Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski donned a full-contact sweater in the team's practice on Sunday.
The 26-year-old defenseman hasn't played since Dec. 27 after suffering an ankle against the Devils. In 34 games this season, he's posted 1-24--25, is first on the team in assists, and is tied for second in points. Werenski was expected to miss four-to-six weeks, and Wednesday would mark four weeks since the injury.
Patrik Laine, who hasn't played since suffering a clavicle fracture on Dec. 14, wore a green "extra" jersey at practice, signaling he's further away from a return than Werenski is, as his timetable to return was set at six weeks. In 18 games this season, Laine has posted 6-3--9.
On Friday, Pascal Vincent said that Werenski and Laine will travel with the team on their five-game road trip that begins in Edmonton on Tuesday.
Here are the lines from Sunday's practice:
Italics: Extra Skater
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 59 | Yegor Chinakhov |
| 11 | Adam Fantilli | 38 | Boone Jenner | 96 | Jack Roslovic |
| 91 | Kent Johnson | 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 42 | Alexandre Texier | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 17 | Justin Danforth |
| 52 | Emil Bemstrom | 24 | Mathieu Olivier | 29 | Patrik Laine |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | Damon Severson | 27 | Adam Boqvist |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| 22 | Jake Bean | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 55 | David Jiricek |
The Jackets and Oilers face off at 9 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
