Brandon Dubinsky has been out of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ lineup since he suffered an orbital fracture in a fight a month ago, and a report now claims his season and career could be in jeopardy over a separate issue.
Dubinsky was sent home from the Blue Jackets’ road trip on Tuesday for what the team categorized as personal issues. Sources told Aaron Portzline of The Vertical that those personal issues could threaten Dubinsky’s career.
Blue Jackets spokesperson Todd Sharrock would only say that Dubinsky has left the club infefinitely, but Dubinsky’s agent has denied that the departure has anything to do with disciplinary action. A team source who spoke with George Richards of The Columbus Dispatch refused to comment on the matter.
.@BlueJacketsNHL say Brandon Dubinsky has left team to see a doctor; deny it’s a disciplinary measure although the two sides had a ‘conversation’ before he left for personal reasons. Team will not comment officially on the matter – one source told me “because we can’t.”
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) January 24, 2018
The Blue Jackets were in Las Vegas for a four-day stretch at the time Dubinsky was sent home. As Portzline notes, there was no police report from the Las Vegas Police Department that included Dubinsky’s name. Kurt Overhardt, Dubinsky’s agent, says the issue is a medical one but is not going to threaten his client’s career.
“He was sent home for medical diagnosis,” Overhardt said. “He’s had several injuries this season. The club and my client decided that this was best. There are several issues we’ve been dealing with behind the scenes to get him healthy.”
Dubinsky was disciplined by the Blue Jackets in October when John Tortorella stripped him of his alternate captain’s “A,” though the head coach noted that the decision was based on Dubinsky’s play and not off-ice issues.
