Columbus Blue Jackets lose Nyquist 'indefinitely' to undisclosed injury
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Watching the Blue Jackets’ injury report has become a bit like watching the local weather report in Columbus.
Give it a few minutes and it’s likely to change.
The latest storm front arrived Friday, when the Blue Jackets announced at their morning skate that veteran forward Gustav Nyquist is out “indefinitely” with an upper-body injury that occurred Wednesday in a 4-3 overtime win at the Edmonton Oilers. It’s another big loss added to a pile of significant, long-term injuries that have limited this team all season.
“If you watch how I used him, he’s in every situation for me,” coach Brad Larsen said. “He’s kind of a stabilizer for me. When I’m putting (forward) lines together, he’s one of those guys (who’s) so consistent in what he gives in effort and the pace of game he can play. He can make plays, he’s on the penalty kill, he’s second-unit power play. He’s a guy I’ve really leaned on, so we’re going to miss him.”
Nyquist, 34, will also be missed in the locker room. The past two seasons, he’s worn an alternate captain’s ‘A’ on his jersey and has led by example on one of the NHL’s youngest teams.
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As Larsen said, he's also consistent when healthy. That plus his status as a pending unrestricted free agent also made him as possible trade chip for the second straight year. The Blue Jackets opted not to trade Nyquist at last season's deadline, wanting to keep him around for his leadership qualities, but now there's a chance his trade stock has completely bottomed out.
Aside from health issues, though, Nyquist has given the Blue Jackets everything they sought when signing him to a four-year deal in 2019.
Nyquist has scored 20 goals four times and 15-plus goals eight times in his 11-year NHL career. He also chips in about 45 to 60 points, including 18 goals, 35 assists and 53 points last season to rebound from missing the 2020-21 campaign recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Taking him out of the lineup is another huge blow to a roster that’s also without top defenseman Zach Werenski (shoulder), playmaking catalyst Jakub Voracek (concussion), two-way forward Justin Danforth (shoulder), second-year forward Yegor Chinakhov (ankle) and defenseman Jake Bean (shoulder).
“He’s got more of a voice than people think, in the room, but his best asset is he does it by example,” Larsen said of Nyquist. “He doesn’t have to say much because he’s always prepared, he gets himself in great shape, his competitiveness is always there, so all those attributes you want in a player, he has them.”
The Blue Jackets’ update on Nyquist didn’t specify the injury, calling it an “upper body” injury, but he was spotted on the bench testing out this left shoulder after taking a hard hit late in the first period. If so, that's the same shoulder that was surgically repaired Nov. 4, 2020 and kept him out for the COVID-19 shortened 56-game 2020-21 season.
Emil Bemstrom, a healthy scratch in Edmonton, drew back into the lineup Friday at Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Canucks. Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther also returned as a replacement for rookie Nick Blankenburg, who missed the morning skate and game with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
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It’s unknown when Blankenburg’s injury occurred, but he was spotted coming out of a team meeting Friday with a temporary cast on his right hand/wrist. He's considered “day-to-day,” which was a small bit of good news for the Blue Jackets on the injury front. Blankenburg was injured playing his eighth game since returning from a fractured ankle/high-ankle sprain that kept him out two months in his first full NHL season.
“We’ve been in one this year, there’s no question about that,” Larsen said of the Blue Jackets’ injury woes. “We’ve had four or five guys out for the season, so you don’t prepare for that. You know injuries come, but the length of them with the guys that are out, and then you add Boone Jenner was out for a month and Blankenburg for two months and Boqvist for two months … there’s been many challenges, but there’s lots of opportunity.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets lose Gustav Nyquist 'indefinitely'
