Santa Claus dropped another couple lumps of coal in the Christmas stocking of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Already missing four key players, the Blue Jackets will be without top-six winger Cam Atkinson for the next 4-6 weeks with an undisclosed injury, reportedly a fractured right foot which requires surgery.
The Blue Jackets made the announcement on Tuesday, while adding that center Alexander Wennberg is also out 4-6 weeks. Wennberg missed Saturday's 2-1 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers reportedly because of a back injury.
Those two join center Brandon Dubinsky on the shelf. Dubinsky is out 6-8 weeks with a fractured orbital bone suffered in a fight. He already missed six games.
Defensemen Zack Werenski and Ryan Murray are both listed as day to day by the Blue Jackets. Werenski missed the last three games with an upper body injury; and Murray remains on injured reserve with an upper body injury that caused him to sit out 13 straight games, so far.
Atkinson appeared to suffer his injury in the first period Saturday when a slap shot from teammate Seth Jones struck him in the foot. Though in obvious pain, Atkinson played the remainder of the contest, logging 22:26 worth of ice time, second-most among Columbus forwards.
The injury is the latest blow to Atkinson this season. After leading the Blue Jackets in scoring the previous two seasons, and ranking eighth in the NHL with a career-high 35 goals a year ago, Atkinson has just six goals, seven assists and 13 points. Seven teammates have more points than Atkinson, who is in a 13-game drought without a goal.
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Wennberg has also struggled this season with just four goals, 12 assists and 16 points. However, he has come on as of late, notching five points in five games before his injury.
Despite their offensive woes, Atkinson and Wennberg are extremely important pieces to the Blue Jackets puzzle. Their collective loss -- as well as that of Dubinsky -- greatly challenges the forward depth in the organization. Sonny Milano, Jordan Schroeder and Tyler Motte are all candidates for recall from the minor leagues to help fill the void.
The Blue Jackets are tied for second place in the tight Metropolitan Division with 46 points, one behind the front-running New Jersey Devils and four ahead of both the Rangers and Islanders. They hit the break with points in three consecutive games (2-0-1) following a pair of defeats. Columbus resumes its schedule Wednesday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.