The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Josh Anderson on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. This is Anderson’s second injury of the season. The news came from the team’s Public Relation department earlier Tuesday morning.
TRANSACTIONS: #CBJ have activated D Zach Werenski off Injured Reserve and placed RW Josh Anderson on Injured Reserve.
Anderson is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury suffered on Saturday at Ottawa.https://t.co/tNuyM6p1y2
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) December 17, 2019
Josh Anderson on IR with Should Injury
This injury hurts what is already a bad year for the 25-year-old. Anderson has just one goal on 63 shots and four points in 26 games. He is scoring at a rate of just 1.6 percent. Anderson should have roughly 4-5 goals if he shot close to the team average of 7.5 percent. Additionally, his expected goals per 60 minutes are .93 but he is actual goals per 60 are just .14. There isn’t much to celebrate at all this year.
However, Anderson still has a solid future with the Jackets. His scoring increased each of the past three seasons to a career-high 27 goals and 47 points in 2018-19. Anderson’s ability to both score and check opponents was effective last season. His grit is ideal on a team that features a young core of skilled players including Alexandre Texier and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
What This Means for the Future
The Blue Jackets have activated Zach Werenski from injured reserve to fill the roster spot Anderson leaves open. Expect another move before Columbus’ next game as the team has eight defencemen on the current roster according to CapFriendly. Anderson will return sometime in either January or February before the trade deadline. Columbus is second-to-last in the Metropolitan and could be looking to sell with several players approaching restricted free agency.
This injury is a blow to both the team and Anderson. The Jackets don’t have much depth to call up and this injury damages Anderson’s future with the team. There is no worse time to get hurt for an extended time when a player is already playing terribly in a contract year.
COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 27: Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Josh Anderson #77 skates during warmups before the preseason game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on September 27, 2019. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
