Not even halfway into the season, the Blue Jackets are faced with a predicament they struggled with almost all of last season .
Zach Werenski is out with an undisclosed leg injury that will keep him out on a week-to-week basis, leaving the Jackets without their top defenseman again. They're also down a left-shot defenseman now on a roster overflowing with righties, including Adam Boqvist (shoulder sprain) and Nick Blankenburg (upper body) , who are also out.
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Unless a left-handed option from the Cleveland Monsters is recalled and goes straight into the lineup Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs , one of those righties will play on his offhand to replace Werenski — a task that's typically easier said than done.
"It will be (tougher) because we have a bunch of righties," coach Pascal Vincent said. "But we'll have to adjust. It's part of it. Next man up."
Andrew Peeke , a right shot, is likely to be that "next man up" after sitting out as a healthy scratch in the Jackets' 4-3 overtime loss Wednesday in New Jersey , when Werenski was injured during a fall in the second period. Based on pairings Thursday in practice, veteran Damon Severson may be the one who flips to his off side to compensate for Werenski's absence.
Severson skated with right-handed rookie David Jiricek , Ivan Provorov skated with Peeke and Jake Bean paired with Erik Gudbranson .
"I know a lot of coaches and players and teams want to have the lefty-righty combo, and obviously this puts a little bit of a wrench into things," Severson said. "But you can't control injuries. I've been out. (Werenski's) been out twice now, and he had a long year last year, so you feel for the guy for sure. He's a great player and he was just picking up his game again, too."
Without Werenski or Boqvist, Provorov will likely run the point on the top power play unit and Severson may get a shot to quarterback the second. Jiricek and Bean could also be in the mix for time on the power play.
Werenski, meanwhile, will be missed in all facets. His offensive instincts combined with physical skills make him a potent offensive defenseman, even while returning from shoulder surgery that cost him all but 13 games last season. Werenski has only scored one goal, but his 24 assists were on pace to smash his career high of 37 set in 2021-22.
"It's probably weird because in the past I've been scoring goals," Werenski said before playing the Devils. "Now, it's kind of the opposite. It's a lot of assists. It's just part of the game. I'm not too focused on that or trying to press for goals. I'm just trying to play hockey, help the team win and make plays."
Now he's trying to recover again.
Since his rookie season (2016-17), Werenski has dealt with a multitude of injuries. He's had issues affecting both shoulders, facial injuries, a sports hernia that required surgery and now this one, which occurred almost halfway through the second period at the Prudential Center.
After breaking up a shot attempt by Ondrej Palat , Werenski tripped over the fallen Devils forward and twisted his left leg. Werenski needed assistance getting to the Blue Jackets' bench and locker room, indicating that it might be a significant issue.
It was a tough sight for his teammates and another gut punch to a Jackets lineup that's already missing captain Boone Jenner (fractured jaw), Patrik Laine (fractured clavicle), Sean Kuraly (abdominal injury), Jack Roslovic (fractured ankle), Boqvist and Blankenburg.
Roslovic could return Friday against the Maple Leafs, while Kuraly is ruled out for that game while carrying a "day-to-day" status following a scary injury Saturday .
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Werenski out 'week-to-week' with leg injury
