COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ryan Johansen had his first practice with his teammates one day before the season-opening game against the Sabres in Buffalo on Thursday. While he wants to play, the jury is still out on whether he'll draw into the lineup versus the Sabres.
"I feel good," he said. "I haven't played any preseason games or skated with the team, but it's definitely a level up from the major junior team in Vancouver (that he trained with). I'll get up to speed as quick as I can. But, I feel pretty good right now."
He skated with Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno on his wings during practice.
"It's getting used to (playing) with the guys again. They threw Cam up with me and I've played with Foligno a lot before. It's just adjusting to Cam on the right side a little bit."
With his teammates giving him a bit of good-natured grief, it's a relief to the room to have him back with the mounting list of injured players prior to opening night. Head coach Todd Richards admitted that Johansen is behind where his teammates are and wants him to catch up to the rest as quickly as possible.
"He got out on the ice and there's some work that needs to get done there," said Richards, "both in systematic play and getting him on the same page. When you miss some important time, you've got to catch up."
Asked if Johansen will play on Thursday, Richards was non-committal: "I know he's going to want to play. But, as coaches and the organization, we've got to make the right decision."
Dubinsky out six weeks
Todd Richards confirmed that Brandon Dubinsky, out indefinitely as of Tuesday, had abdominal surgery Wednesday morning and will miss the first six weeks of the season.
"Brandon had surgery this morning in Philadelphia. He had abdominal surgery," said Richards. "We're expecting to miss him for about six weeks. It's a big blow (to the team). But again, I feel good about this group. Other players are going to get great opportunities."
The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers at the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia, PA.
Asked if this was a pre-existing condition with Dubinsky, Richards said, "Maybe he tweaked something, it might have been pre-existing, and it just led to this."
The adversity this team has faced this offseason is off the charts. Nathan Horton (back), Boone Jenner (hand), Ryan Murray knee) and Dubinsky (abdomen) are all on Injured Reserve to start the season.
Opening night/home opener
The Blue Jackets travel to Buffalo to start the season against the Sabres. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Be sure to catch the pre and postgame shows on FOX Sports Ohio. The pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. After the game, the return of "Three Takeaways" will be posted to the Fox Sports Ohio website.
Saturday, October 11, is the home opener for Columbus. FOX Sports Ohio will have a special one-hour pre-game show that starts at 6 p.m.
