Who are the three most invaluable players on the Blue Jackets?

After news came down that Zach Werenski had fallen ill and missed practice yesterday, the thought came into my mind “who are the three most invaluable Jackets on the team?” Werenski has been a revelation this season and is a player that would have to be considered. Surprisingly, when sitting down and thinking about it, the Jackets have had a lot of vital players this year. These are the three deemed most important at the halfway point of the season.

Sergei Bobrovsky

If the Jackets don’t have Sergei Bobrovsky playing at the level he has been this season, they aren’t in the position they are today. He is top five in nearly every goalie category and even when his back up is up to the task, their play pales in comparison to what he does on the ice. There are arguments made all the time about whether or not goalies should be paid at the rate they are but Bobrovsky is showing that the work he has put in is worth every penny.

He is matching his Vezina-winning season in every way, and currently has the exact same save percentage that he had when he won it. He is on pace to break his single season wins record as well. If all of this continues, this shouldn’t just catapult him to a possible Vezina win, they should also be talking about the Hart Trophy as well. That’s how dominant he has been and is showing why he is utterly irreplaceable for the Jackets.

Brandon Saad

Whether it is the contract that comes with high expectations or some other excuse, many have criticized Saad for his defensive play. It’s a head scratching notion when you look at Saad’s numbers and what he brings to the team. He is fantastic offensively and when he is on the ice, he tilts it in the Jackets direction. His mix of finesse and skill makes him one of the best forwards on the team, night in and night out.

As of this writing, he is fourth on the team in scoring and leads the team in even strength shot differential by a couple of percentage points. Not to mention his rate states including p/60 puts him right at the very top of the NHL, alongside names like Sidney Crosby, Nikita Kucherov and the now injured Steven Stamkos. In the time he is given on the ice no one scores at a more efficient rate on the team.

Cam Atkinson

You didn’t think, that he was going to be left off, did you? The third selection on this list was especially tough. You could’ve named Nick Foligno who is scoring at a high rate and is doing it with great shot differential numbers or you could go with Seth Jones, who has been one of the best Jackets players this entire year and is an All-Star selection. In the end, pure production this year is what took Atkinson over the top.

Scoring at a point per game pace in the league is hard. Less than a dozen players in the league are on pace to do it and Atkinson is one of them. His shot differential numbers have been bad but considering his past, this goes more on his line than himself. After it looked like Atkinson plateaued in scoring back in 2013-14 and 2014-15, no one was expecting him to begin putting up career year after career year. Despite being on a line that for most of the season was doing poorly on the score sheet, Atkinson still has found a way to get the puck into the back of the net. Out of the 43 points he has on the season, 19 have come on the power play. He, along with a few others, have made quite a statement on the man advantage. If the Jackets hope to continue this torrid pace, Atkinson is going to need to be at the forefront.