The Blue Jackets have opened up a roster spot, and they needed it.
Columbus announced Thursday that winger Conor Garland has been placed on injured reserve, a move that comes as the club tries to manage a banged-up forward group. The placement is retroactive to November 6th, so Garland has already served the required week and can be activated whenever he’s ready. For now, the Blue Jackets have one open roster slot available.
Garland is dealing with an upper-body injury, and there’s no clear timetable for his return. The 30-year-old is in his first full season in Columbus after arriving from Vancouver last season, but the production hasn’t come with him.
In 15 games, he has not scored and has one assist. That stretches his goal drought to 29 games dating back to last season.
Even with the rough start, Garland’s track record gives Columbus reason to believe there’s more there once he gets healthy. He put up 33 points last season, and over the four years before that, he finished between 46 and 52 points each year.
The injury picture may not stop with Garland, either. Center Sean Monahan left last night’s game with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday, but he’s also been quiet offensively, with one goal and five assists in 16 games.
If Monahan can’t go, Columbus could use the roster spot created by Garland’s IR move to bring up a player from AHL Cleveland.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face Another Rick Bowness Concern
Rick Bowness is stepping aside from the Blue Jackets on a day-to-day basis because of health concerns, another unsettling development for a coach whose recent seasons have already included a medical pause. General manager Don Waddell made the announcement, and the move immediately shifts the day-to-day focus of the bench while Bowness gets the attention he needs away from the rink.
For Columbus, the timing makes this more than a routine staff adjustment. Bowness has now stepped away from coaching for medical reasons for the second time in recent seasons, leaving the club to navigate another stretch without its head coach in the building. The organization has not offered a clear long-term timeline, which only adds to the uncertainty around how long this latest absence could last. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets May Have Found An Unexpected Spark On Defense
The Blue Jackets have been searching for any kind of offensive lift lately, and one of the more interesting sources has come from the blue line. Denton Mateychuk and Jake Christiansen have started to look more comfortable together as a third defensive pairing, with their work on puck movement and breakout plays helping Columbus generate chances in spots where the attack has been hard to find.
Assistant coach Don Granato has taken notice of the way the two have fit into the teams defensive core, a small but meaningful development for a club trying to steady itself. For a team that can use support from anywhere, the emergence of a pairing that can move the puck cleanly and create a little offense gives Columbus something to watch as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face An Uncomfortable Test Against A Team Just As Lost
The Blue Jackets are back home for a Metropolitan Division matchup with Philadelphia, and it arrives with both clubs searching for some kind of spark. Columbus has been fighting through a rough stretch of its own, while the Flyers come in carrying the kind of season that has made every game feel like a referendum on effort, urgency and direction. For the Jackets, it is the sort of meeting that can either steady a wobbling team or expose just how fragile things have become.
Offensive frustration has been the common thread on both sides, and that has only sharpened the attention on key players and the mood in the building. Fans have already made their feelings known about the lack of passion they are seeing, which makes this more than just another division game in November. It is a chance for Columbus to show some life against a team that has been just as hard to watch, even if the bigger question hanging over the night is whether either side can turn the page in any meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]