Sunday, January 27, 2013
Atkinson's timeline
By Luke Lapinski
The lower-body injury that has been slowing Cam Atkinson since training camp is now landing him on injured reserve. The Columbus Blue Jackets put him on the list retroactive to Wednesday, and head coach Todd Richards suggested the speedy forward could be out at least a week or two.
Columbus already figured to be pretty thin on goal scorers this year, a fact that was highlighted by the departure of Rick Nash to New York over the summer. Atkinson is someone who has shown promise though. He broke out with five goals and five assists over his final six games in 2011-12, then was third among all scorers in the AHL (behind only Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz) during the lockout. When he does return, the Jackets will lean on him for offense, along with the likes of Artem Anisimov and R. J. Umberger. Over their last three games, the club has managed just three goals total.
