Blue Jackets lose leading scorer Kirill Marchenko in freak accident.

The Columbus Blue Jackets simply can't catch a break this season.

According to a report from Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline, the Blue Jackets have lost the services of young forward Kirill Marchenko after a freak accident that occurred on Sunday night. According to Portzline, Marchenko will now miss significant time as a result of a broken jaw that he suffered while sitting on the Blue Jackets bench.

From Portzline:

The injury occurred with 2:44 remaining in the second period when Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Denton Mateychuk inadvertently sailed a puck out of play and onto the Columbus bench, striking Marchenko on the side of his chin.

That puck would strike Marchenko with enough force to cut him open and unfortunately, after he was taken to a Dallas area hospital for treatment, it was discovered that the puck had struck him hard enough to break his jaw as well. Marchenko is likely to miss the better part of the next two months recovering from an injury of this nature, a devastating blow to a Blue Jackets team that has overcome incredible obstacles this season to find itself in a playoff spot at this stage of the 2024-25 National Hockey League regular season.

The 24 year old Marchenko was on pace for his best ever season in the NHL with 21 goals and 34 assists for a total of 55 points in just 53 games this season. His 21 goals led the team in scoring and he was second in total points behind only teammate Zach Werenski.

There's no sugar coating this latest update, it is a truly devastating blow to a Blue Jackets team that has had to deal with so much already this season.