Yesterday, the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered a loss against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Coming to this game, the home team’s win was expected, but the Blue Jackets wanted those points as they were fighting for that Stanley Cup playoff spot. However, as if the defeat wasn’t the only terrible thing that happened last night, their star forward Kirill Marchenko also suffered an injury.

Whatever happened with the Blue Jackets right winger was extremely unfortunate. And it wasn’t even an on-ice incident where some fingers could be pointed towards a certain player. However, this incident will be worse for the team, which wants to get into those playoff matches in the later months of the NHL season.

So, what actually happened on the rink? With around less than three minutes remaining on the rink of the American Airlines Center, Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk hit the puck that went in the wrong direction. Indeed, it sailed towards his team’s bench, striking Kirill Marchenko on the side of his chin. And this particular hit was so strong that it easily dislocated the forward’s mandible.

Immediately, Marchenko was rushed to a hospital with a towel pressed against his jaws. This terrible update for the Blue Jackets came to the public when, on X, the official profile of B/R Open Ice posted, stating, “Kirill Marchenko broke his jaw after being hit by a puck while sitting on the bench Sunday, according to @Aportzline. Another tough blow for Columbus…” Indeed, the team didn’t have a great game, and this update on their forward will affect them further in the upcoming matches.

From now on, every single match for the Blue Jackets is an essential one. However, the whole team moved to Buffalo on Monday, owing to their game against the Sabres on Tuesday. They have left their star forward behind to recover, but how long will it take? According to various sources, the average time for a broken jaw to heal is around six to eight weeks. And this is purely a disaster for the team.

Even though there’s the 4 Nations face-off in between the months, Marchenko might take longer to heal on his end and come back to his team to play on the rink. With this injury to the star forward, the Blue Jackets now have a ton of players on the sidelines who once formed their main team.

It’s a tough time to be a Blue Jackets fan

During the start of the 2024-25 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets were having a great time. However, as the season progressed, many of their star players suffered from various injuries, making them out of contention for a longer period of time. Indeed, their captain, Boone Jenner, has been out the entire season, following shoulder surgery.

Similarly, during the third game of the season, the Blue Jackets star Erik Gudbranson also went through shoulder surgery and hasn’t been seen on the rink since then. With their captain returning after the 4 Nation face-off, the star defenseman might make a comeback during the month of March, where the stakes will be even higher for the Blue Jackets.

During their last match against the Stars, Marchenko wasn’t the only player who suffered the injury; defenseman Dante Fabbro also got an upper-body injury after Stars forward Mason Marchment gave him a tap on the face from his elbow. The Blue Jackets will be missing many of their star players in the upcoming games, which will be really crucial for them. However, only time will tell how the management acts and if they will be making any vital changes to their main team to chase that Stanley Cup spot.