Blue Jackets’ Kent Johnson’s injury recovery “not short term”

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason provided an update on center Kent Johnson on Saturday.

According to Athletic reporter Aaron Portzline, Evason did not have a timeline for return, he did indicate that his injury won’t heal in the short term. There is no confirmation on the specifics of the injury.

#CBJ coach Dean Evason won’t provide a timeline on injured Kent Johnson, but would say this: “It’s not short term.”

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 19, 2024

Johnson suffered the injury early in the second period of Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. It’s unclear as to what play specifically caused the injury, but that was the point in the game where he left and did not return. He had an assist on Yegor Chinakhov’s 1-0 goal in the first period in 6:25 of ice time before leaving, as the Blue Jackets went on to win the game 6-4.

It’s an unfortunate blow for Johnson and the Blue Jackets, as he was off to a strong start to the season with 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in 4 games. With a previous career high of 40 points set in 2022-23, Johnson’s 102-point pace thus far would have easily blown that mark out of the water, although it’s highly unlikely that he would have maintained that pace for the full season.

Johnson was the fifth-overall pick for the Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL Draft out of the University of Michigan, and after returning to the school for the following season, he made his NHL debut with Columbus at the end of the 2021-22 season. He’s now in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets.

Johnson is currently in the first year of a three-year contract with a $1.8 million cap hit, a deal he signed over the summer as a restricted free agent.

David Jiricek is expected to draw into the lineup in place of Johnson for Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, with the Blue Jackets going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for the game. Jiricek will be making his season debut in the game.

The Blue Jackets will look to build off of their win over the Sabres when they host the Wild on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. Columbus currently sits in sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-2-0 record.