, while center Sean Monahan missed practice as a maintenance day to deal with his own health issues.
"We had a lot [of injuries] last year, so it was nice to have the same lineup and the same people available," Evason said. "It just seems like this past trip that we got banged up pretty good. I don't know what the reason is. ... It probably has to do with the [NHLs] condensed schedule and travel and all of that, and [playing] lots of hockey games over short periods of time, but it happens. Everybody's going through it."
The Maple Leafs (9-10-3) are one of those teams. They're still missing six lineup regulars, including captain Auston Matthews and goalie Anthony Stolarz .
Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) fights for the puck with Oilers center Noah Philp (48) during Columbus' 5-4 win on Nov. 13.
Prior to their rash of injuries in Washington, the Blue Jackets didn't have captain Boone Jenner (upper body) or alternate captain Erik Gudbranson (hip). Jenner is back to skating on his own and Evason said both are making progress toward returning, but for now the Blue Jackets are dealing with five injured stalwarts.
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Werenski might grit through his issue, but it's reasonable to assume he'll be limited while doing it.
"A lot of times, people don't even know guys are playing through injuries," defenseman Damon Severson said. "It's just part of the season. Unfortunately, these are some significant ones that are hitting us right now, so hopefully we can just keep on our track and pick up the slack while we're missing some guys."
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can he reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski play through injury?
