Tracy Sprinkle aimsms to put injury in past / C13
The Blue Jackets gained 20 assists this weekend. That is no small thing. It is just what they were looking for, and they got it in the form of Artemi Panarin, who may be the most gifted forward to ever pull on a Union Blue jersey.
OK, there was Sergei Fedorov — but he was 35 when he washed up on the shores of the Scioto. And there was Rick Nash, and we can argue about that. It’s a good argument to have right now. Panarin is 25. He was acquired Friday in a trade with the Chicago
Blackhawks. He is a left wing with elitelevel creativity, vision, puck- handling skills and shooting ability.
The Jackets gave up Brandon Saad and prospect goaltender Anton Forsberg in the deal. They exchanged draft picks. They also acquired a bottom- six center in Tyler Motte.
Chicago general manager Stan Bowman’s thinking is clear.
Hawks superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane each carry an annual cap hit of $ 10.5 million through 2022-23. This heft must be managed with an eye toward the future.
Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and Panarin will be unrestricted free agents two years hence. They will command big numbers — especially Panarin, who is a budding superstar. By trading Hjalmarsson to Phoenix for defenseman Connor Murphy, a good Dublin boy, and Panarin to the Jackets for Saad, the Hawks gain a measure of “cost certainty.” Murphy is locked up for another five years and Saad for another three.
Bowman is taking a gamble. Kane is losing the most potent linemate he ever had. Murphy, 24, is being asked to take the place of Hjalmarsson, which is no small task. Bowman accepts the risks for a number of reasons. Kane and Toews both lobbied for Saad’s return, Toews is getting his favorite linemate back, Saad adds some needed size up front and the defense is getting an infusion of youth. Plus, the problem of a backup goaltender may be solved in the form of Forsberg. Plus- plus, there is that measure of “cost certainty.”
The Jackets are getting 20 assists. That is no small thing. It is the difference between Saad, a 50- point scorer, and Panarin, a 75- point scorer. It is exactly what the Jackets needed: Saad is not a game- breaker; Panarin is. Coach John Tortorella had the best take.
“Look at our series against Pittsburgh,” Tortorella told The Dispatch. “I thought we outplayed Pittsburgh quite a few minutes in that series, but for us to score a goal it took seven or eight chances. Pittsburgh goes down the ice, they make something out of nothing and it’s in the back of our net. That’s what this guy ( Panarin) can do. That’s where this changes us. It’s another level offensively for our team.”
Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had a good weekend.
Kekalainen managed to protect Josh Anderson, Jack Johnson and Joonas Korpisalo in the expansion draft. (They are more valuable to the Jackets than the package that was forked over to Vegas. Period.) He lost William Karlsson to Vegas, but he picked up help in Motte. Best of all, he filled a need that is most difficult to fill. He got a game-breaker.
Kekalainen, like Bowman, assumes some risk.
Can Panarin play for Tortorella? Saad was ambivalent on the subject. Can Panarin produce without Kane? That is a fair question. Is Panarin a defensive liability? Maybe, but he is a power-play monster. Will Panarin command a huge price as an undrafted free agent in two years? Yes, he will, in Columbus or elsewhere.
This is what we know right now: The Jackets are better today than they were Wednesday. They are better because their most glaring need has been addressed, to some degree. That is aspirational.