The Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan and defenseman Erik Gudbranson will make their highly anticipated return to the squad on Monday night in the New York against the Islanders. Both the players missed the action due to their injuries but their comeback will help the Jackets as they have dropped six games on the trot and are fighting to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sean Monahan & Erik Gudbranson return to action
Sean Monahan was out due to a wrist injury he sustained on January 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and suffered a setback on January 25 as he went on to miss the last 28 games. Gudbranson had injured his shoulder on October 15 against the Florida Panthers as he required surgery, which meant that he missed a total of 66 games.
Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason provided with major health update regarding both the players and confirmed after Sunday's practice session that both of them are ready to make a comeback. Jackets reporter Mark Schieg shared Evason's comments on his X account (formerly known as Twitter).
Both are ready to go. No restrictions, Evason reportedly said.
The return of both the veteran players comes at a crucial point for the Columbus as they have 71 points on the board and are four points behind Montreal Canadiens (75 points). They are even chasing the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
The number one centerman for the Jackets is in the first season of his five year contract that he signed for a whopping $27.5 million during the free agency of 2024. On the other hand, the defenseman is in his third season of the contract that he signed in 2022 for a massive amount of $16 million.
Sean Monahan had a fantastic first half of the season
In the first season at the Columbus Blue Jackets, Sean Monahan was at his best as he was putting his A-game on the display. The 30-year-old had recorded 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in the 41 games he featured in. He was also ranked amongst the top 30 in the league scoring prior to his injury.
This was just the second time that Monahan has produced at a point-per-game clip in his 13-year long career. Not just this, his tally of 14 goals is also the most he has scored since the 19 he got during the 2019-20 season.
Sean Monahan will reunite on the top line alongside Kirill Marchenko and Dmitry Voronkov on his wings. The trio showed great chemistry to start of the season as they all produced in the point-per-game range.
Monahan and Gudbranson will return to the lineup on Monday night in New York against the Islanders as the puck drops at 7:30 pm EST at UBS Arena.