Blues hit man Cam Janssen bristles when he hears fans rip his team’s captain, Eric Brewer.

“Eric is a great leader,” Janssen said on “The Sports Edge” Wednesday on KFNS. “He’s a great captain, a great guy in the locker room, a great leader on the ice.

“He’s been playing with an injury the whole time. Fans don’t understand the brutal pain he was dealing with.

“He’s been a warrior.”

Brewer played with a back injury this season, managing his discomfort the best he could. He did a lot of heavy lifting, facing the other side’s best players while logging 25 minutes or more of ice time.

But he couldn’t go on any longer. He finally opted for disc surgery that will sideline him for the bulk of the season.

The Blues have suffered in his absence. The simultaneous loss of Brewer and veteran Jay McKee (broken finger) left Barret Jackman as the sole veteran cornerstone.

Suddenly guys like Roman Polak, Carlo Colaiacovo, Jeff Woywitka and Mike Weaver must carry a bigger load. With the mighty Sharks coming to town next, life won’t get easier for that group or beleaguered goaltenders Manny Legace and Chris Mason.

AROUND THE RINKS: The Wild are putting oft-injured Marian Gaborik winger back on the shelf, making the Minneapolis Star Tribune wonder if the team is keeping him in bubble wrap and it can trade him. He has already missed 27 games this season, so it’s not like the team is lost without him . . . The reeling Senators will come out of the winter break looking to deal for a goaltender and a defenseman to bolster their reeling team. Ottawa is one loss into a difficult eight-game road trip, an excursion which could doom its season. Things are so bad that center Jason Spezza could actually depart in a deal and bring some long-running rumors to life . . . People keep waiting for the Thrashers to deal winger Ilya Kovalchuk, but GM Don Waddell might not survive another sell-off. He could actually look to rent another scorer, hoping to salvage his season . . .  Everybody and their Aunt Judy are bidding on Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, the best blue-liner currently up for bidding . . . Here is Andy Strickland’s take on the current state of the Blues.