And so it begins.
Following their first preseason game on Tuesday night, the Blue Jackets made their first cuts from their 59-man training camp roster. LWs Luke Kirwan and Trent Fox, RW Justin Brazeau, defensemen Stephen Desrocher, Médric Mercier and Nate Billitier were released from their tryouts, according to the team.
That leaves 53 players in camp: 30 forwards, 18 defensemen and five goalies.
The Blue Jackets also announced on Wednesday afternoon that center Sam Vigneault, who made his preseason debut with the team against Chicago the night before, will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with a broken finger.
Vigneault was signed by the Blue Jackets as a free agent out of Clarkson University this spring. He spent time with the Cleveland Monsters at the end of the season and was part of the team's roster at the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City earlier this month. Vigneault attended Blue Jackets development camp in 2016 (as an invite) and in 2017.
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