Oct 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA;  Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski went on injured reserve Friday with a bruised quadriceps muscle and is expected to miss one to two weeks.

In his first game back after suffering a torn labrum last November, Werenski took a knee-on-knee hit from the Philadelphia Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway in Thursday’s season opener. Hathaway was fined $5,000 by the NHL’s department of player safety.

Columbus recalled defenseman David Jiricek, 19, to fill Werenski’s roster spot. Jiricek was a first-round pick (sixth overall) in 2022.

In his eighth season with the Blue Jackets, the 26-year-old Werenski has 245 points (79 goals, 166 assists) in 417 regular-season games and 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 29 playoff games. Columbus selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft.

–Field Level Media