Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson is undergoing shoulder surgery

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson underwent successful surgery to repair an injured shoulder on Monday, October 21, Don Waddell, the club's president of hockey operations and general manager, announced today. Gudbranson suffered the injury on October 15 against Florida and was placed on injured reserve on October 16.

“Erik had successful shoulder surgery on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery,” Waddell said. “Although he will miss a lot of time, we know he will work extremely hard during his rehab and continue to be an important part of our leadership group.”

The 32-year-old Gudbranson has 34 goals and 99 assists for 133 points with 841 penalty minutes in 792 career games for the Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers. He was traded to the Blue Jackets prior to the 2022-23 season and has amassed 7-32-39 and 133 penalty minutes in 151 games for the club. The 6-5, 222-pound Ottawa, Ontario native was selected by Florida in the first round, third overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Columbus returns to action tonight when the club hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nationwide Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage on FanDuel Sports Network begins with the Blue Jackets live pre-game show starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will also be heard on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, and online at BlueJackets.com.