'Maestro' Returns to PNW

It's easy to look at Friday's trade between the Kraken and Columbus and see Ron Francis did what he said he would do - use Seattle's bevy of draft picks (aka draft capital) to acquire NHL talent. It's easy to look at the stat line of Oliver Bjorkstrand and realize he's a skilled offensive player.
What's not so easy is to understand the newest member of the Seattle squad brings even more than scoring help. He arrives for a second turn in the Pacific Northwest with a more complete game plus a unique and special ability to contribute all over the ice. It's the result of years of evolution and work on his own game, making Bjorkstrand a difference maker.
Let's dig in.

How it Started ...

Bjorkstrand's calling card has always been his offensive skill. In 2012, then Blue Jackets scout Bob Strumm's eye was drawn to Bjorkstrand's incredible ability to not just finish, but to direct and influence play.
Strumm nicknamed the Dane "the Maestro"
. A year later, Bjorkstrand was Columbus' third-round pick (89th overall).
Following his draft selection, in two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, Bjorkstrand was the leading goal scorer (50 in 2013-14; 63 in 2014-15) and total point earner (109 in 2013-14; 118 in 2014-15).
In 2015, Bjorkstrand moved to the AHL (along with getting a taste of the NHL). In 51 games with the Lake Erie Monsters, the forward racked up enough goals to be top-three overall in regular season goal scoring despite missing a third of the season. Bjorkstrand led all AHL skaters in postseason goal scoring (10) with none being sweeter than the last. The Monsters had a 3-0 lead, but in Game 4, the Hershey Bears forced overtime. Everyone in the arena was preparing for a second batch of bonus time. Except Oliver Bjorkstrand. With just 1.9 seconds left in the first extra period, the Maestro came through.
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Next stop: NHL. In four of the last five seasons, Bjorkstrand led all Blue Jackets skaters (minimum 10 games played) in goals per 60 and his ability to impact offensive play has been strongest in two of the last three seasons.

The wonder in Bjorkstrand's offensive ability is his release. Many players and coaches have remarked on it over the years. Given space, the 27-year-old can beat goaltenders seemingly at will.

Why is his shot so deadly? In 2019, Aaron Portzline, then with The Athletic,
talked to goaltenders who had to face Bjorkstrand and players who skated with him
.
Two-time NHL All-Star Cam Atkinson (now with Philadelphia) told Reed: "He has that one shot where he gets it off and it's by the goalie's ear before he knows it. Not one goalie can save that shot."
Skating predominantly on the right side, Bjorkstrand has a sweet spot best exemplified in his finishing in the 2020-21 season.

There were concerns early in the Dane's career. He tended to start seasons slowly in terms of offensive production. His game didn't seem to come on until late. As a result, his ice time suffered.
He was sometimes a healthy scratch and played mostly bottom six minutes
.

Former Columbus head coach John Tortorella (now with the Flyers himself) wanted to see more consistency from Bjorkstrand. He wanted to see the player become a little tougher with the puck. That wasn't about hitting or physicality but about maintaining possession on your own versus getting open for a shot.
Luckily, Bjorkstrand had the perfect mentor. Even if the two rarely talked about the lessons to be learned.
New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin played in Columbus for three seasons. With a similar build to Bjorkstrand, who is 6-foot and 178 pounds, the Russia-born Panarin is often praised not just for his playmaking and offensive creation but also his ability to "have the puck follow him" and stay on his stick.
Bjorkstrand watched. Observed. He started to incorporate pieces of what he saw into his game. He worked to even further improve on his skill set and situational thinking to round out his defensive game.

How It's Going ...

By the 2019-20 seasons, the effort was paying off. Bjorkstrand's ice time jumped up to more than 14 minutes (5-on-5) per game. His scoring levels increased and his defensive contributions were a revelation.
Bjorkstrand is still a strong offensive player - that release! - but in addition to driving offense on the scoreboard, he's doing more and more of what it takes to maintain possession and create chances.
Watch this goal. First in full. It would be easy to justify any player losing possession when faced with a crunch against the boards. But not Bjorkstrand.

Now look closer. Watch the balance, skill, vision and maybe even a little bit of jam that allows Bjorkstrand to maintain possession and score the goal.

And what's been more impressive is that for a player who is known for scoring goals, Bjorkstrand's
defensive game is not just solid, it's downright impressive
. Look at his ability to suppress opponents' offensive efforts at an elite rate.

In fact, last season was Bjorkstrand's second most effective defensively (reducing opponents' offensive quality by 10 percent) while playing on a team that struggled in its end of the ice.
Kraken fans, you now have a player who is not only offensively skilled, he's a significant contributor defensively. When he gets the puck away from the other team and the other half of his game comes into play? Watch out.

Put it all together, and, according to Evolving-Hockey.com's goals above replacement (GAR) modeling, Bjorkstrand ranks in the 90th percentile overall among NHL players and that comes from being top tier both offensively (82nd percentile) and defensively (89th percentile).

But What About …

Naysayers will call into question a drop off in Bjorkstrand's scoring last season (.87 goals per 60 in 5-on-5 play). They may also point to his plus/minus. But there's some context to be had here.
In terms of the Maestro's underlying numbers there were no significant decreases in his offensive contributions. In fact, his performance of 58.72 shot attempts for per 60 last season (per NaturalStatTrick.com) was the third best of his career.
His individual shot volume (15.02 attempts per 60) was in line with career averages as was his individual shot quality (.8 individual expected goals per 60). What wasn't in line was his shooting percentage. That came in at 10.32 percent, second worst of his career by at least three percentage points.
As for plus/minus, well, there are many reasons not to use that statistic as a singular player evaluator, but it's important to understand Columbus' playing strategies last season. Under newly named head coach Brad Larsen, (and with a new-look defensive corps) the Blue Jackets were evolving their game from one that had historically been defense-focused to a more offensively-minded system. As a result, that team allowed a franchise-high 297 goals against (while scoring a franchise-high 258), and had the seventh worst goal differential (minus-38 during 5-on-5 play) in the NHL. Context matters.
All in all, with GM Ron Francis and his hockey operations group trading for a player like Oliver Bjorkstrand into the Kraken organization, they add a proven top-six forward who can be an asset in all three zones of the ice. The Maestro can beat you offensively, he can challenge you defensively, and he is
confirmed as part of the team for the next four seasons under an existing contract
. A solid addition and music to Kraken fans' ears.
All stats represent 5-on-5 play unless otherwise stated.