Cam Atkinson's got six goals so far this season. Not great, right?
And not near the level of production the Blue Jackets have come to expect from the 29-year-old sniper, who signed a seven-year contract extension earlier this season. His down year, coupled with a tough year on the injury front, has contributed to the Blue Jackets' up-and-down start.
They're not scoring like they did a year ago. They're not owning the special teams battle, either, though their power play has started to awaken from a DFL slumber over the season's first half. But somehow, the Blue Jackets are hanging around in the Metropolitan Division. They're in second place as of today but don't play again until Thursday, and in the meantime, it's likely the standings will change with other teams around them in action.
But for now, back to Atkinson.
Even though his season hasn't been dazzling, this is a player with a proven track record of putting the puck in the net. Every year, he's gotten better. Not many players can say they continually improved between the ages of 26-29, but that's what Atkinson has done. He suffered a foot injury on Dec. 23 vs. Philadelphia and hasn't played since, leaving a 4-to-6 week recovery period post-surgery that's coming up on its front end.
It's unreasonable to pencil Atkinson back in the mix until early February, at this rate. He hasn't yet skated or practiced with the team, and with the Blue Jackets facing a light schedule for the rest of the month, they have the luxury of bringing him along slowly.
When he's back, though, he could seriously help.
It's almost like a trade deadline acquisition; Atkinson scores 25-30 goals per season and you'd like to think his shooting statistics will improve in the near future. He's going to play a top-six role, see plenty of power play time and be put in positions to score.
All it takes is one to get him going, and if Atkinson can reawaken in the second half, the Blue Jackets will be in top shape.
LAST TEAM STANDING
The Blue Jackets are one of the NHL's best teams when it comes to winning games beyond regulation. As of Monday, they're the league's top overtime team.
Edmonton's 3-2 OT win in Las Vegas on Saturday gave the Golden Knights their first loss in 3-on-3, meaning the Blue Jackets (7-0) are the last undefeated OT team left. John Tortorella spoke at length last week – after his team rallied for a win in Toronto – that he's not interested in coaching overtime. He wants to he players to be instinctive and aggressive, two factors that have served the Blue Jackets well.
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