Ryan Murray Placed On Injured Reserve

In what has become a familiar refrain, the Columbus Blue Jackets have placed Ryan Murray on injured reserve. The defenseman suffered a back injury last weekend against the Ottawa Senators and is listed as week-t0-week. Columbus has also sent Marko Dano down the minor leagues.

Murray’s name has been in the trade mill for years now, but it’s hard for any team to know if he’s even still an effective option. There haven’t been many stretches of healthy play long enough to really evaluate the 26-year old, as he spends just as much time in the trainer’s room as on the ice. Since debuting in 2013, Murray’s game totals by year have gone: 66, 12, 82, 60, 44, 56 and he’s played just 24 of the Blue Jackets’ first 35 games this season. While it is obvious he has skill to compete in the NHL, there’s just no guarantee that he’ll even be available at this point.

The injuries for Columbus are piling up but the team has actually won their last three and are trying to save a season that was quickly getting out of hand. The team now sits at 15-14-6 after their recent hot streak but are still seventh in the Metropolitan Division. If they at any point decide to move some of their assets Murray’s name will come up again, but he’ll have to be healthy enough to play in order to attract any buyers before the deadline.