Fansided

No good news on Nathan Horton’s back injury

By Catherine Silverman

Jan 30, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Nathan Horton (8) sends the puck forward under peressure from Washington Capitals center Brooks Laich (21) at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Nathan Horton (8) sends the puck forward under peressure from Washington Capitals center Brooks Laich (21) at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Columbus Blue Jackets could need to look at replacing Horton in near future.

Two weeks ago, it was confirmed that Nathan Horton would be out for an indefinite period of time with a degenerative back condition. On opening day, the news has gotten no better- in fact, it might be looking even worse.

More from Columbus Blue Jackets

The team seems confident that Horton can avoid surgery, and rehab his way back into playing shape. There’s no timeline for how long that will take, though- and with one other forward already joining the winger on the team’s injured reserve list (Brandon Dubinsky, lower body injury), the team could need to look at exploring alternative options.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the team is open to seeking out a high-scoring winger to replace Horton in the instance that things don’t start to look up, soon.

The team had hoped to be a serious cup contender this season- they sent R.J. Umberger to Philadelphia in exchange for Scott Hartnell, and has finally come to terms with restricted free agent Ryan Johansen. The team is undoubtedly reeling from the missed goals provided by Horton and Dubinsky over the long run, though, and the team is also short forward Boone Jenner for around another four weeks after receiving surgery for his broken hand.

The only bright spot on Columbus’ horizon is their cap space: the team still has almost eight million dollars to spare, even if they retain Nathan Horton’s monstrous salary for the forseeable future. It may not be in the team’s current budget to drop more change on a “big-ticket winger”, but at least they have the room if needed.

More from FanSided

Home/Columbus Blue Jackets