The game of hockey moves very fast – and not just on the ice.
Look back to the 2013-2014 Columbus Blue Jackets roster – the first legitimate playoff year for the club, where fans knew they were watching a team on the rise. Unlike the 2009 team that was being carried on the backs of Rick Nash and Steve Mason.
Ten of the top 15 players in points on that team from few years ago are now playing elsewhere, either retired or on a different squad (not to mention a few coaches).
Of those players, who is still around that currently makes up part the Blue Jackets' core? Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Sergei Bobrovsky, of course. A core that has expanded to the likes of Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and *hopefully* Artemi Panarin.
Here's the curveball that many didn't see coming: Brandon Dubinsky is not a current part of that core. His game has slipped, his role has diminished, and he's looking up the depth chart. This could be hurting the Jackets more than we think.
The man with arguably the best (or most memorable) moment in Blue Jackets history was quickly sent down the totem pole as the team approached the playoffs this past season.
After being a top-six center for much of his time with the club, Dubinsky was bouncing back and fourth between the bottom two lines for a good amount of 2017-2018, recording the least amount of points since his rookie year, when he only played in six games.
It was a tough year all-around for him. He was stripped of his assistant captain role just a few weeks into the season. In December, he suffered a broken orbital bone during a fight. Just a months later, he was sent home during a road trip for reasons that still remain unclear.
This is an important season for the Blue Jackets and for Dubinsky, who needs to reclaim his spot in the lineup – and if he can, it's good news for the team.
Dubinsky was a part of the blockbuster Rick Nash trade in 2012 that shipped off the Jackets' franchise player for a bundle of New York Rangers. Dubinsky, then a 26-year-old spunky center, was ready to prove himself and step into a larger role immediately.
He instantly became a fan favorite, and a key teammate with fearless physical play, vocal leadership and ability to rip off a 40-to-50 point season all at once. In short, Dubinsky was, and still could be, the Draymond Green of the Blue Jackets. A little rough around the edges, but the clear glue to hold the group together.
In the midst of the drama with Panarin and Bobrovsky contract talks and the excitement around developing players like Jones, Werenski and Dubois, Dubinsky has mostly been forgotten, but he shouldn't be. His impact on the Jackets in the past six years has been as much as any other Jacket, next to Bobrovsky and Atkinson.
The now 32-year-old center still has a lot to prove (and give) to the team, and looks like he's ready to rebound. If the Blue Jackets are looking to get over the hump of first-round playoff loses, Dubinsky will need to get back to being an important part of what they do.
