Atkinson ready to reward team, himself
This summer was a big one for Cam Atkinson. Coming off his fifth straight season of improving his scoring totals, the Blue Jackets’ leading scorer also got married in mid-July.
Along the way, the right winger exchanged a few texts with coach John Tortorella about what lies ahead.
“He sent me a text that was, in general terms, ‘I’m going to be better,’ ” Tortorella said. “He has to be better. If we’re going to keep on growing as a team and play more than an extra week and a half, everyone has to be better. I think Cam has that in him. He has that burn, he wants to be the best that he can be, and I don’t think he thinks he’s there yet.”
It’s a burn that could
CLEVELAND — Things are back to normal at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. And even normal is impressive.
The Indians were something of a force even before their 22-game winning streak began on Aug. 24. And they continue to be a tough out since the streak ended Friday. The Tribe is riding a confidence wave, not to mention a two-game winning streak — here we go again? — that will take them … where?
That’s the question I posed to my pals, Harold C. McGillicutty III and his Scandinavian savant, Bor Rello, both frequent denizens of the Knotty Pine Pub, the impossible to find hole-in-the-wall hangout near the lakeshore that serves as a fount of
torch the Blue Jackets’ payroll, too. His current three-year contract will expire at the end of the season, making Atkinson a free agent — and there’s no telling what that could mean financially. On the eve of the start of training camp, though, the 28-year-old Atkinson said he’s not going to worry about the situation or talk about it once the season gets underway.
“Every year is a big year,” he said. “Obviously this is a big year for me contract-wise. You have to realize what’s at stake, but you also have to realize the goal is to win a Stanley Cup. Once the season starts, your main focus is winning games and whatever you can do to help the team win.
“It’s one of those things where it’s out of your control right now. You have to control what you can control and that’s helping the team win games, and that’s my main focus.”
Since Atkinson made his debut in the 2011-12 season opener, the right winger has increased his scoring with each season, cresting with 35 goals and 27 assists last season. In doing so, his shooting percentage of 14.6 was seventh-highest in the league last year, putting him in the same company as the likes of Sidney Crosby, Patrik Laine and newly acquired teammate Artemi Panarin.
That helped lift him eight goals past his previous career high, setting the stage for another potentially big year and a contract unlike any he’s signed before.
“Now you get a coach that obviously likes your style of play and puts you out there in all situations to have success, and that’s what you want as a player,” he said. “I’m confident now.”
Teammate Brandon Dubinsky, who has been through the pressure of playing through contract years, said he expects Atkinson to excel even as the pressure to perform magnifies.
“I think all it does is elevate you,” he said. “It drives you, motivates you. You want to prove your worth. You want to try to put yourself in the best position that you can to earn the best contract. He’s going to have a little bit of extra energy, I’ll bet, a little extra drive.”