The Columbus Blue Jackets announced goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will not be on the roster for tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen did not call it a suspension, but the decision clearly is punitive.

"There are certain expectations and values that we have established for our players that define our culture," Kekalainen said. "An incident occurred in which Sergei failed to meet those expectations and values, so we made the decision that he would not be with the team for tonight's game. This is an internal matter and we will have no further comment at this time."

Bobrovsky is in the last season of his contract with the Blue Jackets, and the two sides are not close to negotiating an extension.

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With the Feb. 25 trade deadline approaching, the Blue Jackets, in a scrap to hang onto their playoff spot, are faced with the decision of whether to trade Bobrovsky for future assets or keep him for the playoff run. They have a similar decision with dynamic scorer Artemi Panarin.

Can they afford to get nothing in return if those players leave the team this summer ? Or, is it more important for the franchise to make a playoff run?

With a 2.87 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, Bobrovsky isn’t having his best season, but his numbers are better than back-up goalie Joonas Korpisalo’s statistics (3.29, .889).