Blue Jackets News: Patrik Laine update, Adam Fantilli injury, and more

This has been a very bad no good season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were expected to be significantly better than they were a year ago but that has not even been close to the case. 

Now, on Sunday, we were given a bit of news on star goal scorer Patrik Laine. He is going to be stepping away from the team to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

His time away from the team is indefinite while he receives care from them. Once he is cleared by the program administrators, he will be able to join the team for on-ice activities again.

It is good to see that Laine is doing what he needs to do to get better with whatever it is he's dealing with. He is a great player and the Blue Jackets will be a better hockey team with him available.

Laine released a statement on him going to the program. It is clear that he is interested in returning to hockey but his health is the most important thing.

Hockey isn't important when it is being compared to the well-being of a person. With that said, when he returns, he might be able to be an even better player because his mental health is in a better spot. Everyone is rooting for him.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot going on with their team right now

Loss To Seattle Kraken

On Sunday night, the Seattle Kraken hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets are a lottery contender again and the Kraken are on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference.

The game went exactly how it was supposed to go. After the first period, the Kraken were up 3-0. It was a big period for Jordan Eberle who had two of the goals and assisted on the other one.

After no goals were scored in the second period, Yegor Chinakov scored twice in the third to make it a close game. That was until Brandon Tanev threw one into the empty net to ice the win for the Kraken.

Following the loss, the Blue Jackets are 15-24-10 which is good for 40 points. That's good for 28th in the league.

They are also 29th in points percentage so there is no doubt that they are one of the worst teams in the league.

The draft and getting better as an organization is the most important thing for them going forward. A good young group of players has been assembled in the pipeline but it is going to take a while for it to click at the NHL level.

Adam Fantilli Injury

Adam Fantilli was hurt during the loss to the Kraken. It appears to be a lower-body injury for the young star rookie.

The word is that he left the stadium wearing a boot and using crutches. Head coach Pascal Vincent said he was questionable for the next game.

Fantilli has 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 49 games played. He is one of the best rookies in the league right now. Hopefully, the boot and crutches were just precautionary so he can get back as soon as possible.

David Jiricek Update

David Jiricek is not happy with how he has been handled by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was the 6th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and he has developed into one of the best prospects in the world.

He has played in 36 games this season with the Jackets and he has one goal with eight assists for nine points. He believes that he is one of the better defensemen on this team and he wants to get the same respect that some of the other good defensemen from his draft get.

He is right. There is no doubt that he is one of the six best defensemen in their organization right now so he should be playing. What they are doing now certainly won't help his development. We can only hope that it all ends up working out in the end.

Next Game

The Blue Jackets have one more game before the All-Star break. They are going to take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night in St. Louis.