Russell Sits for Columbus

A lower-body injury has now sidelined defenseman Kris Russell but it is being said that the injury is unrelated to a reported knee injury that he had suffered in training camp, rather it being something completely different.  Russell had missed out on practice on Monday and workouts on Tuesday because of this injury, so sitting out on Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks should have come as no surprise.

Russell has played in three games for the Blue Jackets, picking up 1 assist this year.  His ice-time has gone up gradually in the three games that he has played this year, playing just over 18 minutes in the game against Nashville on Sunday.

Until there is word that the injury is more severe, we will definitely be keeping Russell on the list as out day-to-day, which has got to be some kind of silver lining for Stuart, who has Russell in the draft this year.  Stuart is mired down near the bottom of the standings in the draft and is dealing with all sorts of player problems to start the year.  Concussions, suspensions and other miscellaneous injuries have all crept up on Stuart and he now has five players on the list, although Martin Erat has returned from back spasms.  It may not be long before Stuart does find himself in last place.

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