Seth Jones MCL injury is a nightmare scenario for the Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have the most important season in franchise history coming up, and losing Seth Jones for the beginning of it is the worst case scenario for them.
With expectations and tension at all time high for the Columbus Blue Jackets, there is no room for mistakes for what seems to be the most important season in Blue Jackets history. However, the season is already off too a bad start before it’s even begun.
Blue Jackets All-Dtar defenseman Seth Jones will be out of commission for four to six weeks with a second-degree MCL sprain sustained in Tuesday’s preseason game with the Buffalo Sabres, the team announced Wednesday.
NEWS: All-Star D Seth Jones to miss 4-6 weeks due to knee injury suffered vs. Buffalo on Tuesday night. An MRI today revealed 2nd degree MCL sprain. #CBJ
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) September 26, 2018
The 23-year-old Jones is coming off of a career year of 57 points and came close to being a finalist for the Norris Trophy by finishing the voting in fourth place. At the pace his career has been progressing, it’s entirely possible he could take home the Norris Trophy this season.
Even with the injury, this season is still Jones’ chance to break through into becoming an NHL star if he can bounce back just fine.
Losing Jones by itlself is a nightmare enough for Columbus, but he’s just another name in a long and painful list of defensemen that could miss the beginning of the season for Columbus.
His defense partner, Zach Werenski, has been nursing a shoulder injury all summer long that required surgery and he is still questionable to return to start the season. On a positive note, early signs look promising to at worst an early season return.
Alongside them, the always-injured Ryan Murray is dealing with a groin injury that will likely keep him off the opening night roster.
Besides the fact that Columbus’s three best defenders are injured, everything else seems all right if you don’t count the fact that Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky might walk away in the offseason for nothing, which is putting the pressure on the team to go all-in for the Stanley Cup right now.
If they don’t, they’ll lose they’re two best players for nothing and be set back years with nothing to show for it. So there’s no pressure in Columbus right now. Everything is just fine.
Next. Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019. dark
Seriously though, this is an utter nightmare for Columbus to lose Seth Jones for any amount of time for a season this crucial, especially to lose him in a meaningless preseason game.
With all these NHL regulars getting hurt in meaningless games, maybe the NHL should take the hint and shorten the way too long eight game preseason.