Blue Jackets’ Erik Gudbranson out indefinitely with upper-body injury

When speaking to the media on Monday morning, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson is going to miss the team’s home opener against the New Jersey Devils due to an upper-body injury.

Gudbranson was hurt during the Blue Jackets’ game this past Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, leading to him leaving the contest in the third period. Evason hasn’t clarified what exactly is ailing the veteran blueliner, nor how long the team expects Gudbranson to be out of the lineup. Jake Christensen will step up and is expected to play on the third pair with Denton Mateychuk.

In a 7-4 win over the Wild, Gudbranson registered just 11:29 of ice time across 17 shifts, the lowest ice time among any of Columbus’ rearguards. The 33-year-old has played in both of the team’s games thus far, posting an even plus/minus while averaging 13:50 of ice time.

An early-season upper-body injury isn’t what Gudbranson wanted to deal with. Last season, a shoulder injury last October led to surgery for the Ottawa native, keeping him out of action for five months. It limited him to just 16 games during the 2024-25 season, with Gudbranson posting just four assists, while averaging 17:46 of ice time. He hasn’t scored a goal since April 6, 2024.

Gudbranson is in the middle of his fourth season with the Blue Jackets, since he signed with the team as a free agent in July 2022. He’s in the final season of his four-year contract, which has a cap hit of $4 million. The deal also has a modified no-trade clause, in which the player submitted a 10-team no-trade list.

Across 15 seasons, Gudbranson has appeared in 807 NHL regular-season games, scoring 34 goals and 103 assists for 137 points, with another two points in 31 postseason contests.