April 13, 2022. Mark that date on your calendars. This was the day the Columbus Blue Jackets entered into a new era of their franchise.
On a night when former Blue Jackets’ David Savard and Josh Anderson return to Nationwide Arena for the first time since their respective trades, it’s fitting that a big part of the Blue Jackets’ future makes his NHL Debut. With Kent Johnson’s debut comes a new era of Columbus hockey, one that is much different than the recent past.
Celebrating the Past
First it was Nick Foligno coming back. Then he was followed shortly after that by Cam Atkinson. Now both Savard and Anderson return to Nationwide Arena to face the Blue Jackets for the first time. Each player has a significant part of their own when it comes to the success of the last five seasons.
Think back to those games for a minute. Those games were physical and in-your-face. It was also the way the Blue Jackets liked to conduct their business under head coach John Tortorella. The one thing that lacked in comparison to other teams was top-end skill.
The Blue Jackets enjoyed an array of success culminating with four consecutive trips to the playoffs. But they never depended on just skill alone to win games. They had good goaltending. They played good defense. They blocked a lot of shots. They scored by committee for the most part.
Those Blue Jackets’ teams were annoying to play against if for nothing else than just how physical they were. But they could only muster one playoff series win in that stretch. It’s a playoff series no one will soon forget. But they fell short of their goal to win the Stanley Cup.
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When were the Blue Jackets at their best? They were at their best when Artemi Panarin came on board and elevated them to a new level. Not only did they play a physical game, they had a true game-breaking player who added elite skill to the lineup.
When Panarin left, it was back to the drawing board for the Blue Jackets. They were never the same…
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