Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sean Kuraly leaves game vs. Maple Leafs early after nearly needing medical attention

Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly left Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs early due to an abdominal injury.

The injury occurred late in the first period of the game when Jake McCabe went for a hit that made incidental head contact with Kuraly, 30, along with some extra impact with Kuraly been hit into Auston Matthews who was trailing right behind him. As Kuraly was then attempting to get up, he was hit in the chest with the puck, which possibly caused further complications. He had one hit in 4:21 of ice time before leaving, with the Blue Jackets down 1-0 in the game.

There’s no word as to what the specific issue was for Kuraly, but the Blue Jackets then attempted to get the attention of the officials to stop the play, and with only 18 seconds left in the period, they opted to send the game to intermission early and finish up the period afterwards. Reports indicate that the worst-case scenarios have been avoided, and Kuraly has been sent to the hospital for further evaluation.

Kuraly was off to a solid start to the season, with six goals and five assists for 11 points in 34 games this season. It puts him on pace for 26 points in a full 82-game season, which would just be the second time in his career that he’s surpassed the 25-point mark.

Kuraly was a former fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2011 NHL Draft, although he never played a game with the organization as he was dealt to the Boston Bruins in the 2015 offseason along with a first round pick as the return for Martin Jones. He then played five seasons with the Bruins before signing his current four-year contract with a $2.5 million cap hit, which he’s currently in the third year of.