In a word? Ouch.
Late in Tuesday night's 4-1 preseason win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray went into the corner for a puck battle and came out wincing. If you blinked, you'd have missed what happened.
But on the replay, it didn't look great.
Murray appeared to take a kick to the groin – they're wearing skates and sharp blades, mind you – and was in obvious discomfort as he skated to the Blue Jackets' bench. After a few minutes of discussion with team athletic trainers, Murray tried to stretch out and give it a go, but instead went back to the Blue Jackets dressing room.
He didn't return to the game, but assistant coach Brad Larsen said Murray is expected to be OK.
"He got spun in the corner," Larsen said. "He got kicked in a spot you probably don't want to get kicked. I think he'll be fine, (but) he might need a day or two."
The Blue Jackets are off today and are expected to make cuts from their training camp roster. They'll return to the ice for practice Thursday, with preseason game No. 3 coming up Friday night in St. Louis.
