Cam Atkinson Out 4-6 weeks Due To Foot fracture

The Columbus Blue Jackets saw Seth Jones take a slap shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins that missed the point and struck Cam Atkinson. While Atkinson stayed in the game for 22.5 minutes, which was his longest of the season, he suffered an injury to his ankle as a result of the hit and has been added to the injured list for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Jarmo Kekalainen, the General Manager for the Blue Jackets stated,

“We just have to deal with it. It’s going to be a great test for our depth, and a great opportunity for some other guys to play more significant roles right now, and we’ll just have to deal with it.”

On the 17th of November, Atkinson had signed a new 7 year contract worth $41.125 million. After scoring thirty-two goals during the 2016 season, Atkinson has thirteen points in thirty-two games (6 goas and 7 assists) in the 2017 season.

NHL

The Columbus Blue Jackets will once again visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on the 27th of December. Currently tied for 2nd place with the Washington Capitals, they are 1 point being the Devils. Considering the Blue Jackets already have Zach Werenski and Ryan Murry both out with upper body injuries and being day to day, this is not good news for the team. In addition to Werenski, Murry and Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky is also on the sidelines for the next 30 days thanks to a fractured orbital bone and Alexander Wennberg joins the list of injured Blue Jackets thanks to a back injury he suffered during the December 21st game against the Penguins.

Coach Kekalainen is looking to fill those openings by recalling several from Cleveland prior to looking into trades.

Kekalainen said.

“Every team in this league has injuries, and they’re not going to be trying to help you. It’s not easy to find reinforcements from outside when you have to give up something to get something. We’re not going to go crazy, mortgaging our future for something that could take a month or six weeks to get through.”

Continuing with his statement, Kekalainen added “People seem to think there are teams just donating players to you, and that doesn’t happen. We’re still going to be open, and weigh our options to see if there are opportunities that could help get us through it, but we’re not trading first-round picks or our best prospects to get over a situation that might last 4-6 weeks.”

The continuing sage of injuries will certainly hamper the Blue Jackets as the push forward with the season, and of course, this is definitely something that hockey fans should be aware of prior to placing any provincial wagers as it will clearly impact team and sports book stats on future Blue Jacket games.