Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Won't play against New Jersey
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Gudbranson (shoulder) won't play in Monday's game against the Devils, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Gudbranson is expected to return to game action soon, but he'll remain on injured reserve for at least one more matchup. His next chance to return will be Thursday against the Panthers, while Jack Johnson will remain in the lineup Monday since Gudbranson and Jake Christiansen (upper body) remain sidelined.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Nearing return
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Gudbranson (shoulder) is expected to return at some point soon, perhaps against the Devils or Panthers on Monday or Thursday, respectively, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Gudbranson was originally expected to be out of action until April, so it seems the blueliner is ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery. Once given the all-clear, the veteran defenseman will likely replace Jack Johnson in the lineup, which will likely see him and Jordan Harris firmly relegated to the press box as healthy scratches.
Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Targeting April return
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Gudbranson (shoulder) is not expected back until sometime in April, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports Tuesday.
Gudbranson has started skating, but his shoulder needs time to heal fully after surgery back in October. At this point, the defenseman might not even play in 10 regular-season contests this year and will be hoping his teammates can hold onto at least a wild-card spot and make the postseason.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Skates before practice
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Gudbranson skated Saturday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-October, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
Gudbranson could still be a month away from returning to action but appears to be progressing in his recovery. The defenseman was injured in the Blue Jackets' third game of the season versus Florida and had four hits and three blocked shots while failing to hit the scoresheet before the injury.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Not close to returning
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Gudbranson (shoulder) isn't expected to return until the end of March, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports Saturday.
Gudbranson hasn't been in the lineup since Oct. 15 due to the injury. He had six goals, 26 points, 74 PIM, 92 hits and 170 blocks in 78 appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2023-24. When healthy, Gudbranson will likely serve in a bottom-four role.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Begins skating Thursday
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Gudbranson (shoulder) took the ice with the Blue Jackets' other injured skaters Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Gudbranson should still be considered out indefinitely at this point, as this is just the first step in his recovery process. Still, it's a step in the right direction for the veteran blueliner, who has been out of action since the third game of the 2024-25 campaign. Once cleared to play, Gudbranson should retake his spot on the blue line, though he shouldn't be expected to offer much in the way of offensive contributions considering he's reached the 20-point threshold just once in his career.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Out indefinitely following surgery
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Gudbranson had shoulder surgery Monday and will be out indefinitely.
Gudbranson has already been out of action for the Jackets' previous two games and is not expected back in the short-term. Even without his injury, the blueliner was unlikely to reach the 20-point threshold for a second straight season considering last year was the only time he's reached that threshold. In the meantime, David Jiricek, Jack Johnson and Jordan Harris will likely rotate on the bottom pairing. Given his timeline, it wouldn't be surprising to see Gudbranson end up on long-term injured reserve.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Lands on injured reserve
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Gudbranson (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday.
Gudbranson suffered an upper-body injury during Tuesday's game against the Panthers, and head coach Dean Evason said after the game that the injury was "not looking good." As a result, it's not very surprising to see Gudbranson land on IR, but it's not yet clear when he'll be in the mix to return. David Jiricek could take on a third-pairing role for the Blue Jackets in Gudbranson's absence.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Likely to miss time
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Gudbranson's upper-body injury was described as "not looking good" by head coach Dean Evason, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Evason's comments after Tuesday's game versus the Panthers suggests the defenseman is set to miss time. With Gudbranson likely coming out of the lineup, David Jiricek could step into a third-pairing role.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Exits Tuesday's contest
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Gudbranson (upper body) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Panthers.
Gudbranson collided with a teammate late in the second period, and he'll miss the rest of the game. The 32-year-old defenseman can be considered day-to-day until a further update is available. The Blue Jackets' next game is Thursday versus the Sabres, and if Gudbranson can't play, David Jiricek may be a candidate to take his place in the lineup.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Good to play Thursday
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Gudbranson (lower body) will draw into the lineup Thursday against Minnesota, per the NHL media site.
Gudbranson missed some preseason action due to the injury, but it seems he's fine for Columbus' Opening Night. He had six goals, 26 points, 74 PIM, 92 hits and 170 blocks in 78 contests with the Blue Jackets in 2023-24. The 32-year-old is projected to serve on the third pairing alongside Jack Johnson on Thursday.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Resumes skating Friday
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Gudbranson (lower body) skated with the non-game group during Friday's practice, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Gudbranson won't play in Friday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, but it's encouraging that he was on the ice Friday morning. He'll have several days to rest before Opening Night against the Wild on Thursday, and it seems as though he'll be in the mix to play against Minnesota.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Not expected to play Thursday
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Gudbranson (lower body) isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Gudbranson didn't skate in Tuesday's practice session due to a minor lower-body injury, and he'll remain sidelined for a second consecutive preseason game Thursday. His final chance to play during the preseason will be in a rematch against the Penguins on Friday, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Dealing with minor injury
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Gudbranson (lower body) didn't skate Tuesday because of a minor injury, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.
As a precaution, Gudbranson didn't play in the third period of Columbus' 3-2 preseason loss to Washington on Monday. He wasn't going to play Tuesday versus St. Louis anyway. However, he could still see game action before Opening Night versus Minnesota on Oct. 10. The Blue Jackets finish the preseason with a home-and-home against Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Lights lamp in loss
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Gudbranson scored a goal on four shots and added three hits in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Gudbranson ended a seven-game point drought with his first-period tally. The defenseman has put together a career year, reaching the 20-point mark for the first time with five goals and 15 assists over 67 appearances. He's added 77 shots on net, 63 PIM, a minus-11 rating, 80 hits and 148 blocked shots. While he often sees bottom-four usage, he's been a sneaky-solid source of depth offense and physicality from the blue line.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Posts pair of assists in win
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Gudbranson logged two assists and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Sharks.
Gudbranson had an undisclosed injury in Friday's practice, but he didn't miss a game. He's racked up three helpers over his last two contests and now has 17 points through 49 outings. That matches his career-best production from 78 games in 2021-22 with the Flames, so there's a good chance the 32-year-old sets a new high-water mark this season. He's added 53 hits, 114 blocked shots, 55 PIM, 50 shots on net and a minus-11 rating while seeing time in a bottom-four role for much of the campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Available to play
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Gudbranson (undisclosed) will be in the lineup Saturday versus San Jose, according to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch.
Gudbranson will be good to go despite tweaking something during Friday's practice. He has picked up 54 hits, 114 blocked shots and 15 points across 48 appearances this season.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Sustains undisclosed injury
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Gudbranson suffered an undisclosed injury during Friday's practice but might still be able to play Saturday against San Jose, Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer reports.
Gudbranson has three goals, 15 points, 55 PIM, 52 hits and 114 blocks in 48 games this season. If the 32-year-old isn't available Saturday, then Andrew Peeke will likely draw into the lineup. Ivan Provorov's (undisclosed) status is also undetermined for Saturday's contest, so it's possible Columbus will need to recall a defenseman from the minors.
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Blue Jackets' Erik Gudbranson: Supplies helper against old team
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Gudbranson notched a shorthanded assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Flames.
Gudbranson got on the scoresheet against his old team with the secondary helper on Alexandre Texier's second-period marker. This was was Gudbranson's second assist over nine games in January. The big defenseman has 14 points through 43 outings, which is already better than the 13 points he had in 70 contests a year ago. He's added 45 shots on net, 39 hits, 108 blocked shots, 51 PIM and a minus-15 rating in 2023-24.
