First, Cam Atkinson. Now, potentially Brandon Dubinsky.
Those are two important pieces of the Blue Jackets' puzzle.
And until Atkinson returned late last week in Arizona, it had been since mid-December that both were in the lineup at the same time. No coincidence, then, that the Blue Jackets have dipped into a midseason swoon and been treading water until one or both were healthy enough to return.
Dubinsky returned to practice yesterday, the team's first activity post-All-Star break. He also answered questions about his absence last week, which the club deemed a "medical evaluation" that caused him to return to Columbus from Las Vegas. He said there's a chance he gets back on the ice tonight against Minnesota, but if not, he's almost a lock to play Friday when San Jose comes to town.
When that happens, it will be huge for the Blue Jackets and head coach John Tortorella, who has had to work with a depleted lineup (and few options) over the last few weeks. Atkinson returned and scored a late-stages game winner in the third period, providing a boost to a forward group that's needed some scoring punch. In Dubinsky's case, his absence has left a similarly-large vacancy at center ice, where they miss his competitiveness, face-off ability and his stabilizing presence at a key position.
Tortorella can now be strategic and measured with his lineup. By all accounts, he's planning to keep his No. 1 line (Pierre-Luc Dubois, Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson) together for tomorrow's game. He's also keeping captain Nick Foligno with Alexander Wennberg and Atkinson, a line that had its ups and downs – but made a couple of big plays – in their last outing.
Where Dubinsky looks to be slotting in is where Columbus could use some help. He skated on a practice line with Matt Calvert on his left and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the right, a move that could benefit Bjorkstrand as much as Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets haven't gotten much consistency out of Bjorkstrand, who mixes flashes of encouraging play in with long stretches of inactivity. Perhaps getting a driver like Dubinsky as his center will ignite Bjorkstrand's game, because his ability to add secondary scoring is important.
So that leaves Boone Jenner – yes, the young alternate captain two years removed from a 30-goal campaign – on the fourth line with Lukas Sedlak and waiver-wire pickup Jussi Jokinen. It's part based on Jenner's play and also part due to the growing depth, but either way, the Blue Jackets need Jenner to be better.
We'll see what the Blue Jackets can do with a strengthened lineup in their first home game post-break tonight, if Dubinsky is able to play. Imagine how much better they could feel about their game if they had two or three lines capable of chipping in?
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