John Tortorella Can’t Change Up The Columbus Blue Jackets Top Line
Someone tell John Tortorella to not make any changes to the top line. The Columbus Blue Jackets head coach decided to alter the team’s most productive unit before the March 5th game against the New Jersey Devils. It was a knee-jerk reaction it seems, one that came out of nowhere. For the Blue Jackets to break their slump, it’s one that can’t happen again.
The trio of Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, have been one of the most productive lines in all of the NHL. The three have produced 46 goals, most of any pairing in the league. It was a questionable decision to break the lineup.
You can’t blame Tortorella for trying to change things up. The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the middle of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference. After they went out and got Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Keith Kinkaid, and Adam McQuaid at the trade deadline, things haven’t gone as planned. Still, what sense does it make to break up one of the best lines in hockey?
Tortorella put Panarin, Dubois, and Josh Anderson together on the first line. It’s a smart move on paper. Anderson has been red-hot as of late. He also brings a toughness to the line. However, Atkinson is the team’s leading goal scorer. Taking him away from one of the NHL’s best set-up men in Artemi Panarin isn’t a move that’ll be met with much praise.
I said the same thing about the Anthony Duclair situation. This is a classic case of John Tortorella throwing his weight around. He’s always trying to be the smartest man in the room. Not knowing how effective your top line is can be a problem. It’s one thing to make changes, it’s another to alter something that works.
Knowing he made a mistake, Tortorella went back to the original Dubois, Panarin, Atkinson line mid-way through the 2nd period of the Devils game. Indeed the right call. The Jackets were finding very little offense. Shuffling the three around should have never happened in the first place.
There’s not a lot of hockey left to be played for the Columbus Blue Jackets. They need to find their footing and need to do it quick. Tortorella knows he can’t change the top line. They are what got you in contention for the playoff spot, and breaking up that chemistry seems like a half-baked idea this late into the season.
Image Source: AP/Adam Hunger
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
