As the Blue Jackets look to find their way this season, they need all hands on deck-particularly offensively. Slated for a second line role, Conor Garland will be heavily relied upon to help lead the way for a team who has to score by committee.
Garland was acquired by the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline last season, in an effort to help bolster their offense. But after scoring 4 points in his first three games with the team, he managed only 3 points in his final 18 games of the year.
In the last 13 games of the season, Conor managed just one point (an assist); while carrying a -7 rating. As he sputtered, so did the team. It wasn't only on #83, of course, but he was not the difference maker the team needed him to be while they were trying to make a push towards the playoffs.
Don Waddell acquired Garland to step into a top-six role for this team, from last year and into the foreseeable future. He needs to be a catalyst on the second line. Assuming that the top line this year is going to be Valeri Nichushkin, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko; it's pretty obvious who the candidates for that second line are.
They include Garland, Kent Johnson, Sean Monahan, and Dmitri Voronkov. Maybe Luca Del Bel Belluz, if he comes to camp with confidence. This is also assuming that head coach Rick Bowness wants to keep the team's identity (third) line together.
Of those five players, Garland and Johnson are the obvious wingers for second line duty. The hope is that Johnson can get back to being a high end play driver. But, for that to happen: Garland needs to find consistency and be the 20 goal/50 point man that he's certainly capable of being.
His job would be made a lot easier if Johnson can carry the mail. Conor's game is best suited to pace, moving around the offensive zone and finding weak spots. He likes to get in tight and score goals; and if KJ can hang onto the puck and draw in defenders, the match here is obvious.
The Jackets need that exact scenario to play out. Regardless who plays in the middle here, this line has to find offense if this team is going to become a legitimate player in this league. They cannot play another full season without a second scoring line. That's a recipe for disaster, as we learned last year.
The good news here: Garland is very capable of being that player. He's a veteran of 556 regular season games, spread across 8 seasons. He's eclipsed the 20-goal mark twice, and the 50-point mark twice.
He's not going to lead the team in scoring by any stretch of the imagination. But, he's a responsible two-way winger who can certainly bring the offense this team sorely lacked last year. If they can get 15-20 goals, and 45ish points out of him, they are going to be in pretty good shape.
Essentially, all they need Conor Garland to do this year: be Conor Garland. Outwork the opposition, and grind on both sides of the puck. The offense will follow.
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