Jackets' Johnson Now on IR

On Friday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Jack Johnson would miss a couple weeks worth of action, thanks to the upper-body injury he suffered this week.  Johnson was placed on the Injured Reserve on Friday, retroactive to February 22nd, and the Jackets called up defenseman Michael Paliotta to take his spot for the time being.

The Blue Jackets are more in the running for a good NHL draft lottery spot, more than they are looking towards the playoffs here, so auditioning young players is a good thing for this club moving forward.  They may also be in line to be sellers this weekend, as the trade deadline starts to ramp up as well.

Johnson has not had a very productive season, ranking 400th overall in pool scoring, heading into Saturday's action, with only 6 goals and 14 points in 60 games this year.  The Jackets have suffered across the board, especially in the crease, which has lessened the confidence of the team as a whole and one of the leading reasons for poor production.

This injury is definitely a concern for Jeremy, who still sits atop the standings, heading into this big weekend of hockey and trading within the NHL.  His lead has been trimmed down to 2 points this week, but with the lack of production from Johnson, it isn't like he will be missed specifically down the stretch, but no one wants to have injuries, as they defend their lead.  How long can Jeremy hang on?

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