Blue Jackets’ Erik Gudbranson Expected To Return Soon
Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been out of the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup since their third game of the season. He sustained a shoulder injury on a collision with teammate Sean Monahan on October 15th, and required shoulder surgery one week later. But after nearly five months out of the lineup, Gudbranson could return as soon as early next week, head coach Dean Evason shared with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
This is fantastic news for the oft-injured Gudbranson. His career has been marred by routine long-term absences, dating back to his second year in the NHL in 2012-13 – when he was held to just 34 games between the NHL and AHL due to injury. Gudbranson has seemed to suffer a setback in nearly every season since then, including going through a stretch of playing just 254 games across four seasons between 2017 and 2021.
Gudbranson spurred his bad luck when he returned for the 2021-22 season. At the age of 30, he appeared in a career-high 78 games in a one-off season with the Calgary Flames. He joined the Blue Jackets on a four-year, $16MM contract in the following summer and carried his good health through a move to Ohio. Gudbranson appeared in 70 games of the 2022-23 season, then matched his career-high 78 appearances last year. Through the three seasons, he totaled 56 points in 226 total games – while missing just 20 games in total.
It was a promising stretch that helped Gudbranson plant his feet as one of Columbus’ most-utilized defensemen. He averaged 21:18 and 19:40 over his last two respective seasons with the Blue Jackets and appeared to be headed for another top-end role this year. But his lucky streak snapped this year. Columbus has just 17 games remaining in their season – and it will likely take Gudbranson at least a couple more to work his way back into the lineup. That will leave him pushing to appear in even 20 games this season, which would mark the fewest games he’s played in a single season in his 14-year NHL career.
But despite the bad news, Gudbranson still stands as a popular name on the Columbus blue-line. He’s recorded 39 points, 133 penalty minutes, and a minus-38 in 151 career games with the Blue Jackets, while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. Much of that playing time was split between menial roles next to depth defenders – like Jake Bean and Tim Berni – and top-end roles next to Blue Jackets superstar Zach Werenski.
Werenski is in the midst of a career year and stands as a favorite for the Norris Trophy and found a strong partner in mid-season acquisition Dante Fabbro. Columbus also has plenty of strength down their lineup, with hard-hitting veteran right-shot defender Ivan Provorov supporting rookie Denton Mateychuk on the second pair and veterans Jack Johnson and Damon Severson making up the third pair. That right-side depth could make it hard for Gudbranson to sneak back into the Blue Jackets lineup, even with the precedent of playing top minutes with the club. It won’t be low scoring that earns Gudbranson a hardy shot, with Provorov and Werenski recording 17 and 11 blocked shots over their last 10 games respectively.
How the Blue Jackets opt to return Gudbranson to the lineup could be telling as they attempt to hold onto their control of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Veteran depth behind the lineup is a coveted asset for many playoff-bound teams, and the Blue Jackets could opt to lean into that by shelving the former third-overall draft pick Gudbranson until his services are called upon. Should they want to push him back into a spot, it will likely be Johnson taking a step back – leaving Evason with the challenge of juggling four right-shot defensemen.
Metropolitan Notes: Gudbranson, Gritsyuk, Stillman
Columbus wasn’t overly active as expected leading into Friday’s trade deadline but they’re close to getting an addition on the back end. Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets’ team site relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been fully cleared to practice. While that means he’s still probably at least a few days away from returning, his looming return will be a welcome one. Gudbranson has been out since suffering a shoulder injury in the third game of the season back in October. He was originally expected to be out until sometime in April but instead, it appears that he’ll be available to return several weeks ahead of schedule, effectively serving as a deadline addition. Once he’s activated in the coming days, Columbus will have nine blueliners on its active roster.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Speaking to reporters yesterday at his post-deadline press conference, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald told reporters including James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now that he’s actively trying to sign Russian forward Arseni Gritsyuk. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick in 2019 but has become a productive forward in the KHL, notching 38 points in 45 games this season while also missing time due to a knee injury. His deal expires on June 1st but if his club team – SKA St. Petersburg – were to release him before then at the conclusion of their regular season and playoffs, he’d be free to sign with New Jersey before then. If that were to happen early enough, Gritsyuk could conceivably burn a year of his contract right away and potentially suit up in the playoffs for the Devils.
