It was the second year in a row Harrington had that role in Columbus, which was in a Catch-22 situation with his age and contract. Had the Blue Jackets wanted to get Harrington more ice time in the American Hockey League, they would've been required to put him on waivers first.
Not willing to lose him, the Jackets kept Harrington on their roster all season. He accepted the role without complaint and showed a lot of patience. On the flip side, he played regularly for nearly two months in the middle of the season and spent an entire year in the NHL for the first time.
It wasn't the way he'd hoped that would happen, but 2017-18 was another season of progress for Harrington. Here's a look back at it, by the numbers:
2
Getting the most ice time of his NHL career meant Harrington also got more opportunities to shoot the puck. He took a career-high 28 shots and it resulted in a career-high two goals. Each goal was scored during victories against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with each one scored in the second period after a pass by left wing Artemi Panarin.
32
Harrington set another NHL career-high with 32 games, despite playing in just two of the Blue Jackets' first 24 games and one of their final 20 games. A back injury that kept defenseman Ryan Murray out for extended time was the biggest reason, along with a four-game stint in December when Zach Werenski sat out with a shoulder injury. Harrington filled in capably, playing mostly on the third defense pairing.
5
Harrington also set a career-high with five points, adding three assists to his two goals. He assisted on goals Dec. 12 against the Edmonton Oilers, Jan. 12 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and April 7 against the Nashville Predators in the regular-season finale.
7.1
Despite launching the most shot attempts (53) and shots (28) of his NHL career, Harrington's shooting percentage actually increased. His 7.1 shooting percentage topped the 6.3 percent he finished with on 16 shots in 2016-17, when he scored one goal in 22 games.
2.9
Harrington's presence in the offensive zone went up, but his Corsi percentage - which measures even-strength shot attempts the Blue Jackets had with him on the ice - dropped 2.9 percent. Harrington started in the offensive zone at even strength 52.6 percent of the time, which was an increase of nearly five percent, but his Corsi dipped from 46.7 percent in 2016-17 to 43.8 percent last season.
24
After sitting out 22 of the first 24 games, Harrington's next 24 games were a lot busier. The injury to Murray opened a spot in the lineup and he filled the role from Nov. 28 to Jan. 23, a new NHL career-high for consecutive games played. Harrington had three points on a goal and two assists during that span, averaging 13:24 per game.
