Marian Gaborik has been unable to stay healthy on a consistent basis during his NHL career, which is too bad because when he’s able to play, the 31-year-old winger is one of the most talented goal scorers in the league.
It appears that his lack of durability is an issue again because the Columbus Blue Jackets will be without Gaborik for 4-6 weeks after he suffered a knee injury in his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post-Dispatch first reported the news, and also offered a take on the veteran’s future with the club beyond the 2013-14 season.
[tweet https://twitter.com/Aportzline/status/401474127581560832 align=”center”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/Aportzline/status/400982915695144961 align=”center”]
Columbus ranks 20th in the NHL with 2.5 goals scored per game, and losing their best offensive player isn’t going to help the club improve on the Eastern Conference’s third-worst record (6-10-2). Gaborik, an unrestricted free agent after this season, is third on the team in scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists).
The Blue Jackets are also without top-six winger Nathan Horton, who was the team’s marquee free-agent signing in the summer. He’s still recovering from offseason surgery.
Thumbnail photo via @BlueJacketsNHL