Blue Jackets leaning on 'Swiss Army knife' to get through Laine injury
Those intuitive enough to take Justin Danforth in fantasy hockey drafts should probably take a moment to pat themselves on the back.
The Blue Jackets’ jack-of-all-trades is being given a look on the top forward line with Patrik Laine out for three-to-four weeks with a sprained elbow. It’s an opportunity for Danforth to play with star left wing Johnny Gaudreau, a 115-point producer for the Calgary Flames last season, and captain Boone Jenner.
“All he’s done is continue to work and prove it, not just talk about it,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said of Danforth, 29, who made his NHL debut last season with 10 goals in 45 games. “Through his actions, he’s proved it. He’s built trust.”
The move isn’t too surprising.
Jakub Voracek, who led the team with 62 points last season, is probably too similar to Gaudreau as a playmaking forward. Gustav Nyquist, another established forward, adds a stable veteran to a third line that now has 19-year-old center Cole Sillinger and rookie Kent Johnson at right wing.
The next two options would likely be Johnson or Yegor Chinakhov, a left wing playing with Voracek and center Jack Roslovic on the second line. Chinakhov was muted against Carolina, after leading the NHL with six preseason goals, and Johnson is another pass-first playmaker akin to Gaudreau and Voracek.
Danforth was a point-a-game player in Finland and Russia and has shown impressive versatility as a spark plug for any line at any forward position in the NHL.
Justin Danforth earned promotion in Blue Jackets' training camp
He certainly had an eye-opening preseason as one of the Blue Jackets’ top scorers.
“He’s like a Swiss Army knife right now,” Larsen said. “I can use him at center, I can use him at wing, I can move him on the fourth line, I can move him, maybe, up two lines, just depending on our energy that night. Now it’s just being consistent with that effort, and I think he knows that. He’s had a tremendous camp, and now we’re getting into the real stuff.”
Danforth carried it into the season-opener despite finishing the game against the Hurricanes without a goal. According to Natural Stat Trick, he finished second on the team with five individual scoring chances, behind only Jenner’s six, and tied Jenner for most individual high-danger chances (two each).
One of Danforth’s top scoring chances played a role in Carolina seizing momentum late in the second period, when he couldn’t convert from the doorstep with the game 1-1, but that won’t be his last ‘Grade A’ look if he clicks with Gaudreau and Jenner.
"I missed that 'Grade A' chance that kept me up at night, but that's hockey," Danforth said. "You'd like to bury those ones, especially when they go back (the other way) and score, but I liked my game. I had some good chances, played physical, but I'm going to have to elevate it (now)."
Justin Danforth starting out as top 'bumper' for Blue Jackets
Danforth is also manning the top “bumper” spot in the middle of the Blue Jackets’ 1-3-1 power-play setup, acting as a supportive pass outlet and one-timer option from the slot for Gaudreau and the other three skaters on the ice.
“Certain guys don’t like it because they feel like they don’t touch the puck enough,” Larsen said. “With him, he’s a pretty good right-hand shot in the face-off circle, he’s really hungry on pucks, he’s very strong on his stick around the net and he doesn’t care if he touches the puck at all. If you get it to him, then he’ll do what he needs to do.”
A year ago, those roles might’ve been a little rich. Now, Danforth is just playing hockey.
“I think that’s a good way to put it,” Danforth said. “It’s just hockey. You can’t put everybody on a pedestal. It’s not going to help your game. It’s the best league in the world. It’s where I want to play. It’s the most enjoyable hockey I’ve played. We’ve got a great group that’s fun to be around, so it’s good.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets give Justin Danforth Patrik Laine's role
