Columbus Blue Jackets Cam Atkinson Still Hasn’t Touched His Ceiling
Columbus Blue Jackets fans should be buzzing at the thought that their 28-year old right-winger’s best seasons are still ahead.
You could hear the contract cries last season after Cam Atkinson‘s slow start. Scoring a woeful 6 goals and 7 assists in the first 32 games of the 2017-2018 campaign, Columbus Blue Jackets fans were rightfully disappointed in the recent all-star winger. You didn’t have to venture far in the capital city to find a critic of Atkinson’s 7 year, 35-million dollar deal. If nothing, his play surely wasn’t reassuring skeptics of the mega contract.
Luckily for Columbus Blue Jackets fans, this is not the trending arrow for Atkinson’s game. On the contrary, things are actually looking quite rosy for the speedy forward.
After suffering a pair of mid-season injuries, CBJ fans got a glimpse of the Cam they were hoping to see. Fracturing his foot two days before Christmas, the naysayers had little reason for optimism in Atkinson’s revival. Who would’ve thought a broken foot would be the catalyst to help him get back on track? Not many.
Nonetheless, the veteran winger proved more than resilient. Returning to the lineup on January 25th, Atkinson scored a goal against Arizona and set the tone for the rest of his season. Putting up legitimate all-star numbers, Cam scored a blistering 33 points (18G, 15A) in his final 33 games. That’s a 20 point difference from his first 32 outings of 2017-2018. Obviously, some things went right.
Related Story: Cam Atkinson Returns From Broken Foot
Here are a few reasons why the last 33 games should be seen as more of a trend than an anomaly for lucky number thirteen.
If you’ve been watching the Columbus Blue Jackets over the past few seasons, you understand the center depth nightmare the team has wrestled with. The struggle to find consistent play in the middle of the ice has been the Jackets’ achilles heal for some time now. It’s no secret that great wingers play best in rhythm with a familiar center. Preferably a very talented one.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Not immune to line shuffling or unpredictable line mates, Cam’s game has likely suffered over the years. If you think that sounds like an excuse, Google “Patrick Kane without Artemi Panarin.” Great line mates can often be the difference between an okay season and a breakout year. Come to think of it, I don’t think Atkinson has played with the same center for more than one full season.
If you need further validation, you can even look closer to home. Panarin didn’t begin to blossom in Columbus until finding synchronicity with rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois. Atkinson it appears followed suit. Elite chemistry takes time.
Being paired with a game-breaking left-winger certainly helped open Cam’s game. Throw in the regularity he found next to Dubois and I think we began to see the untapped capabilities of Atkinson’s game. To maintain point per game scoring for two solid months is no small feat.
This is why Jackets fans should be over the moon with Atkinson’s real potential. Although he’s soon to turn 29, he is just now finding himself in an ideal slot within the Jackets lineup.
If the Blue Jackets can re-sign Panarin and Dubois for years beyond next, CBJ fans could see the full value of Atkinson’s monster contract. With another season of chemistry development, the newly-aligned trio should only continue to improve. If Coach John Tortorella leaves his top line alone, one can imagine the fireworks we might see in Nationwide on a regular basis.
Cam might not be the center, or the hyper-electric Panarin, but he can and should be excellent. He will continue to get better. He will finally get to reach for his ceiling.