For years, Blue Jackets fans wished for superstars.
Now they might have three of them on the same line.
They absolutely have one in Artemi Panarin. Cam Atkinson, who does nothing but score 20-plus goals every year and finally got All-Star recognition a season ago, is right up there. And then there's rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who opened 2017-18 on the wing but quickly showed head coach John Tortorella that he's just fine in the middle.
Put him between Atkinson and Panarin, and the Blue Jackets have created something truly special.
Panarin has been on quite the tear lately, setting a career high mark in assists last week and, in Tuesday's thrilling comeback win over Detroit, the Bread Man busted a 15-year-old Blue Jackets franchise record (52 assists, previously held by Ray Whitney) by notching his 53rd helper of the campaign. He's the first Blue Jackets player in club history to put up 80 points in a season and, in his first three NHL seasons, has surpassed the 70-point mark in each.
Atkinson started slow and then was hampered by a broken foot, but he's been excellent since returning. He's up to 23 goals on the season – not quite the 35-goal pace of last year, but creeping up on 25 once again – and keeps producing at a high level. On many nights, it's easy to underappreciate a guy like Atkinson, but you look at his numbers at the end of the year...and bang, 25 goals. 35 goals. He finds a way.
The wild card in this has been the aforementioned Dubois, only two years removed from being a controversial/much-discussed No. 3 overall pick in the NHL Draft. He just missed the cut last fall but his performance made for a much easier decision this time around, and he's blown the doors off the Expectations Wagon.
Dubois has scored 20 goals and with 46 points in 80 games, is closing in on 50 as a 19-year-old. Tortorella can't stop raving about the kid, who has helped the Blue Jackets answer a lot of questions about their center ice position while putting the No. 1 center job in a stranglehold.
"We've got two games left...we wouldn't have the opportunity to keep on fighting to get in if that (Dubois' evolution) doesn't work for us, him in the middle of the ice," Tortorella said. "Luc is not afraid of anything. He has really grown and has been a huge part of us having an opportunity here."
Since March began, these guys have been nothing short of spectacular.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTEMI PANARIN | 9 | 19 | 28 |
| CAM ATKINSON | 11 | 9 | 20 |
| PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS | 6 | 9 | 15 |
Without them, the Blue Jackets are likely in an entirely different situation.
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