- After assigning him to the minors yesterday upon clearing waivers, the Hurricanes announced that they’ve once again recalled Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. Despite being promoted on numerous occasions, the 26-year-old has only played in three NHL games this season along with 20 outings with the Wolves where he has five points. Stillman is likely to continue to serve as a depth defender but with recall limits now in effect, it’s unlikely he’ll be shuffled down daily as he was earlier this season. Accordingly, while yesterday’s demotion keeps him playoff-eligible in the minors, he’ll probably have to pass through waivers again later to get back down there as he’s likely to remain on Carolina’s roster for 30 days, the threshold in which he’ll become waiver-eligible again.
Injury Updates: Lowry, Heineman, Blue Jackets, Maple Leafs
The Jets will have their captain back in the lineup tonight versus St. Louis as the team announced (Twitter link) that Adam Lowry will return after missing the last three-plus weeks with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old was on pace for a career year offensively before being sidelined after collecting 11 goals and 15 assists in his first 48 outings while averaging 15:24 per night of ice time. He’s likely to return to the middle-six role he held before being sidelined while being a key part of their penalty kill. Winnipeg had two open roster spots so no corresponding move needed to be made to activate Lowry.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- The Canadiens will welcome back Emil Heineman tonight against Ottawa, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The rookie has chipped in with 10 goals and seven assists in 41 games despite primarily playing on Montreal’s fourth line as he’s averaging just over 11 minutes a night. Heineman missed the last five weeks with an upper-body injury sustained on a road trip in Utah when he was struck by a car.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic provided (Twitter links) a pair of updates on injured Blue Jackets veterans. Center Sean Monahan skated today and has been skating on his own for a while as he hopes to be back soon from his wrist injury. He was initially expected to be out until mid-March but is hopeful that he won’t be out for much longer. Meanwhile, blueliner Erik Gudbranson took part in today’s optional skate. He has been out since mid-October after undergoing shoulder surgery. His initial timeline for a return was late March and the fact he’s on the ice now suggests that he’s at least on schedule in his recovery.
- Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty has been ruled out of this weekend’s games after tweaking something earlier in the week, relays Nick Barden of The Hockey News. There’s no timetable yet on how long he’ll miss. However, they could get center Connor Dewar back on Sunday against Chicago. Dewar has missed a little over a month with an upper-body injury. Toronto will have to make a roster move to activate him although that could be as simple as transferring Pacioretty to IR for the time being.
Erik Gudbranson Had Shoulder Surgery, Out Indefinitely
Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson underwent successful surgery yesterday to address the shoulder injury he sustained last week against the Panthers, the team announced. He was already placed on injured reserve. There’s no timeline for his return to the ice.
Unfortunately for Columbus, they’ll be without another veteran leadership fixture for most of the season. Captain Boone Jenner also underwent shoulder surgery earlier this month, which could cost him the entire campaign, general manager Don Waddell said at the time.
While frequently on IR earlier in his career, the 32-year-old Gudbranson has largely managed to stay healthy since inking a four-year, $16MM deal with the Jackets in free agency in 2022. The stay-at-home defender has been severely overtaxed in largely top-four minutes, though, posting a -38 rating and a poor 43.4 CF% at even strength in 151 appearances as a Jacket while averaging north of 20 minutes per game.
Through three games this season, Gudbranson had no points, an even rating, four hits, and three giveaways while also taking a minor penalty. While a relative non-factor on the ice thus far, he’s an invaluable part of Columbus’ leadership team and was the third-oldest player on the active roster behind newcomers Jack Johnson and James van Riemsdyk.
The right-shot blue-liner’s long-term absence surely means that 2022 No. 6 overall pick David Jiříček will see more minutes than he has to begin the season. The 20-year-old has sat in the press box for most of the campaign thus far and only just made his season debut over the weekend against the Wild, paired with Johnson and recording an assist and a +1 rating in 11:23 of tice time.
Defensemen Notes: Gudbranson, Durzi, Stanley
The early prognosis for the upper-body injury keeping Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Erik Gudbranson on the injured reserve isn’t positive. Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff reports that Gudbranson is potentially set to miss months due to the injury but the team will have an exact timeline tomorrow after tests are performed.
