Blue Jackets aim for playoffs with future of stars in doubt

COLUMBUS, Ohio — So what's going on with "Bob" and "Bread"?

That question dominated the off-season discussion around the Columbus Blue Jackets, overshadowing everything else surrounding a team coming off consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.

A legitimate inquiry for sure, considering Bob and Bread — otherwise known as goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin — are major pieces of a team that should be a solid playoff contender again this season.

The two Russians are playing out the final year of their contracts, and Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen's primary goal this summer was to lock up both superstars with multiyear deals. Neither of the deals got done.

Panarin has said he isn't sure he wants to commit to Columbus for the long haul. Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets haven't been able to get together on numbers.

"They're our best players, no question about it," veteran forward Cam Atkinson said. "We're going to treat it as business as usual. I'm not going to look at them any differently, because at the end of the day it's their decision. There's only so many times in your career where you're in the driver's seat."

WINDOW IS OPEN

If Panarin and Bobrovsky play to their capabilities, and some other Blue Jackets who battled injuries or otherwise struggled last year can bounce back, the team should be playoff contenders again. Columbus was eliminated in the opening round by the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the past two years.

"I think we've crossed the bridge as a team hoping to win," said coach John Tortorella, who signed a two-year contract extension before camp opened.

"I think we crossed that bridge, I think we know we can win," he said. "The players' mindset, I think they know they can win. I think we showed that the past couple years. We've stumbled in the playoffs, and that's what we have to take note of here."

Panarin set a franchise record with 27 goals and 55 assists (82 points) in 81 games. The second-highest scorer among forwards was rookie centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, who had 20 goals and 28 assists (48 points).

The Blue Jackets grabbed the first wildcard in the rugged Metropolitan Division despite subpar years from usually reliable forwards Atkinson (46 points), Alexander Wennberg (37 points), Boone Jenner (32 points) and Nick Foligno (33 points). Injuries definitely played a part.

THS STATE OF ZACH

Defenceman Zach Werenski is getting healthy again after playing much of last season with a bum shoulder. He started hitting last week and is hoping to be ready to go by the Oct. 4 opener in Detroit.

Werenski suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder in the 12th game last season. The rest of the way he wore a cumbersome brace that wrapped around his chest and arm to keep his shoulder from separating. His movement was restricted, which affected his defensive skills, but he still managed to finish with 16 goals.

"It's awful hard for a defenceman to play all those games that he played and put up the numbers he put up and do some of the things he did with that shoulder the way it was," Tortorella said. "He's one that we're certainly going to watch very closely."

COMINGS AND GOINGS

The Blue Jackets added some help at centre by signing centre Riley Nash, the 29-year-old former Boston Bruin who put up career numbers last year. Nash had 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 76 games, besting his previous high by 16 points.

The team also signed 22-year-old forward Anthony Duclair, who had 11 goals and 12 assists in 56 games with the Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes last season,

The Blue Jackets bid farewell to longtime players Jack Johnson (Pittsburgh) and Matt Calvert (Colorado), as well as to Ian Cole (Colorado), a defenceman who played valuable minutes down the stretch after being acquired at the trade deadline last season.

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Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press