COLUMBUS -- Zach Werenski is expected to miss 1-2 weeks for the Columbus Blue Jackets because of a knee injury.
The defenseman was placed on injured reserve Friday. He left with a quad contusion in his right knee during the second period of a season-opening 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena on Thursday after he was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway at 14:22 and was helped off the ice.
"Hopefully, he's not out too long," defenseman Jake Bean said Friday. "It doesn't seem like he's going to be, so that's nice. We're a deep defensive core. He's obviously a big part of that but we can handle it. Guys are ready to step up and take more minutes."
Hathaway initially received a major penalty for kneeing, but it was reduced to a minor after video review. He was fined $5,000 by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
"He's such a big part of our team, and when somebody like that goes down, you're just kind of thinking how serious it is," Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth said. "He is a big piece of our puzzle so we need him in the lineup every night to help us win games."
Werenski was limited to 13 games last season because of a torn labrum and separated shoulder sustained in a game against the Flyers on Nov. 10, 2022. He had surgery later that month.
"You don't want to see anybody go down but for [Werenski] to battle so hard to get back to the shape he's in now and how he looks on the ice, I was excited for him to get going, so obviously it was a bit of a scare but hopefully it's not too serious," Danforth said
Werenski has 245 points (79 goals, 166 assists) in 417 regular-season games and 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Blue Jackets.
He had one shot on goal in 13:43 of ice time Thursday.
"Obviously you hate to see the best players go out like that," Columbus rookie forward Adam Fantilli said after the game Thursday. "Tough play, didn’t have the puck. A great guy, great player. Hopefully it's not too serious."
Defenseman David Jiricek was recalled from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Friday and scored in a 5-3 win against the New York Rangers on Saturday. It was his first NHL point. The No. 6 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Jiricek played in four games for the Blue Jackets last season.
"It was a little bit disappointing (on being sent down at the end of training camp), but I just wanted to grind in Cleveland and get back as soon as possible and it happened, so I'm happy to be here," he said.
