Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski appeared to sustain a serious leg injury after a collision in the second period of Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
The injury occurred after Werenski poked the puck away from Devils forward Ondrej Palat. As Werenski moved to skate the puck back up the ice, his skates clipped Palat’s and he fell awkwardly to the ice.
Werenski had to be helped down the hallway to the locker room by two trainers. The team announced shortly after that he would not return to the game due to a lower-body injury.
Werenski is one of the most important players for the Blue Jackets — and is in the second year of a six-year, $57.5 million contract — but he has dealt with a number of severe injuries in his career. Most recently, he was limited to only 13 games in 2022-23 after undergoing shoulder surgery less than a month into the season.
The 26-year-old Werenski has one goal and 25 points in 34 games this season.