Columbus Blue Jackets place Zach Werenski on IR, activate Jack Roslovic

The Columbus Blue Jackets have made some slight adjustments to their roster, placing defenseman Zach Werenski on injured reserve and activating center Jack Roslovic off of injured reserve.

Werenski, 26, got hurt midway through the second period of Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils when he got mixed up with Ondrej Palat, and was unable to put weight on his left leg when leaving the game. The Blue Jackets later announced that he would be week-to-week with a lower-body injury, so that made an IR placement likely for him.

Werenski has had a strong season offensively as usual, with one goal and 24 assists for 25 points in 34 games on the year. That would put him on pace for 60 points in a full 82-game season, which would have been the first time in his career that he’d hit 50, never mind 60, but that’s also because he’s struggled to get games in throughout his career due to health and shortened seasons, having not played at least 70 games in a season since 2018-19.

Roslovic, 26, has been out since November 12th due to an ankle injury, and is expected to return to the lineup for Friday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s projected to slot in on the fourth line, and replace Mathieu Olivier in the lineup. The Blue Jackets have gone 7-11-3 in his absense.

Roslovic had been keeping up to his usual scoring pace in recent seasons before his injury, with two goals and six assists for eight points in 14 games on the year. That would have given him 46 points if he played a full 82-game season, which just beats out his 44 and 45 point years in the two seasons prior for a career-high.

The Blue Jackets will look to end their three-game losing streak with Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs, which starts at 7 p.m. EST. They currently sit in last in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-18-7 record, which is the fifth-worst record in the league.