Jones feels lucky he won't be out longer for Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- Seth Jones, who will be out 4-6 weeks for the Columbus Blue Jackets with a sprained right knee, said he feels fortunate the injury was not more severe.

"I'm thankful it wasn't as bad as it could have been," the defenseman said Thursday, two days after he strained his medial collateral ligament in the second period of a 4-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres in the Kraft Hockeyville USA game at Clinton Arena in Clinton, New York. "Still, it [stinks] that I'm missing the start of the season with the guys and not being able to be around.
"It could be a lot worse. You see Corey Perry and what happened. Same thing with me. He had an MCL and a couple of other things in there."
Perry, the Anaheim Ducks forward, had surgery Wednesday to repair the MCL and meniscus in his right knee and is expected to be out five months. He was injured during warmups before a 4-2 preseason win against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.
A four-week absence would mean Jones could return by Oct. 25 and miss eight games. A six-week recovery means he would miss 15 games and be back Nov. 9.

Jones said the injury occured when he was trying to join the rush and got hip-checked along the boards.
"It was an unfortunate play," he said. "I can't tell you how many times it's happened. You kind of get by the guy halfway, he hits the upper body.
"I kind of felt it. You know when it's inside the knee instead of something that's minor on the outside. I didn't have a great feeling skating off the ice, but I was a little hopeful the news would be better than four weeks."
The Blue Jackets planned to use their final two preseason games to find their sixth defenseman, but Jones' injury, and a groin injury sustained by Ryan Murray last week, has left Columbus unsettled one week before its season opener, at the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 4.
"It gives other guys opportunities as we try to find who our six are," coach John Tortorella said. "We've been evaluating all camp."
Dean Kukan, Adam Clendening, Scott Harrington and
Gabriel Carlsson
could make the NHL roster instead of playing for Cleveland of the American Hockey League.
The top pair had been set with Jones and Zach Werenski, who will make his preseason debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, his first game since having shoulder surgery May 3.

David Savard and Markus Nutivaara were the likely second pair, and Murray, whose return is unknown, was the fifth defenseman.
Finding a sixth is a lot easier than trying to replace Jones.
"It's a big blow to our team," Savard said. "He's our top guy. He's an unbelievable defenseman.
"Everyone has to play a better game. We'll try to get some offense from different ways. The forwards are going to have to help out a little bit more and score some more. He's a big part of our offense, the power play, and even 5-on-5 he's great to watch."
Jones had 57 points (16 goals, 41 assists) and was plus-10 last season, each an NHL career high. His 16 goals tied a Blue Jackets record for most in a season by a defenseman (Werenski also scored 16 last season), and was named to the second NHL All-Star team.
"If everyone steps up a little bit more and works hard each night we're going to be OK," Werenski said. "He's one of the best defensemen in the League, it's hard to replace him, but we have a good [defense] corps."
The Blue Jackets will breathe a little easier if Werenski passes his first test against the Penguins.
"He needs to get banged around a little bit," Tortorella said.
It hasn't been decided if Werenski will play in the preseason finale, at the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.