Marian Gaborik had missed the last 17 games with a sprained left knee. Playing his first game back, he lasted less than one period before a new injury has put him back on the shelf. The Blue Jackets star winger suffered a broken collarbone in the first period of Columbus’ game with the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.
Gaborik was driving through the middle of the ice and trying to get a shot on the Flyers net when he was hit by Zach Ronaldo and Braydon Cobourn. He immediately skated off the ice and to the Blue Jackets dressing room where the extent of the injury was discovered.
Gaborik did pick up an assist on the play. While his shot went wide of the net, Nick Foligno picked up the puck and passed to Ryan Johanssen who scored on the play.
The 31-year-old Gaborik has five goals and 12 points in 18 games so far this season. In 787 career NHL games he has 341 goals and 345 assists for 686 career points.
Gaborik is in the last year of the of the 5-year $37.5 million contract he signed with the New York Rangers in the summer of 2009. He was acquired at the trade deadline last season in a blockbuster multi-player deal.
The team said that Gaborik will be out indefinitely.
The Blue Jackets continue to be without their two highest paid players, as fellow winger Nathan Horton has not yet played a game for Columbus as he is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. The Blue Jackets signed Horton to a 6-year $24 million deal this past summer.
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