Columbus Blue Jackets land veteran forward off waivers from Vegas
Photo credit: Grand Rapids Griffins
The Blue Jackets have had two big injuries to their forward group in the last week, and now they've found another veteran in Zach Aston-Reese to fill the void.
This past week, the Columbus Blue Jackets have seen young forward Dmitri Voronkov and captain Boone Jenner go down with long-term injuries, and the team quickly moved to replace that production with forward Kevin Lebanc. Now, they've added yet another veteran, this time off waivers in the form of veteran center Zach Aston-Reese, who has over 300 games of NHL experience under his belt.
After landing Aston-Reese this off-season, the Vegas Golden Knights surprisingly placed him on waivers on Sunday, quickly replacing him with Cole Schwindt and Raphael Lavoie on Monday. In Aston Reese, the Blue Jackets will be getting a veteran, defensive-minded forward, although one that has struggled to make a major impact in recent years, with the 30-year-old being a part of five different organizations over the past four years.
When Voronkov and Jenner return, it's hard to see exactly where Aston-Reese will fit into this Blue Jackets lineup, but with a need for veteran leaders around this very young, up-and-coming core, he is definitely the type of player that can help their young centers learn and develop alongside Sean Monahan. Unfortunately, the depth of elite-level talent just isn't there in Columbus at the moment, so the team will likely struggle in 2024/25, and if that continues, expect to see the team opt for the younger players in the lineup over the likes of Aston-Reese, who will have a good shot early in the year to prove his worth.
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