Back in the saddle, Adam Boqvist aims to become impact player for Columbus Blue Jackets
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The list of top defensemen who have been teammates with Gustav Nyquist is impressive.
The Blue Jackets forward has played with Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall in Detroit and Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns in San Jose before signing in Columbus in 2019 to play with Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. The goal now is to help Adam Boqvist join the list.
“He’s one of the most talented players I’ve seen,” Nyquist said of Boqvist, a 22-year old defenseman the Blue Jackets acquired in a trade that sent Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks. “He’s got all the talent in the world, and for him it’s just a matter of getting a little bit stronger, getting more comfortable, playing more games in the league and learning that way.”
Staying healthy would help too.
This is Boqvist’s fourth NHL season and he has logged only 133 games. Since making his debut with the Blackhawks in 2019, Boqvist has missed time with 12 injuries plus a COVID-19 infection winter. The latest was a broken left foot in his fourth game of this season, costing Boqvist 28 games before his return last Friday in Chicago.
Boqvist still has big potential for Columbus Blue Jackets
The upside is that Boqvist is still young for an NHL defenseman and hasn’t lost his potential as a high-scoring offensive presence.
“Last year was a big step forward for me, but it was also a whole new team and a new coaching staff,” Boqvist said. “That takes time, especially for a defenseman. It takes time.”
Boqvist points to Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as proof. Dahlin, 22, is the same age and was selected first overall in 2018, seven spots before Boqvist went to the Blackhawks with the eighth pick.
“It took four or five years for him,” Boqvist said. “You’ve just got to work hard and keep wanting to learn.”
The wait was worth it for Dahlin, who struggled for three-plus seasons to live up to his billing. He has 10 goals, 27 assists and 37 points through the Sabres' first 31 games and is ready to anchor the top pairing in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
Boqvist had 11-11-22 in 52 games last season and has played less than half as many games as Dahlin, whose 308 games put him past the 300-game threshold where many NHL defensemen hit top stride. Boqvist is 167 games from reaching that milestone, which is roughly two full seasons.
He’s got to stay healthy.
“If you’re not playing, you’re falling behind,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “That’s just how it is. You’re playing catch-up. He missed two months of hockey, basically, so it’s going to take some time. He pushed as hard as he could while he was out, and now we’re back to game action."
Boqvist has opportunity to shine for Columbus Blue Jackets
Thanks to a glut of injuries that have plagued the Blue Jackets this season, Boqvist is stepping back into a prime opportunity to shine.
Werenski and Jake Bean are out for the season after shoulder surgeries, which leaves a lot of ice time along with a prime spot on the top power-play unit. Boqvist is starting out on the third defense pairing, where Bean played most, and he's also getting a shot to fill Werenski’s role at the point for the top power-play group.
That’s where Boqvist could make his biggest impact.
“We know what his bread and butter is,” Larsen said. “He’s a smooth shot, puck-moving defenseman, so this is a great opportunity for him to be on that No. 1 unit and hopefully he seizes the moment.”
It’s a role previously handled by rookie Marcus Bjork while Werenski, Boqvist and Bean were unavailable. Bjork is now playing the point for the second unit, but Boqvist knows he can’t take anything for granted. The Blue Jackets’ top power-play unit is missing Patrik Laine (COVID-19) and captain Boone Jenner (broken thumb), but any group featuring star forward Johnny Gaudreau has a chance to be effective.
“I can’t just go in there and sit back like, ‘OK, I’m here now,’ ” Boqvist said. “I’ve got to do it. If I’m not producing, it might change. But I feel comfortable in my (offensive) zone play. I can learn a lot from Johnny, as I did from (Patrick Kane) in Chicago, and the other guys in that unit have been getting into a rhythm too. So, I’m just going to keep it easy and give them the puck.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Adam Boqvist aims to become Columbus Blue Jackets impact player
