Sweden v Slovakia - Ice hockey, Eishockey World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft Czechia. Victor Olofsson, Isac Lundestrom, and Fabian Zetterlund are playing during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship semi-final, Sweden vs. Czechia match in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 25, 2024. Prague Czech Republic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xFotoxOlimpikx originalFilename:jastrzebowski-swedenvs240525_npiS5.jpg
Sweden v Slovakia - Ice hockey, Eishockey World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft Czechia. Victor Olofsson, Isac Lundestrom, and Fabian Zetterlund are playing during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship semi-final, Sweden vs. Czechia match in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 25, 2024. Prague Czech Republic PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xFotoxOlimpikx originalFilename:jastrzebowski-swedenvs240525_npiS5.jpg
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to start their season without Isac Lundestrom on the roster, as the center has just gone through Achilles surgery.
“Isac Lundestrom had surgery on his Achilles injury, and all went well according to the team,” the Hockey Writer’s Mark Scheig’s X post read on July 19, 2026. “For now, they anticipate an early November return. That’s good news considering what it could have been.”
The 26-year-old reportedly sustained the injury during offseason practice. This marks the second major Achilles injury of his career, as he tore his left Achilles tendon during offseason training in 2023.
Isac Lundestrom SWE Nr. 37 in the semi final match SWEDEN - CZECHIA 3-7 of the IIHF Ice hockey, Eishockey World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft in Prague, Czechia, May 25, 2024, Season 2023/2024
Isac Lundestrom SWE Nr. 37 in the semi final match SWEDEN - CZECHIA 3-7 of the IIHF Ice hockey, Eishockey World Championship, WM, Weltmeisterschaft in Prague, Czechia, May 25, 2024, Season 2023/2024
However, the return timeline remains unclear despite Scheig’s announcement. According to Blue Jackets beat reporter Abdullah Imran of Clutchpoints, General Manager Don Waddell referred to two medical evaluations. One affirms a November return; the other suggests a longer absence.
In the 2025-26 season, Lundestrom appeared in 68 games and posted 4 goals and 12 points. He was picked 23rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2018 draft and played 7 seasons there before joining the Blue Jackets last season.
The previous Achilles injury significantly hampered his production as he went from scoring 29 points in the 2021-22 season for the Ducks to 11 points in 2023-24. And frustration looms this time too.
Isac Lundestrom on His Injury
The 2026-27 season would mark the final year of his 2-year, $2.6M contract with the Blue Jackets, and this season’s performance will decide the course of the next summer. This explains the center’s frustration with the situation.
“During a training session, I felt a sharp pain in my right foot,” Lundestrom told Norbottens-Kuriren, a newspaper in Lulea, Sweden, as reported by Columbus Dispatch writer Brian Hedger. “Shortly afterwards, it became clear that my Achilles tendon had ruptured.”
“I hardly know any other hockey player who has had this happen to them. And the odds of it happening twice are (rare),” he added. “It felt like a nightmare, and I have been both sad and angry.”
Time will tell when exactly Lundestrom will be back in action and how packed that action will be.
What are your predictions for his season? Let us know in the comments.
Follow NHL Fan Central for more
Written by
Deblina Roy