Another blow for the Blue Jackets. Zach Werenski's season is finished.
The team announced Friday afternoon that Werenski has been placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the 2020-21 season. Werenski played in Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning but did not practice Friday prior to the official announcement.
Werenski is expected to soon undergo surgery.
"Zach has been playing through the injury for most of the season and as much as we would like to have him in the lineup, having the surgery now is the right decision and will allow him to be 100 percent before the start of training camp in the fall," Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement.
Werenski, 23, has seven goals and 13 assists in 35 games this season, leading Columbus defensemen in goals and ranking second in points. He also ranks second on the team in logging 24:22 of ice time per game.
He joins a growing list of injured Blue Jackets, which includes center Riley Nash and forward Boone Jenner–leaving the team without three lineup mainstays for the balance of the regular season.
