"Goaltender Mark Dekanich, signed last summer to back up Steve Mason, might never play a game for the Blue Jackets.

Dekanich had surgery earlier this week to repair a torn ligament or tendon in his right ankle, general manager Scott Howson said, and will miss the rest of the season.

"We really liked his game. We thought he was ready to emerge this season," Howson said. "But we never got a chance to see him healthy and playing this season. It's been a very difficult year for him. Just really, really tough all the way around."

Dekanich was injured in the first period of the Blue Jackets' exhibition opener when he got caught in a pileup outside the net.

On Nov.?13, while beginning a rehabilitation stint with minor-league Springfield, Dekanich suffered a pulled groin in pregame warm-ups and was out for six more weeks. On Jan. 7, he finally made his season debut, and it was hoped that he would join the Blue Jackets for the final two months of the season.

But on Jan. 21, after giving up four goals on nine shots and getting pulled after one period, Dekanich told Springfield coaches that his right ankle didn't feel right. In five games with the Falcons, he was 1-2-1 with a 4.00 goals-against average and .867 save percentage, but it was hardly a fair assessment of his play."