Columbus Blue Jackets Dealt Huge Blow Losing Leading Goal-Scorer Kirill Marchenko After Freak Incident

The Columbus Blue Jackets have really turned things around as of late, and despite a slow start to the season, they're currently sitting in the Eastern Conference's second wild card spot.

Unfortunately, the team has now been dealt a massive blow with the news that they are losing their leading goal-scorer after an incident that is about as freak as they come.

On Monday, the Blue Jackets announced that Kirill Marchenko was being placed on injured reserve and that he will be out indefinitely after suffering a broken jaw on Sunday against the Dallas Stars.

It turns out that while the injury occurred during the game, it didn't happen while Marchenko was on the ice.

Instead, Marchenko's broken jaw was the result of a puck that hit him while he was sitting on the bench.

The Athletic's Aaron Portzline tweeted out some details about the repairs Marchenko needed, which involved metal plates and screws.

That's a huge loss for Columbus especially as several other players are out with injuries for varying lengths of time including Zach Werenski, Erik Gudbranson, Sean Monahan, and Boone Jenner.

Now, one silver lining here is that we're almost to the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off which will give those not taking part about two weeks to heal up, and, perhaps more importantly, those who aren't hurt can stay healthy.

However, after the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Jackets have another big date on their calendar and that's their Stadium Series game against the Detroit Red Wings, the franchise's first trip outdoors ever.

Of course, you want guys healed up for a special game like this, but unlike the Winter Classic which was a real "Who cares?" fest given the current state of the teams involved, the Blue Jackets and Red Wings are even on points and are both in wild card spots.

This means that the Stadium Series game could carry some pretty major playoff implications.