Battalion Breakdown is a closer look at the Blue Jackets' past season from a numerical standpoint, starting with the highest jersey number and counting down to the lowest. Today, BlueJackets.com examines Alex Wennberg's season in 2017-18 and how it impacted the season.
Alexander Wennberg
Number: 10
Age: 23
Birthdate: September 22, 1994
Height/Weight: 6-2, 196
Position: Center
Nickname: "Wenny"
Entering this past season, expectations were high for Alexander Wennberg.
After posting a stat line of 13 goals, 46 assists and 59 points in 80 games the year before (2016-17), Columbus hoped Wennberg would provide the same or better in his fourth NHL season.
Early on, he did, posting six points on a goal and five assists - not to mention a plus-6 plus/minus rating - over the first six games in a solid month of October. Things changed quickly in November, though, with a production drop exacerbated by an upper-body injury that was the first of two injuries to slow Wennberg in 2017-18.
The second one happened just before the Christmas, when Wennberg injured his back in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. He missed about a month, eight games, and returned in mid-January - just as rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois emerged as the first-line center.
Wennberg's role was altered for the remainder of the season.
BATTALION BREAKDOWN: Alexander Wennberg
Talented center proved his worth despite scoring slump, multiple injuries.