Josh Anderson's shoulder injury never responded to rest and treatment.
The Blue Jackets (and Anderson) were hopeful that a four-to-six week timeline, issued back in December, would give him time to recover and be ready for the stretch drive. It just didn't happen. Amidst trade rumors and murmurs of tension between the player and club, Columbus held on to Anderson through the Feb. 24 trade deadline – presumably knowing what was coming next.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced Monday that Anderson had surgery to repair a posterior labral tear of his left shoulder. It's not the same shoulder that Anderson injured last season. According to the team, the surgery was performed by Dr. Peter Millett at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. Anderson suffered the injury against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 14.
"When Josh suffered the injury, the options were to have it surgically repaired and miss the rest of the season or rest and rehabilitate with a chance to return to the lineup," said Kekalainen. "Unfortunately, the injury has not responded as any of us had hoped to the latter and the decision was made to have the surgery now so that Josh will be fully healthy and ready to go next season."
Of course, Anderson's future remains shrouded in doubt. He's scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1, and thus far, there appears to be little traction on a new contract. If you'll recall, the last round of negotiations between the team and Anderson's agent, Darren Ferris, were icy.
Multiple NHL insiders have speculated that Anderson will be a hot commodity on the summer trade market, which kicks into gear leading up to the NHL Draft. The 25-year-old power forward scored 27 goals last season but struggled in 2019-20 prior to his injury, scoring only one goal.
