Bless you, John Tortorella.
Speculation ran rampant on Tuesday evening after the Blue Jackets announced Artemi Panarin wouldn't play in Montreal due to illness. The prevailing thought was the team was holding him out for trade-related reasons, but that has quickly been debunked.
Enter the head coach, who was asked about Panarin's status before the game at Bell Centre:
#CBJ Panarin wont face #Habs tonight due to illness. Torts was emphatic that Panarins absence is not to protect a potential trade asset: Hes SICK... he shit his pants and hes puking his guts out.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) February 19, 2019
So, that should settle it. Even though Panarin is apparently unsettled.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun offered more insight on Insider Trading, saying Panarin "has a stomach bug" and would be playing tonight if he were able to. With only a few days remaining until the trade deadline, everyone will be on high alert for developments regarding the Blue Jackets' star winger.
