When Cam Atkinson put pen to paper on a three-year extension with the Blue Jackets towards the end of the season many assumed he'd be with the team for the foreseeable future.
That may not be the case.
It's been well documented that Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen would like to acquire an established blue liner and Atkinson is a guy who could be moved to help do just that, according to Aaron Portzline.
Via BlueJacketsXtra: "We’ve been trotting Atkinson’s name out there for a while, and we’ve not done so irresponsibly. He would have likely been traded to the NY Rangers near the trade deadline if Mats Zuccarello hadn’t re-upped. He’s cheap, young and productive. He won’t kill a salary cap. There’s a market for that type of player."
There should be no shortage of suitors if Atkinson is indeed in play. His cap hit is very team friendly at $3.5 million per. He has scored at least 20 goals and tallied at least 40 points in consecutive years. He's also only 26 years old so he still has plenty of gas in the tank.
I really like Atkinson but if Kekalainen can package him to help bring in an established top-4 defenseman he should strongly consider doing so.
They say you have to give to get and that applies here.
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