Blue Jackets’ top prospect Cayden Lindstrom won’t be playing in the NHL Prospects Challenge next month, said General Manager Don Waddell.
Waddell told Aaron Portzline from The Athletic that Lindstrom is still recovering from a disc herniation and won’t be fully ready for training camp. Although the injury kept him out for much of his draft year, both Waddell and his agent, Daren Hermiston, believe he’s close to returning. The team is being very careful with his recovery to ensure he’s healthy for the long run.
Lindstrom only played 36 games last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers due to his injury but managed to participate in four postseason games. He was a standout player when active, scoring 27 goals in just 32 regular-season games. His impressive stats included 1.44 points per game, second only to Gavin McKenna’s 1.59 on the team. Standing tall at 6-foot-3 and weighing 214 pounds, Lindstrom is known for his physical play—sometimes too physical as shown by his 66 penalty minutes.
Long-Term Health Over Immediate Returns:
Recurring back issues can seriously affect someone who plays like Lindstrom does. Columbus wants him fully healed before he returns to full contact play. “Before we drafted him, we had all of the MRIs and tests,” Waddell shared with Portzline. “He will get better from this, but we need to be cautious.”
Fans might think it’s smart that they’re not rushing him back too soon.
This injury probably means he won’t make the NHL roster right out of camp this year. Waddell has experience letting prospects develop slowly; he did so during his six years as GM of the Hurricanes. It seems likely Lindstrom will spend another season with Medicine Hat rather than jumping into NHL action without proper preparation.
Interestingly, despite being picked No. 4 overall in June by the Blue Jackets, Lindstrom hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet—a delay unrelated to his injury according to Waddell who expects it’ll happen during training camp.
What do you think about their cautious approach?