It’s unfortunate news for an organization that can’t seem to catch a break. Columbus entered the season with injuries to captain Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov up front and will now have to contend with a weakened blue line for the foreseeable future.
The Blue Jackets will reintroduce veteran Jack Johnson into the lineup tonight against the Buffalo Sabres in Gudbranson’s stead rather than former sixth-overall pick, David Jiříček. The young defenseman was the obvious choice originally to replace Gudbranson as he hasn’t factored into any games yet this season. Despite being the second defenseman taken off the board in the 2022 NHL Draft Jiříček sits fourth amongst defensemen in his draft class in games played.
Other happenings from the blue line:
- Earlier this afternoon, the Utah Hockey Club gave a vague injury update regarding defenseman Sean Durzi. The organization announced Durzi “would be out for the foreseeable future” with an upper-body injury without any additional context. Durzi’s prognosis could be similar to that of Gudbranson’s where the organization won’t have a firm recovery timeline until more tests are performed.
- The Winnipeg Jets should get some welcome news regarding their back end shortly. Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reported earlier that defenseman Logan Stanley was a full participant at practice this morning. Stanley has been rehabbing a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined for much of training camp and the regular season. Once he is fully healthy, he should have a home in the Jets’ bottom-pairing next to Colin Miller.
Blue Jackets Place Erik Gudbranson On IR, Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Basis
The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves after placing forward Dylan Gambrell on waivers early this afternoon. The team announced they placed defenseman Erik Gudbranson on injured reserve while recalling goaltender Jet Greaves on an emergency basis.
There should be another corresponding roster move before the team’s game tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres to give more context to the method of today’s madness. Columbus is down to 12 healthy forwards, seven healthy defensemen, and three goaltenders. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported regular netminder Elvis Merzlikins is dealing with some early-season fatigue which better explains Greaves’ call-up in the crease.
Columbus already has a reasonable in-house candidate to replace the lost minutes of Gudbranson in the form of top prospect, David Jiříček. The young Czech defenseman hasn’t factored into any games yet this season for the Blue Jackets but did score one goal and 10 points in 43 games a year ago. He’s fared much better in the AHL up to this point in his career but consistent playing time at the NHL level could dramatically improve his development.
Aside from defense, nothing should change much in Columbus’ lineup without Gambrell. The organization has the benefit of being at Nationwide Arena for the next three games making a forward call-up from Cleveland that much easier. The team won’t have to travel outside of Ohio until October 26th when they take on the Nashville Predators so they could take a couple of days before they need to make another call-up from the AHL.
Metro Notes: Puljujarvi, McGroarty, Gudbranson
Josh Yohe of The Athletic doesn’t believe that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi should be removed from the Penguins lineup again anytime soon. Puljujarvi was a healthy scratch for the Penguins back on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs after he had been good in the first two games of the season, posting one assist.
The 26-year-old returned to the lineup last night for Pittsburgh against the Montreal Canadiens and tallied an assist in just over 12 minutes of ice time. He has looked like a different player this season for Pittsburgh after having a full summer of training. Puljujarvi had been limited last season after having double hip surgery and was healthy scratched on numerous occasions. When he did play, he wasn’t impactful, posting three goals and an assist in 22 games.
In other Metropolitan Division notes:
- Josh Yohe of The Athletic wonders if Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty might get some time in the American Hockey League soon after he was healthy scratched last night against Montreal. The 20-year-old has barely been noticeable so far this season, going pointless in three games while averaging just 11:37 of ice time per game. He has been decent away from the puck registering three hits and a takeaway while posting solid possession numbers. Pittsburgh has given McGroarty ample opportunity in the offensive zone, starting him in the offensive zone 75% of the time, but the former 14th overall pick has yet to show much of a pulse offensively at the NHL level.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Erik Gudbranson will not return to tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers after suffering an upper-body injury. Gudbranson collided with teammate Sean Monahan in the neutral zone and was in obvious pain as he got to his feet. He appeared to be favoring his wrist when he left the ice and didn’t come out with his Blue Jackets teammates for the start of the third period. Columbus doesn’t play until Thursday against Buffalo and the Blue Jackets will likely have an update on Gudbranson before that contest.
