With injuries piling up on the blue line, the Blue Jackets may already have the answer sitting in camp.
Columbus has not exactly had a smooth run through training camp. The club announced a pair of injuries on defense, and with Carson Soucy already on a professional tryout offer, the fit feels obvious. If the Blue Jackets are looking for a quick fix, they may not need to search very far.
The concern starts with the damage already done. Center Luca Del Bel Belluz and defenseman Dante Fabbro were hurt in preseason action, and while Del Bel Belluz appears to have avoided the worst, head coach Rick Bowness said Thursday that Fabbro could be out longer than expected.
That only sharpens a bigger problem: the defense group is running thin fast. Damon Severson is still working back from a season-ending shoulder injury and has been wearing the golden jersey, which means he is not taking contact in practice. With the regular season set to begin in just 8 days, it is difficult to imagine him being ready when the games start counting.
Right now, that leaves Columbus with five healthy defensemen: Zach Werenski, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov, Erik Gudbranson and Jake Christiansen. That is not a comfortable number, and it gets even shakier if Fabbro or Severson is going to miss significant time.
Even if the organization believes one of its prospects is ready, the Blue Jackets still look like a team that needs another body on the back end. A third pair of Christiansen and Guillaume Richard would be asking for trouble, and the issue becomes even more pronounced when special teams enter the picture.
Soucy, though, is already in the building.
The veteran defenseman is at camp on a PTO, and the more time he spends on the ice with Columbus, the more sense he makes. At 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, he has the size the Blue Jackets need.
His game is straightforward and defensive-minded, with enough physical edge to help on a third pair. Just ask Sabres defenseman Olen Zellweger.
The ask is simple: if Soucy is willing to take a one-year deal at a reasonable cap hit, this should be an easy call. He is not coming in to pile up points, but he does bring value in the areas Columbus needs most. He can kill penalties, handle the dirty minutes and avoid putting his team in bad spots.
And even if Fabbro or Severson is expected back before the end of October, adding Soucy still makes sense. You can never have too many defensemen, especially when the goal is to stay in the playoff hunt.
If the Blue Jackets end up with more depth than they need later on, that is a problem they can solve down the line. For now, the smarter move looks pretty clear.
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