Young Blue Jackets forward set for lengthy absence after brutal injury

The 2024/25 campaign was set to be another tough one in Columbus, with the team lacking the elite level depth that it takes to compete at the NHL level, and now, they've suffered another brutal injury. According to a report, Dmitri Voronkov, who made his NHL debut with the team just last season will now be on the sidelines for a lengthy period after sustaining an upper body injury during the Blue Jackets pre-season clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

At 24-years of age, there wasn't as much hype around his name as there is for the likes of Adam Fantili, Kent Johnson or Cayden Lindstrom, but in his rookie campaign, Voronkov showed flashes of being a genuine top-six forward. In 75 games, he would go on to tally 18 goals and 34 points, and while there was plenty of room for improvement, he showed that he can be a productive player at the NHL level.

With the additions of Sean Monahan and James Van Riemsdyk, the Blue Jackets were hoping the young core could take the next step around these veterans, but now, there's one less player on display for the team. It's unclear exactly how long he'll be out and whether or not surgery is required, but for now, this is still an unfortunate blow for Columbus and their hopes in 2024/25, as they will now look to another young name to hopefully fill the skates of Voronkov for much of the season.