Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan expected to be out until March after setback

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Sean Monahan, who has centered one of the NHL’s best lines and been an invaluable veteran presence for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, is expected to be out of the lineup until mid-late March after suffered a setback in his recovery from a wrist injury, a team source said The athletic.

The Blue Jackets were hopeful Monahan’s right wrist, injured Jan. 7, would heal quickly and he would miss a few weeks. But a recent medical check revealed no significant improvements and doctors have now projected a longer recovery timeline of another six to eight weeks.

That suggests the earliest Monahan could return is March 7, which happens to be the day of the NHL trade deadline. If it takes him eight weeks, he would be back on March 21. Either way, Monahan, 30, will almost certainly miss the March 1 Stadium Series Game vs. The Red Wings at Ohio Stadium.

Monahan was injured during a 4-3 shootout win at Pittsburgh when he was checked by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

It’s another injury blow for the Blue Jackets, who have played the entire season without captain Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery) and for the past two months without speedy winger Yegor Chinakhov (upper body). Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson (shoulder surgery) has been out since the third game of the season.

Monahan, who signed a five-year, $5.5 million free agent contract with the Blue Jackets last summer, has been everything the club hoped he would be and more.

With Monahan at center, the Blue Jackets have had one of the league’s top lines, with Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko flanking him on the wings. In 41 games, Monahan has 14 goals, 27 assists and 41 points along with a plus-17 rating. He has also won 51.5 percent of faceoffs.

Not only has Monahan elevated his Russian linemates—Marchenko has 19 goals, 33 assists and an NHL-best plus-28 rating, while Voronkov has 18 goals and 15 assists—but he’s been a huge help to Young Forwards Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and others just finding their way in the league.

In recent weeks, both Fantilli and Johnson have raved about Monahan’s continued influence, how he’s helped them learn to play with more patience and responsibility in the defensive zone and shown all of the Jackets’ young players how to prepare for games and practices.

The tutelage has paid off.

Since Monahan was injured, Fantilli, just 20, has moved up to No. 1 line and saw his game wake up, especially offensively. In the last nine games, including the Jan. 7 win over Pittsburgh that Monahan left early, Fantilli has six goals and five assists in nine games.

On Wednesday, in a 5-1 win over Toronto, Fantilli had his first NHL hat trick, capping a career night in his hometown with nearly 100 friends and family in attendance.

The Blue Jackets got a boost on Saturday when Jenner joined the group for a morning skate at Nationwide Arena. He is expected to practice with the club next week before they leave on a four-game road trip, but will be kept out of heavy contact drills for the short term, General Manager Don Waddell said.

Jenner is not expected to return until after the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. But his return is good news for a club in need, especially with the extended absence of Monahan.

The Monhan injury could also lead to an extended NHL stay for Luca del Bel Belluz, who has been a lineup fixture for nearly three weeks now. In eight games playing a second- and third-line role, Del Bel Belluz has two goals, four assists and a plus-2 rating.

Required reading

• Blue Jackets’ back-to-back streak continues with lopsided loss to Hurricanes

• Blue Jackets end a decade’s worth of misery in Pittsburgh, but lose Monahan to injury

• Sean Monahan, thrives in Blue Jackets, hopes to honor Johnny Gaudreau’s legacy: ‘You feel his presence’

(Photo by Sean Monahan: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)