The Blue Jackets’ blue line took a hit this morning, and the timing couldn’t be much worse. Defenseman Ivan Provorov is headed to injured reserve for the first time in his NHL career after getting hurt on a blocked shot in the final preseason game. The puck went off his left ankle.
For a player who has made a habit of showing up night after night, this is a stunning change of pace. Tonight will be the first game Provorov misses because of injury in his 10-year NHL career.
In 781 eligible games, he has sat out only three, and those came after a positive COVID test. He has appeared in 778 of those games, including all 246 since Columbus acquired him.
That kind of durability is unusual for any skater, and especially for a defenseman taking the pounding that comes with the position. Provorov had looked almost unbreakable. Now the streak is over, at least for the moment.
His absence leaves Columbus even thinner on defense. The Blue Jackets will open the season missing one player from each of their top three pairings, with Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro also on injured reserve. All three are listed week-to-week.
That means the next men up are already in place. Emil Andrae and Carson Soucy are entering the lineup tonight, along with Jake Christiansen, who returns as the seventh defenseman.
Columbus has only six healthy defensemen on the roster right now, and all six will be asked to play tonight. A recall could still happen later, but there isn’t an obvious candidate who makes perfect sense to stash in the press box.
The Cleveland Monsters need bodies too, which complicates the picture. Guillaume Richard could be brought up without waivers, but the feeling is he needs game action.
The same goes for Charlie Elick, who is only 20. Colton White might be the cleanest option, since the 29-year-old veteran has already cleared waivers once this fall.
Much of that depends on how long the injured veterans are expected to be out.
Severson appears to be the closest of the three, though Rick Bowness said he won’t be available for at least the first three games.
For now, the Blue Jackets are forced to keep patching together their back end without one of their most dependable defensemen. Provorov’s ironman run has finally been interrupted, and Columbus will have to find a way through it.
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