Flyers’ Cam Atkinson will come back better than ever from the benching

Photo Credit: NHL.com

Cam Atkinson was benched last night and Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella, as he always does, would not elaborate as to why. However, Atkinson being the player in class act he is would tell you he deserved this benching after his play his dipped over the course of the past few weeks.

Atkinson has been through a lot, and he will use this as motivation to get going. He started the season off strong with an early quick eight goals, but with his play dipping as of late, mainly due to missing so much time over the course of the past season or so, it’s tough to get back into the flow. Some athletes can rebound right away, like Sean Couturier, but it’s unfair to put every athlete on Couturier’s level after missing so much time. Every athlete is different and how they recover and rebound ailments. Atkinson showed promise early on in the season that he can be relied upon to score some big goals, so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.

He is a class act and great inside the locker room. Atkinson remains a pillar inside the community, this is not a time to turn on him, rather let’s rally behind him. You can use it pick me up, and that’s okay after missing so much time a dip in his play was to be expected

The 34-year-old in Atkinson missed the entire 2022-23 season with an unfortunate injury, and Atkinson was looking to get cleared for contact approximately two weeks following exit interviews.

During the Summer months many players like to attend summer leagues or develop their own type of scrimmages to train, stay fresh, and hit the ice. Atkinson took to the ice in Columbus at Battery Hockey Camp. Anytime Atkinson hit the ice, it was a huge plus, “I’m excited to get going, and prove some people wrong.”

He hoped to right the ship from last season, so Atkinson is happy to get back to work, “I’m ready to get back to work,” Atkinson said at Flyers Training Camp.

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For those reasons listed above, Atkinson got off to a hot start, scoring, scoring, and scoring some more. However, that was then and this is now, and Atkinson hasn’t scored a goal since November 11, 2023 against the Los Angeles Kings. He’s still sits with eight goals on the season and has registered 10 assists in 37 games played.

With that, Atkinson has had somewhat of a lazy play, as he has taken some bad penalties at the wrong times. The Flyers are gaining momentum in certain games, but would find themselves behind the eight ball on the road trip due to bad penalties by Atkinson. That is more than likely the main reason for him being benched last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s nothing personal, and he will tell you his play needs to get better.

That’s just the type of player he is, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, and rally behind him like the fans did with Trea Turner. Maybe it will spark him to produce. Atkinson is a class act, nothing more, nothing less.