COLUMBUS — It was but one game. So, we need to get that out of the way right now before we get too carried away with anything that happened Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
But if Matthew Knies’ Blue Jackets debut was even remotely indicative of what is coming, Columbus may have added exactly the kind of forward this offense needed.
Knies scored twice and added an assist in the Blue Jackets’ 6-3 win over Buffalo, immediately making an impact on a team he joined only three days earlier. His first goal came on the power play late in the first period, and his second gave Columbus a 4-2 lead midway through the second.
He also assisted on Adam Fantilli’s first-period goal, giving him three points in his first game wearing a Blue Jackets sweater.
That alone would have been enough to make a good first impression, considering he became the first player in franchise history to score multiple goals in his debut, while tying Artemi Panarin for most points in a debut. But, what may matter more is how naturally he appeared to fit alongside Fantilli and Kent Johnson.
The three opened the game together on Columbus’ top line, and there was already evidence of the kind of combination the Blue Jackets hope can become a dangerous long-term scoring unit.
Fantilli gives the line speed, size, and an emerging scoring touch down the middle. Johnson brings creativity and puck skill. Knies adds another big body who can get to difficult areas, win battles, finish around the net, and create offense.
Together, the three give Columbus a combination of size, speed, creativity, and finishing ability that should be difficult to defend.
It also gives Columbus something it did not necessarily have before the trade: another established top-six winger who can complement its young centers without needing the offense to run entirely through him.
Knies is coming off a 66-point season in Toronto, where he scored 23 goals and added 43 assists in 79 games. At 23, he is also young enough to fit directly into the timeline of Fantilli and Johnson rather than serving as a short-term patch.
That's important because the Blue Jackets gave up significant assets to get him.
Kirill Marchenko led Columbus with 27 goals last season and finished second on the team with 67 points, so replacing his production was always going to be one of the biggest questions surrounding the trade. Knies does not have to become Marchenko in a different jersey, but Columbus needs him to replace a large portion of that offense.
Thursday night was about as encouraging a start as the Blue Jackets could have asked for.
There were signs elsewhere, too. Charlie Coyle recorded three assists, including the setup on Knies’ first goal, and Columbus scored six times despite Buffalo hanging around into the third period.
For a team that finished last season averaging exactly three goals per game, the opening-night performance offered an early glimpse of an offense that may have more ways to attack than it did a year ago.
One game does not prove anything, but one game can show you what something might look like.
And after watching Knies score twice, set up another goal, and immediately look comfortable next to Fantilli and Johnson, the ceiling of this Blue Jackets offense suddenly looks a lot higher.