Erik Gudbranson Receives One-Game Suspension
The NHL has handed down its second suspension within the last hour, announcing (video link) that Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has received a one-game ban for acting as the aggressor with Panthers winger Nick Cousins on Sunday.
While chasing a loose puck in the third period, Cousins hit Gudbranson from behind, sending Gudbranson face-first into the boards. Cousins was initially given a major penalty for his hit but it was dropped to a minor after review, keeping him in the game. Six minutes later, Gudbranson responded by going after Cousins, throwing him to the ice following a zone entry and then throwing several punches. He received a minor penalty on the play for instigating along with a five-minute fighting major, and a game misconduct.
Gudbranson will miss Thursday’s game against Toronto and will forfeit $20.8K. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Metro Notes: Blue Jackets Hockey Operations, Laine, Gudbranson, Rust
It’s not a controversial statement to say that the Columbus Blue Jackets have not had the season they were hoping to have. Despite aggressive offseason moves adding key young talents and older veterans, the team is currently among the NHL’s worst, undone by underperformance from crucial stars as well as sudden turnover at leadership positions. With the team looking less and less likely to be a true playoff contender, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline sought out comment from Blue Jackets ownership regarding the direction of the franchise. (subscription link)
Team president of business operations Mike Priest, who Portzline calls a “close confidant” of owner John P. McConnell said the following regarding the state of the team: “nobody wants to be where we are with our record. That’s not what we expected.” He also added: “I can say we’re all very frustrated, we’re disappointed.” Many have speculated as to whether the Blue Jackets would consider moving on from general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. Although Kekäläinen oversaw the most successful period in franchise history under John Tortorella, one wonders if he’ll get the chance to lead the Blue Jackets into the future given the rapid disintegration of his plans to return to the playoffs in 2023-24.
Some other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- In a less big-picture update from Columbus, team reporter Jeff Svoboda confirmed that star forward Patrik Laine as well as defenseman Erik Gudbranson would both be returning to the team’s lineup after battling illness. Both Gudbranson and Laine had not played in a week. Although Laine has struggled this season he is their most talented goal-scorer, while Gudbranson offers a level of physicality and leadership from the team’s back-end that few other defensemen on their roster can match.
- The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh relays word from Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan who states that forward Bryan Rust is still being evaluated with an upper-body injury. Rust exited the third period of the Penguins’ December 6th loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and has not played since. He’s scored 20 points in 22 games, so any extended absence would be a significant loss for the reeling Penguins. As we covered earlier today, the team signed Jesse Puljujärvi to a tryout agreement provide some additional cover from injuries to its forward corps.
Snapshots: Laine, Gudbranson, Bussi, Salt Lake City
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without both Patrik Laine and Erik Gudbranson, as neither player traveled with the team for their Thursday night matchup against the New York Islanders due to illness. This is the second consecutive game that the duo will miss, after being held out of the team’s Tuesday home game against the Los Angeles Kings.
With his absence on Thursday, Laine will have only played in 16 of the Blue Jackets’ first 28 games. He’s missed action for a variety of reasons, going on injured reserve with a tricep strain in mid-November and serving as a healthy scratch shortly upon his return. The 25-year-old winger has scored five goals and seven points in the games he has appeared in, also adding six penalty minutes and a -9. It’s a step down in production from Laine’s 2022-23 season, where he managed 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games.
And while Laine’s scoring pace has decreased, the 31-year-old Gudbranson has managed nine points in 26 games this season, already a higher point total than he’s managed in eight of his 13 NHL seasons. Gudbranson is in his second season with Columbus, signing a four-year, $16MM contract with the team in July of 2022.
Other notes from around the league:
- With Jeremy Swayman under the weather, the Boston Bruins are expected to recall Brandon Bussi, the starting goalie for the Providence Bruins. Bussi has recorded a .917 save percentage and 6-4-2 record through 12 games with Providence this season.
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently spoke about International Olympic Committee’s recent announcement that Salt Lake City is a “preferred bidder” for the 2034 Winter Games, sharing that this could make the city an even more likely host for an NHL team. The NHL has spoken openly about expansion over the course of the 2023-24 season, with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun recently sharing that expansion is a matter of when and not if.