Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Werenski, Laine & More

Welcome back to Blue Jackets News & Rumors. This week’s edition will heavily focus on injury updates and the potential impact to the roster. A pair of prominent players are primed to return to the lineup in short order.

Werenski Close

Head coach Pascal Vincent spoke to the media on Monday afternoon in Edmonton and offered some encouraging news on two of his best players. Defenseman Zach Werenski will not play Tuesday night against the Oilers. But there is a chance he could be ready for Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.

Werenski will miss his 10th consecutive game on Tuesday due to an ankle injury he suffered in December against the New Jersey Devils. Assuming he is able to play Thursday night, he would have missed four weeks and one day.

Having Werenski back in the lineup cannot be understated in its importance. He is the Blue Jackets’ number-one defenseman. At the time of his injury, he was tied for the team lead in points. He’s asked to do so many things at both ends of the ice. His presence will provide a much-needed boost.

Werenski has dealt with brutal luck on the injury front. From missing most of last season to now missing different parts of this season, he has played just 47 of a possible 127 games. He shook rust off early the season and was starting to find a groove before this latest injury.

Laine Possible Soon

Coach Vincent also offered some encouraging news on the status of Patrik Laine. Although he is a little further away than Werenski, there is a chance Laine could return by the end of the road trip.

Laine has been limited to just 18 games this season after only playing in 55 games last season. He suffered a fractured clavicle in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Dec 14.

When he has been available, it has been a struggle for Laine. He has just nine points in his 18 games and is averaging the lowest time on ice in his NHL career at 15:13 per game. That is almost four minutes less per game than last season when he had 52 points in 55 games.

When ready, Laine will be looking to regain some form of confidence in his game. It will be curious to see where he slots into the lineup as well. With the emergence of players like Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov, they’re making their case to stay up in the lineup.

Roster Impacts

This part of Werenski and Laine returning soon becomes interesting to follow. The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday with a full 23-man roster. If they each return as expected, a pair of roster moves would be required.

In Werenski’s case, the easiest move could be to send defenseman David Jiricek back to Cleveland. Jiricek just had a two-game stint with the Monsters and was recalled for this trip. There’s a chance he might not play even with Werenski out.

Adam Boqvist had an illness according to Vincent but they’re hopeful he can play Tuesday. Andrew Peeke has been playing in recent games leaving Jiricek on the outside. The Blue Jackets need roster room. Because Jiricek doesn’t need waivers, this could be the move. Considering the team told him to get a place, this could come across as an unpopular move.

Should Jiricek head back to Cleveland, he will get every opportunity to play in key situations with heavy minutes. He needs to be doing that somewhere, whether it’s in the NHL or with the Monsters.

What’s tricky are players like Boqvist and Peeke. They could be considered for trade at some point. If so, they need to play. The roster logjam has created a conundrum for the Blue Jackets. Unless there’s a new injury or illness, activating Werenski may require an unpopular move.

Now let’s discuss Laine. When he’s ready, someone else has to go to make room. Either a forward who doesn’t need waivers would be sent down or a player who needs waivers would be exposed. Could someone like Emil Bemstrom end up on the wire again? He did clear once before.

While it’s good news to get a pair of players in Werenski and Laine back, having a roster logjam creates tough roster decisions. The Blue Jackets are about to encounter that scenario. No matter what they do, development and long-term vision need to be considered to make the best out of this situation.

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