Jackets' Gudbranson to miss significant time after shoulder surgery
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson is expected to miss a "significant amount of time" after undergoing successful shoulder surgery Monday, general manager Don Waddell announced.
The veteran is expected to make a full recovery.
"We know he will work extremely hard during his rehab and will continue to be an important part of our leadership group," Waddell said in a statement.
Gudbranson hasn't played since last Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. He departed the contest after accidentally colliding with teammate Sean Monahan in the neutral zone late in the second period.
The Blue Jackets placed Gudbranson on injured reserve the following day.
The 32-year-old is in his third season with the Blue Jackets after joining the club as a free agent on a four-year, $16-million pact in July 2022.
Gudbranson has recorded four hits and three blocks in three appearances this campaign while averaging 15:46 minutes of ice time per contest.
Columbus has been hammered by injuries in the early stages of the season. Captain Boone Jenner is expected to miss five-to-six months after undergoing shoulder surgery, forward Kent Johnson has no timeline to return from an upper-body ailment, and winger Dmitri Voronkov isn't expected to make his season debut until late November.
The Blue Jackets own a 2-3-0 record and will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.