Columbus acquired Heinen off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins last week and reported to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 30-year-old NHL veteran of 579 career games has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 13 games.
Werenski has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on December 20th, but will likely return from a two-week absence on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 28-year-old Werenski is having another outstanding season from the Blue Jackets' blueline, leading his team with 40 points (14G / 26A) through 35 games.
Smith has been a regular for the Blue Jackets since making his debut several weeks ago, but did not play on Wednesday due to a lower-body injury and is expected to sidelined for an extended period. The 36-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:05 time-on-ice and has two assists in 15 games.
Zamula had been in and out of the lineup for the Flyers all season and he will hope to find more stability on the blueline with the Penguins. The 25-year-old defenseman averaged 14:02 time-on-ice and recorded one assist in 13 games with the Flyers.
The Blue Jackets have repeatedly shown their lack of trust towards Elvis Merzlikins in recent weeks, and will do so again on Wednesday, turning to Greaves for the seventh time in the last eight games. The 24-year-old Greaves has been excellent lately, posting a 1.34 GAA and .949 SV% in his last three games (3-0-0). He has a 2.60 GAA and .909 SV% in 25 games this season (11-9-5). The Blue Jackets enter Wednesday's contest as -123 home favorites against a struggling New Jersey Devils team that was defeated 4-0 by the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday.
Brendan Smith (lower body) will not play on Wednesday, allowing Mayo to enter the lineup. Mayo played one game with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, but has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 19 games with the Cleveland Monsters.
Smith has been a regular for the Blue Jackets since making his debut several weeks ago, but will not play on Wednesday due to a lower-body injury. The 36-year-old defenseman is averaging 11:05 time-on-ice and has two assists in 15 games. Dysin Mayo will draw into the lineup as Smith's replacement.
Mayo played one game with the Blue Jackets earlier this season, but has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has seven points (2G / 5A) in 19 games with the Cleveland Monsters. The Blue Jackets placed Isac Lundestrom on Injured Reserve in a corresponding move.
Monahan was a last minute scratch on Monday after taking full part in warmups. Zach Aston-Reese will draw into the lineup in his place.
The Blue Jackets have repeatedly shown their lack of trust towards Elvis Merzlikins in recent weeks, and will do so again on Monday, turning to Greaves on back-to-back nights. The 24-year-old Greaves was solid in yesterday's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%). He has a 2.66 GAA and .907 SV% in 24 games this season (10-9-5).
With healthy bodies returning to Pittsburgh's lineup, Heinen was placed on waivers with the intention of being assigned to the AHL, but has instead been sent to the Columbia Blue Jackets via trade. The 30-year-old Heinen has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he scored an impressive 17 points (6G / 11A) in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (AHL).
With healthy bodies return to Pittsburgh's lineup, Heinen was placed on waivers and will be reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). Before being called up in November, Heinen was having a tremendous run at the AHL level, with 17 points (6G / 11A) in 12 games.
Werenski was not on the ice for Saturday's practice and remains day-to-day with the lower-body injury that he suffered last Saturday. He will not play on Sunday vs. the Islanders, which makes him questionable heading into next week when the Blue Jackets have four games on tap. He was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to December 20th, so he is eligible to return to the lineup at any time.
Greaves has been the go-to netminder for the Blue Jackets over the past several weeks, and it appears that trend will not change after returning from the Holiday Break. The 24-year-old Greaves has been solid in his first full-time NHL season, posting a 2.69 GAA and .906 SV% in 23 games (9-9-5). He was excellent in his previous game, saving 23 of 24 shots (.958 SV%) in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Werenski was not on the ice for Saturday's practice and remains day-to-day with the lower-body injury that he suffered last Saturday. He will not play on Sunday vs. the Islanders, which makes him questionable heading into next week when the Blue Jackets have four games on-tap.
