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Dans les coulisses

Injury: Cayden Lindstrom to miss Blue Jackets rookie camp

Let’s look back at the last draft for a moment.

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 draft, there was a lot of speculation about whether the Habs would select Cayden Lindstrom, Ivan Demidov or another player.

In the end, Demidov was chosen by the Habs, who had no say in the selection of Cayden Lindstrom, who had been chosen just before by the Blue Jackets.

Lindstrom was known to be recovering from a herniated disc when the Blue Jackets made him fourth overall, but they drafted him because they believe in him for the long term.

They obviously believe he’ll stay healthy during his years in Ohio.

But the fact remains that, at the moment, Lindstrom is still recovering from his injury. As a result, he won’t be able to take part in the Jackets’ rookie tournament in Buffalo next month.

That’s what reporter Aaron Portzline (who covers the Blue Jackets for The Athletic) reported.

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Because the prospect hasn’t skated enough this summer, and because he’s still bothered by his boo-boos, he’s really not in a position to play games against other rookies.

He will also be limited to the Jackets’ training camp.

It’s worth mentioning that this comes as no surprise to the NHL club, who knew what they were getting into when they chose him. Don Waddell said he wanted to take his time to get his youngster healthy before (probably) sending him back to the WHL.

Game plan? Get him healthy with the doctors in Columbus, get him to sign his entry-level contract and play him once he’s fully healthy – and not before.

After all, in the big picture of his career, the next few months aren’t the most crucial in terms of playing time. The most important thing is for him to rest and heal himself, to ensure that injuries are limited in the future, when he’ll be a major player in the NHL.

We might also mention, in passing, that Demidov was also injured at the draft, but he seems to have recovered adequately from his injuries – although, once again, it’s in the long term that this will be important.

Overtime

– Speak of the devil.

– Things aren’t going well in Boston.

– Who will Filip Zadina sign with?

– Worth watching.