Atkinson gets injured Malkin's All-Star spot
Marc DesRosiers / USA Today Sports
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be well-represented in Los Angeles.
Cam Atkinson is set to take the All-Star spot vacated by injured Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, the Blue Jackets announced Thursday.
Atkinson will join two teammates and his head coach on the Metropolitan Division roster.
#CBJ now will have four representatives in Los Angeles this wknd: RW Cam Atkinson, D Seth Jones, G Sergei Bobrovsky, coach John Tortorella.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 26, 2017
The All-Star nod is well-deserved for Atkinson, who sits in a tie for second with Jeff Carter with 24 goals this season, four behind leading scorer Sidney Crosby. On top of that, only seven players have more points than Atkinson's 46 this season.
This will mark Atkinson's first All-Star Game appearance.