Cam Atkinson spoke with the media on Wednesday discussing the upcoming season. He talked about being a core member of this Blue Jackets team and also weighed in on Artemi Panarin and his situation.
On roster turnover:
“You don’t want the turnover, like we have had in the past. We have the same core guys coming back the last couple years. It just goes to show we’re part of the process and future plans. They expect us to win, and we all take pride in that. The last couple of years were close, obviously not close enough but leave the little pieces to Jarmo and he always does a good job at bringing in guys that fit the right spot in certain situations. It’s good to be part of that core.”
The Blue Jackets had very little roster turnover this off-season; as of now, no changes to their core have been made, as all changes have been to supplementary players. They lost all of their trade deadline acquisitions in Ian Cole, Mark Letestu and Thomas Vanek as well as mainstay veterans Matt Calvert and Jack Johnson.
Vanek and Cole played very well down the stretch, but neither had large roles on the team. Jarmo Kekalainen did a good job in free agency bringing in Anthony Duclair and Riley Nash to help replace what was lost. No one was brought in on defense, but young players like Gabriel Carlsson and Dean Kukan have the opportunity to fight for that sixth defenseman spot.
Here's Atkinson on Panarin and his situation:
“Him and I built a really good relationship last year, we sit next to each other at home and on the road, so there’s that comfort level where him and I talk all the time, being line mates helps as well too. I just want to make him feel as comfortable as can be anyway I can help out in that aspect of it. There’s no question he’s a hell of a player we definitely love him here, the fans love him. Hopefully everything works out.”
This isn’t something we saw much of last season: Panarin and Cam’s friendship off the ice. We are seeing it now in the early goings of training camp. On the ice, there was no question these two had instant chemistry. Of Atkinson’s 46 points, 25 of them involved Panarin.
These two made each other better; at 5-on-5, they played 548:16 minutes together and had a 56.53% Corsi, per Natural Stat Trick. In 354:10 apart from Panarin, Atkinson was at 45.30%. This is what Panarin does – everyone who played significant minutes with him this season played much better with him on the ice than without.
Atkinson knows exactly what Panarin is going through, having dealt with that last season.
“There are only so many times in your career where you are in the driver’s seat. He’s in a very unique situation, similar to what I was last year, but I knew that I wanted to be here. Not that he doesn’t want to be here, but everyone’s decisions are their own decision and that’s the business part of it. Whatever he decides to do, I already told him I'll respect him and still love him like a brother. Obviously I am going to do whatever I can in my power, without getting on my hands and knees to say stay here. I don’t need to address him anymore than I have about 'hey we need you,' 'cause it’s no secret we do. It’s just getting a comfort level with him and bringing awareness to the city again and how much he does love the city and being here.”
Atkinson experienced firsthand the struggles a player can go through when trying to negotiate a contract mid-season. Atkinson had a very poor start to 2017-18 for a number of reasons, but you have to think that contract negotiations were on his mind. In his first 16 games of the season, Atkinson had just six points. After signing an extension on Nov. 17, he finished the season with 40 points in 49 games.
With the contract extension off his mind, Atkinson had the comfort level he wanted and was able to focus on the year ahead.
“It’s great the fact that I’m here for hopefully seven years, that comfort level, it definitely gives you a little bit more motivation to work that much harder. It’s no secret I wanted to start my career here and finish it, so I hope that works out. We have something special here and I want to be a part of it.”
It sounds like Atkinson realizes he had a down year relative to his standards. After a 53-point and 62-point season, 46 just isn’t up to par. And sure, he was injured this past season only playing 65 games, but health has been a strength of his. From 2013-14 to 2016-17 Atkinson played in 320 games, only missing eight over those four seasons.
This is a durable player who's expected to produce, and it's reasonable to think we'll see more of that version of Atkinson this season.
