Blue Jackets players pumped for playoff push

Over his NHL career, Matt Duchene has played in 706 regular-season NHL games in a 10-year career.
In that span, he's played in exactly eight playoff games.
If Duchene seems pumped to be in Columbus right now after Friday's trade from Ottawa, the chance to bolster that latter number would be one reason why.

"That's what I'm looking for," Duchene said. "That's what gets me up every morning, for sure. That's something I haven't experienced in this league. I've been fortunate to be on a lot of good international teams that won some big tournaments, but I've never really had a chance to play in the playoffs consistently."
For Duchene, even his last opportunity to be on a playoff team was a bust. He had a career-high 70 points in 71 games for a Colorado team that won the NHL's Central Division in 2013-14, but Duchene suffered a knee injury late in the season and missed the first five games of the opening round vs. Minnesota.
TRADE CENTRAL: Read about everything the CBJ did at the deadline
Duchene returned for Game 6 and Game 7, posting three assists in the two games, but the Avs lost the series decider by a 5-4 score in overtime.
"You wait that long to have that good a team," Duchene said. "It was the first time I had played on a team that good in the NHL and I got hurt. I came back for Game 6 and Game 7 and it's over. This is what I've been looking for."
And from the other side, Duchene is what the Blue Jackets have been looking for -- a No. 1 center who can help the team match up against the Washingtons and Pittsburghs of the world when the playoffs begin.
Duchene filled what Jarmo Kekalainen described as the team's top need going into the playoffs, and the general manager's moves at the deadline -- including adding fellow Sens forward Ryan Dzingel, defenseman Adam McQuaid and goalie Keith Kinkaid -- show a team that's ready and willing to make a run in the postseason.
"We've been saying we want to send a message, first and foremost, into the locker room but also into our fan base that we're serious about winning," Kekalainen said.
For the players inside the locker room, it's a welcome boost from management. Kekalainen smiled when asked about the signal sent into the locker room by his deadline moves, quipping "Those guys don't care about draft picks," a feeling confirmed by the players on the team.
"I'm just excited about what's to come," captain Nick Foligno said. "I think the biggest thing is when you're adding, that means you've put yourself in a good position to go for it. And obviously the players you've acquired get you more excited. We've gotten some pretty good players the past couple of days.
"You look at what could be and the depth we have now, it excites guys. I think it slots guys into where they should be, and now it's on us."
Two of the team's new acquisitions have experienced playoff success before. Defenseman Adam McQuaid won a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and has played in 68 career postseason games, all with the Bruins.
New forward Ryan Dzingel, meanwhile, was on the Ottawa team two years ago that jelled at the right time and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final, where Pittsburgh defeated the Senators in seven games.
"It was a special year for me and my family," Dzingel said. "I got a taste of what it's like to play in the playoffs, and it's not easy. That's helped me in my career right away, and hopefully we can take that into Columbus and have some success there. It was a lot of fun. You really have to come together. We weren't too highly touted as a team to do some damage and we did it anyway. You just have to believe in each other and have some fun."

Of course, fans and NHL observers alike know the Blue Jackets' playoff story, which includes four appearances -- including two in a row -- but no series wins in franchise history. This season, Kekalainen sees a chance to make a splash and treated the deadline as an opportunity to fortify a squad that boasts the most explosive scorer in franchise history (Artemi Panarin), the best goalie in franchise history (Sergei Bobrovsky), two 2019 All-Stars (Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson) and a bevy of other talented players.
Time will tell if the moves will work out or not, but for the players, the being given the tools to make a run is what it's all about.
"As players, it's great when you see this because we only get to do this for a short period of time," Duchene said. "You never know how many cracks you're going to have at it. I've had no cracks at this thing. I've had not one sniff of a run at the Stanley Cup, and I feel if we do what we're supposed to do here, make the playoffs, we're well-manned to do that now."