Blue Jackets' Kent Johnson: Sidelined indefinitely

Johnson will be out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, the Blue Jackets announced Thursday.

The club didn't provide a significant update on Johnson's timeline but the fact that it used the term indefinitely certainly doesn't suggest he's facing a short-term absence. The 21-year-old center is currently mired in a 19-game goal drought during which he's managed just three assists and 29 shots while averaging 13:35 of ice time. Unless Alexandre Texier (illness) is ready to play, the Jackets will presumably need to recall a forward from AHL Cleveland ahead of Thursday's clash with Carolina.