Panarin, for now, anchors talented offense
“We’ll try to put the best team out there to try to win hockey games every night and let the business side take care of itself.”
The offseason was dominated with talk of how long Artemi Panarin would wear a Blue Jackets jersey. With Panarin preparing to open the season with the Jackets, at least coach John Tortorella doesn’t have to worry about his top line. Panarin is on it — for now. Last season, the trio of left wing Panarin, right wing Cam Atkinson and rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois were as good as any other line in the league as the Jackets stormed into the playoffs by winning 13 of 15 games to earn the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Although Panarin wouldn’t agree to the long-term deal the Jackets were offering, he is at least starting the season with them. For a team vying for a third consecutive playoff spot, having their top forward gives them some comfort.
“We’ll try to put the best team out there to try to win hockey games every night and let the business side take care of itself,” coach John Tortorella said recently.
Panarin was everything the Jackets could have asked for last season. He scored a franchise-high 82 points: 27 goals and 55 assists. In the run to the playoffs, he scored nine goals with 21 assists in 18 games. In the first three games against the Washington Capitals, Panarin had two goals and seven points.
“He’s obviously a talent the Blue The Blue Jackets return their top forward line of, from left, wing Artemi Panarin, wing Cam Atkinson and center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Jackets added that they didn’t have,” then-Washington coach Barry Trotz said during the playoffs, “maybe ever.”
Had Panarin put the puck in the net rather than hitting the goal post in the final minutes of regulation in Game 3, the Jackets would have taken a 3-0 series lead. Instead, the Capitals won Game 3 in double overtime and rolled to a 4-2 series win before eventually winning the Stanley Cup for the first time.
“I was on vacation, and I leaned on the remote, and it went right to the NHL Network,” Atkinson said. “It was the weirdest thing. Of
course, it was the replay of Game 3. I was like ‘ Man, is God punishing me?’ I hate talking about it. We dominated that game. I hit the crossbar, ( Panarin) hit the post. We’re right there. … We just need to bring it up to another level. Everyone here has bought into what we need to do.”
The Blue Jackets come into the season with better depth at center than last year. They signed free agent Riley Nash after he had a breakout season in Boston. With Dubois and Alexander Wennberg centering the top two lines, Nash goes in on the third line. Coach John Tortorella
Brandon Dubinsky is also back at center, although Lukas Sedlak could see time on the fourth line, too.
Aside from Atkinson and Panarin, the Jackets have a number of solid wingers. Josh Anderson had an up-and-down season but seemed comfortable and was productive when moved back to the third line after spending the first half of the season in the top six.
Markus Hannikainen had a breakthrough year and played in all 82 games, being given more and more responsibility as the season went along. Sonny Milano also got more time with the Jackets than in the past and showed the offensive skill they saw when they drafted him in the first round in 2014. He also improved his defensive play.
The Jackets are expecting bounceback years from a number of players. Atkinson started slowly last season but got his game back after missing 11 games because of a broken bone in his foot. Captain Nick Foligno also had an off season, but as it wore on, he had his moments. Boone Jenner got off to a slow start but finished strong and signed a long-term deal in the offseason.