Blue Jackets lose their captain in freak accident.

My heart really does go out to the Columbus Blue Jackets organization as it seems like they simply cannot catch a break.

As all of you reading this will already know, the Blue Jackets are entering what will undoubtedly be one of the most difficult seasons in franchise history following the tragic loss of star forward Johnny Gaudreau earlier this summer, and now they will have to face that challenge without their captain for a significant portion of the season.

Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner was injured this past Friday when, in a freak accident, he lost an edge during a routine skating drill and crashed awkwardly into the boards. The news following the injury didn't sound great, but comments made by National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman on Monday morning make the situation sound rather dire for Jenner and the blue Jackets.

"I don't like what I'm hearing," said Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast. "I don't like what I'm hearing, it sounds like a pretty significant injury. I feel terrible for Jenner and I feel terrible for the Jackets who have been through an awful time as of late for a lot of different reasons."

Friedman also touched on the freakish nature of the incident that led to the injury, while again reiterating that he expects we won't see Jenner back on the ice for quite some time.

"It's such a fluke play, you fall into the boards during practice," said Friedman. "I just feel terrible for both him and the organization because it sounds like it's going to be quite a while."

It will be interesting to see how the Blue Jackets will navigate this scenario with another huge hole to fill in their lineup, but you can't help but feel bad for a team, organization and the players who have already been through so much before their regular season even gets underway.

No timeline has been established as of yet for Jenner's recovery with the Blue Jackets captain expected to meet with specialists this week.