Zach Werenski's 2022-23 season is done after just 13 games. The Blue Jackets' star defenseman is going to miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum and separated shoulder, the team announced on Friday.
Werenski, 25, was injured during the first period of the Blue Jackets 5-2 win over the Flyers on Nov. 10. He immediately left the game and did not return.
Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen told the media that the team would not be getting good news on Werenski.
"It’s not good (news) for Z," Larsen said, "It’s not going to be good at all."
The 2022-23 season has not been kind to Columbus to start. The team is 4-9-0, sitting last in the Eastern Conference and tied for the second-worst record in the league. The victory over the Flyers snapped a five-game skid for the Blue Jackets.
So it's an extremely tough blow, as Werenski has been their top defenseman for two seasons now. The 2015 first-round pick had eight points through the first 13 games of the season, tied for second on the team in that category. But the biggest thing will be making up Werenski's minutes. He averaged 23:35 time on ice, nearly two minutes more than the next-closest player Vladislav Gavrikov, who plays 21:36 on average a night.
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The Blue Jackets also announced that defenseman Nick Blackenburg will miss six-to-eight weeks with an injured ankle. As a result of the pair of injuries, Columbus added defensemen Gavin Bayreuther, Marcus Bjork and David Jiricek to the roster from the AHL on an emergency basis.
How did Zach Werenski get injured?
In the first period of the Nov. 10 game against the Flyers, Werenski went to deliver a check on Philadelphia forward Travis Konecny. As Werenski leaned into Konecny, the Flyers wing ducked and avoided the check.
The Blue Jackets blue liner's momentum kept him going forward and he clipped the side of Konecny. As a result, he fell awkwardly into the boards, hurting his shoulder.
A replay of Werenski going down in the corner. He immediately went down the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/20jaqTDWgr
— CBJ Center (@CBJcenter) November 11, 2022
He did not return to the contest, and that shift is expected to be his last one this season.
With Werenski out, the Blue Jackets face an even further uphill battle than before. Columbus's defense has been one of the worst in the league. That's with a strong two-way player like Werenski leading the way. The team is 31st in goals allowed per game (4.39) and that is paired with an offense that hasn't been much better, ranking 29th with an average of 2.69 goals a game.
Columbus is already without Adam Boqvist, and you can now add Werenski and Blackenburg to the injured list. That means Larsen's crew will have to turn to Gavrikov, Andrew Peeke and Erik Gudbrandson to step up and play more minutes. That's not exactly the top four you are looking for in this league to contend.
While it's still only the beginning of November, Werenski's injury puts Columbus in an extremely tough spot to contend in an already competitive Metro division.
