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The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed defenseman Zach Werenski in the National Hockey League's COVID-19 protocol, General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. The Blue Jackets have also added goaltender Jean-Francois Berube from the American Hockey League's Cleveland Monsters and goaltender Cam Johnson from the ECHL's Florida Everblades to the team's taxi squad.

Werenski, 24, is the club's top-scoring defenseman with 6-14-20 in 30 games this season. He leads the Blue Jackets and is among NHL leaders in time on ice, averaging 26:34 per game. The club's top pick, eighth overall, at the 2015 NHL Draft, he has registered 71-138-209 and 79 penalty minutes in 365 career NHL games.
Berube, 30, has posted a 9-10-4 record with a 3.30 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 34 career NHL games with the Blackhawks and New York Islanders from 2015-18. He went 3-6-1 with a 3.78 GAA and .894 SV% in 13 contests with Chicago in his most recent NHL action in 2017-18. The Repentigny, Quebec native owns a 123-85-18 record with a 2.59 GAA, .906 SV% and 12 shutouts in 234 career AHL games with the Monsters, Ontario Reign, Hartford Wolf Pack, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Rockford IceHogs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Manchester Monarchs since making his pro debut in 2009-10. Signed by Columbus as a free agent to a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract on Sept. 30, 2021, he is 4-4-3 with a 2.82 GAA, .912 SV% and a shutout in 11 appearances with Cleveland this season.
Johnson, 27, signed a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract extension with the Blue Jackets on July 16, 2021. He had spent the majority of the 2021-22 campaign on the Blue Jackets' taxi squad after signing with the club on Jan. 9, 2021. He ranks fifth in the ECHL in GAA with a 6-3-1 record, 2.11 GAA, .911 SV% and a shutout in 10 appearances with Florida this season. The Troy, Michigan native is 29-14-3 with a 2.24 GAA, .923 SV% and six shutouts in 48 career ECHL contests from 2018-22. He has also gone 11-16-5 with a 3.80 GAA and .873 SV% in 32 career AHL games since making his pro debut at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. The 6-1, 205 netminder finished his four-year college career with a 56-26-12 record, 2.10 GAA, .914 SV% and 12 shutouts in 102 games at the University of North Dakota from 2014-18 and led the team to the 2016 NCAA national championship.

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