Last summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets made a major splash in the free agent market when they signed Nathan Horton to a seven-year $37.1 million deal. At the time it was known that Horton needed shoulder surgery and would miss about half of the first season of that deal. However, to get a power forward of Horton’s talents, the Blue Jackets were willing to be without him for the first half-season of the seven year deal. Horton ended up playing 36 games, scoring 5 goals and 19 points for the Jackets last year.
Now it appears that Nathan Horton will again be on the shelf for significant time. Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Puck Rakers that Horton has a degenerative back condition, and he will be out indefinetely.
Kekalainen today reiterated that Horton’s injury is one that the club believes can be remedied by a continued course of core strengthening. It is not clear when Horton might be able to resume hockey activities, and no one with knowledge of the injury has ventured to even guess at a timetable.
“It’s about getting stronger and managing the pain by getting stronger in the core. Then your back gets stronger and the pain will go away. (He) is the only person that really knows where he is at and how much pain there is involved. It’s impossible for anybody else to know what he is going through right now. He is suffering.”
Kekalainen also stated that “(Horton) is probably more frustrated than anybody right now as far as trying to find a way to get stronger and get back to being able to play again.”
The injury puts some serious doubt on the play the Jackets can expect in the remaining six years of Horton’s contract. Thats more long-term thinking though, in the short term Ryan Johansen is still holding out, and that creates some serious questions about the Blue Jackets offense early in the year.
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