Cam Atkinson takes ‘full ownership’ for first healthy scratch with Flyers

Standing in the Flyers locker room in Voorhees on Friday, Cam Atkinson took full ownership for being a healthy scratch for the first time this season, as he watched the Flyers lose, 3-2, in a shootout against his old team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“I’ve been in the league a long time and know when I’m on top of my game and when I’m not. [Coach John Tortorella is] giving me opportunities to try to figure it out a little bit and ultimately that’s what I need to do. I take full ownership in the scratching, and deservedly so,” Atkinson said.

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“I gotta get back to playing with my energy and demanding the puck and wanting the puck and I’ve kind of let that slide, hoping things would come my way. And obviously, they haven’t. When I’m on top of my game I’m one of the better players. So, I feel confident in myself. I always have, always will be, no matter what people think or say. And, I’ll get back to it.”

He’ll get right back to it on Saturday when the Flyers host the Calgary Flames at the Wells Fargo Center (1 p.m., NBCSP/NHL Network). The question now is whether Atkinson can refind the form that made him an elite player who was a perennial 20-goal scorer and hit 41 goals in 2018-19.

“What makes me successful is my swagger, my energy, demanding the puck, wanting the puck, and just being a good teammate and leader, especially with this group,” he said. “... This gives me the reset button and you guys will see a different side of me going forward.”

Atkinson, 34, did start the season strong, despite missing a year with a neck injury that required surgery. He notched eight goals and four assists in his first 15 games but hasn’t scored in 22 games since. In that timeframe he has collected just six assists.

“Just to see if he responds,” Tortorella said when asked about sitting Atkinson, whom he also sat once when they worked together in Columbus.

“This isn’t an I-hate-you-you’re-never-playing-again-type of thing. It’s, we need to get some sort of reaction because it’s been unacceptable. I’m not going to go into why and all — and it’s not just the stats. It’s easy to look at he hasn’t scored but there’s so many other things that come into play. So, yeah, we want to see a response.”

Although neither Atkinson nor Tortorella would disclose what led to this point, the bench boss said he has been patient with the veteran winger but he has “too much respect for him to let him continue to go down the road he was going.” Tortorella added that it was not one particular thing that led to the benching, and per Natural Stat Trick, the analytics have gotten a smidge better from the first 15 games to the last 22, but there is still the eye test the bench boss prefers.

And there are also the penalties Atkinson has taken at inopportune times that kill momentum, most notably in the loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. After the Flyers battled back to tie things up at 2, Atkinson took a tripping penalty with 1 minute, 29 seconds left in the second period; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers the lead 30 seconds into the man advantage.

“I didn’t play all last year, not that that’s an excuse. But, you get so excited to play at the start of the season and you go through the lulls of kind of the dog days, as we like to call it. And sometimes you get away from what makes you successful and what has made you successful in the league a long time,” Atkinson said.

“So, simple as being a healthy scratch, which [stinks] and I don’t wish that for anybody because it’s a pretty crappy feeling. But at the same time, it’s a chance to look in the mirror and realize what I need to do to get back on my game — and clearly, there’s a reason why.

“I have all the confidence in myself and had a couple of good practices and just scoring goals. And once I start putting the puck in the net, everyone’s going to stop talking.”

Atkinson was joined in the press box by Morgan Frost, who was a healthy scratch for the 11th time this season. After sitting for 10 of the first 20 games, it was the first time he did not play since Nov. 24 against the New York Rangers. In the past 17 games, he has seven points (three goals, four assists), including six points at even strength.

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Frost will also be in the lineup on Saturday after he and Tortorella had multiple conversations, including on the plane and via phone before meeting in Voorhees.

“Today was really a good, honest conversation of what’s happening now and just kind of big-picture stuff,” Tortorella said. “And he’s the one who wanted the meeting. For me, I was thrilled that he came in and wanted to talk. And gave me some of his thoughts and [him] not agreeing. That’s a huge step for me with Frosty is him coming in and saying this is what I think. It’s so important that players do that. It creates a little bit of a path for him and I, as we try to go through this.”

Saturday’s game against the Flames is the Ed Snider Legacy Game, in celebration of what would have been the team’s founder and owner’s 91st birthday. The Flyers will honor Snider throughout the game and Flyers Charities will make a $300,000 donation to Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education in support of future projects and programming.