The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that center Brandon Dubinsky will be out four to six weeks after straining an oblique muscle in practice yesterday. Dubinsky has been placed on injured reserve.
Dubinsky, 32, also missed a good chunk of the 2017-18 season and saw a sharp decline in effectiveness. In 62 games he recorded just 16 points, making him a buyout candidate in the offseason given his hefty $5.85MM cap hit. The decision not to buy him out looked good through two games given that Dubinsky had dominated in the faceoff dot and scored two points, but will now be questioned once again given his latest injury. The team will have to find another option down the middle, and likely give even more responsibility to Riley Nash and Alexander Wennberg.
The Blue Jackets did win their first game of the season thanks to an Artemi Panarin overtime winner against the Detroit Red Wings, but will need to find some consistency if they’re to compete with the other powerhouse clubs in the Metropolitan Division. With Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky facing uncertain futures with the team, and now injuries piling up, there is plenty to be worried about as a Columbus fan.