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Blue Jackets’ Prout to miss six weeks after abdominal surgery

Dalton Prout

Columbus Blue Jackets’ Dalton Prout plays against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL hockey game Sunday, Mar. 31, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

AP

After an impressive rookie season, Columbus’ Dalton Prout is going to have to wait to show what he’s made of this season.

The Blue Jackets announced Prout would miss the start of preseason after undergoing abdominal surgery. GM Jarmo Kekalainen cleared up what was going on with the 23-year-old defenseman.

“Dalton has been experiencing some soreness for a number of weeks and after initial tests indicated a muscle strain, we discovered this week that there was actually a small tear and that surgery would be his best option,” said Kekalainen. “They typical recovery time for an injury like this is six weeks, so our hope is he will be ready by the start of the regular season.”

That six week timeline times out to put him back in action in late September, just in time for the start of the regular season.

The question for Prout is how this affects his ability to compete for a starting job. With four spots likely spoken for (Jack Johnson, James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin, and Nikita Nikitin) he’ll be up against 2012 first-round pick Ryan Murray and Tim Erixon for the final two spots.

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