Matt Duchene set to make immediate impact with Blue Jackets

Matt Duchene didn't have far to go to join the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, walking from one end of the hallway at the Canadian Tire Centre to the other ahead of tonight's game.
The hope is he'll be able to take the Blue Jackets a lot farther than that.
The Blue Jackets made an aggressive move Friday,
acquiring the center
who had 58 points in 50 games this year in an Ottawa sweater for prospects Vitaly Abramov and Jonathan Davidsson plus as many as two first-round draft picks.

It was a hefty price to pay but one that signifies Columbus' stance on the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite being one point out of the final spot in the Eastern Conference -- with games in hand -- going into Friday's game vs. the Senators, the Blue Jackets simply aren't going to just sell off assets like unrestricted free agents-to-be Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky by Monday's deadline.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen showed that with Friday's move, bringing in a player who had 27 goals and 31 assists this year for the Senators, not to mention a 55.1-percent win rate in the faceoff circle.
"(He's a) top line centerman, one of the top guys in the faceoff circle the league, another good addition to our power play," Kekalainen said before Duchene had three shots on goal in 19:11 in his debut. "He's a gamebreaker-type of player. He's a guy that we've had eyes on for a long time. I was in amateur scouting when he was drafted, and he's been among the top guys in the league ever since. We're really excited.
"He was the guy that we had targeted, the No. 1 guy for our needs, and that's why we're willing to take the risks he could be just a rental."
As for Duchene, he seemed quite happy to go from the team in last place in the NHL in points to competing for a position in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I'm excited to be a part of this team," the Haliburton, Ontartio, native said. "It's a really good team and hopefully I can fit in well here.
"I was overwhelmed at the time (of the deal), but now I'm excited. I'm excited to get out and start right now. It was great. It was a great phone call (with Kekalainen today). I really appreciated it."
When asked his initial impressions of the team, Duchene said, "Tons of skill, hard to play against. Anytime I saw Columbus on the schedule, I always dreaded going in that building and playing there, so it will be nice to be on the other side of it for a change."
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The Jackets will be just as happy to have Duchene, who has been a consistent point producer not just through his career but this season. He's averaged 25 goals and 60 points per season, and statistically this is his best campaign; Duchene comes to Columbus just three goals from establishing a new career high, as he had 27 tallies in 2015-16, and posted a career high of 70 points in 2013-14.
Such numbers, plus the fact the team feels comfortable with its prospect depth, led Columbus to make the move even though there's no guarantee Duchene will re-sign. The 28-year-old is set to hit the free agent market this offseason, much like Panarin and Bobrovsky.
"We have until the end of June to talk about that," Kekalainen said. "We have accepted the risk that he could be just a rental. The price of doing business was this, and whenever there's a top guy in the rental market, you're always starting with a first-round pick and then you're adding something. This is what we thought was a fair price.
"Ottawa got two good prospects but we have a little bit of luxury there. Our scouts have done a great job and we some good prospects left here too."
Duchene has played with fellow Canadians and now teammates David Savard and Boone Jenner at the World Championships previously and has also skated in the offseason with Seth Jones. He arrived to work Friday still having to meet most of his other new teammates, but this isn't the first time Duchene has been traded, as he went from Colorado to Ottawa in November of last year at a time the Blue Jackets also were trying to add the talented center.
Ironically enough, Duchene ended up playing his first two games in an Ottawa sweater against the Avs, so the feeling of immediately going from one side to the other isn't so new.
"I've been through this before, playing against my old team first game," Duchene said. "It's weird to be in the same building. To drive to the rink, have the same routine and it's a road game is strange for sure."
Duchene said he, his wife Ashley and their son Beau will move to Columbus for the rest of the season because they have just been renting a house in Ottawa. Duchene said he hasn't even had a thought about what will happen down the road, as he is an unrestricted free agent come July 1.
With Ottawa now in a rebuild, Duchene said he simply didn't feel like he could commit to the Senators long term despite a fair offer. He said things are far too early in his tenure to even discuss re-signing with Columbus, and his goals are much more short-term in nature.
"For right now, all I'm worried about is being a member of this team and excited to wear this jersey tonight and down the stretch here," Duchene said. "I believe we can grab a spot and have great run."
If the Blue Jackets do, Kekalainen will be rewarded for yet another aggressive play while in harge of the Blue Jackets.
"That's our philosophy -- we want to go for it and we want to give this team a chance to compete for a playoff spot first and then go as deep as we can in the playoffs," the general manager said. "I think Matt is excited about that. I think he wants to do that. He wants to have a deep run in the springtime here, so he's committed to that and we're happy to have him."