"We're losing a pretty important guy," coach Brad Larsen said Friday. "It's just part of the game."
The forward, who was placed on injured reserve Friday, did not play the final 7:57 of the third period and overtime of a 5-4 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday following a collision with Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram.
"I don't think he realized it when it happened," Larsen said. "I thought he was cramping. I didn't think it was worse than that."
Laine, who had two assists Wednesday, is second on the Blue Jackets with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in nine games (Oliver Bjorkstrand, 13 points; five goals, eight assists).
"You look around the league, this is happening everywhere, whether it's sickness or injury," Larsen said. "In 82 games this is going to happen whether it's sooner or later, so there's some good minutes someone is going to get an opportunity and somebody's going to have to fill it.
"There's guys champing at the bit to do something in that spot."
The Blue Jackets (7-3-0) defeated the Avalanche 4-2 on Saturday. They will host the Washington Capitals on Friday.
NHL independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report
