Not only did Nyquist make an impact on the ice, placing fourth on the team in scoring, the third-year CBJ winger slid easily into his role as a team leader with an "A" on his sweater for the first time in his NHL career.
"I put a letter on him for a reason," Larsen said. "And that's (after) missing a year of hockey, if that gives you any indication what I think of him and what I think he can bring to this team. He has a lot of experience, but it's not just because he has games played. It's because of how he plays them.
"I know his intangibles. I know he brings effort. I know he has the skill set and the desire and the passion and the competitiveness that we're looking for. You've seen that. He's been very consistent for us."
Ahh yes, that word again. If you look up consistency in an NHL-themed dictionary, Nyquist's picture would be there. The missed 2021 season was an anomaly, the result of wear and tear that had accumulated on his shoulder during the first nine years of his NHL career with Detroit and San Jose, but the 82 games played by Nyquist this season marked the sixth time in his career he's suited up in every game he could.
The 32-year-old Swedish forward finished with 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points, and that was even with a slow start in which he was getting his NHL legs back. If that stat line sounds familiar, it should -- in his NHL career, Nyquist has averaged a 21-30-51 line per 82 games.
Add in the fact Nyquist is a player who can be put in any situation and he's essentially a coach's dream.
"The way he does it, he's consistent in his effort, his checking, his details," Larsen said. "Before he came to us, he wasn't penalty killing. Now we add him to the penalty kill. He had some power-play time. In your top six, he can move up and down your lineup. Yeah, it's consistency in all areas and how he prepares and how he handles the game and how he handles the pressures of the game. That's the sign of a pro."
Of all the numbers from this past season, the one that means the most to the University of Maine product would be the games played. The old saying in sports is that the most important ability is availablity, and that's something Nyquist had prided himself on before missing all of 2021.
"Just playing the 82, that's something I take a lot of pride in," he said. :That was nice personally just to know that your body is healed and feeling good and able to do that because it's a long season. It's a grind. You're not always going to feel great every game. No one does, I don't care who you are. It's just the league. So that part was really nice.
"And honestly, just to play hockey again. That was my first injury really. I have never been away from the game so for the first time I realized how much I missed it basically, and it was really nice to play again."
In three years on the team -- only two actually taking part on the ice -- Nyquist has become a key part of what Columbus is trying to do. He has one year left on his contract, but Nyquist remains a fan of both what the Jackets are trying to build and the Columbus community.
"I've said it many times, I'd like to be a part of this," He said. "Obviously I'm going into a contract year next year, but I'd like to stay and I think I can still play at a high level, so hopefully that works out. But yeah, we'll take that as it comes next year
"I just think the way I've been treated by this organization. I think the community, the city of Columbus, it's a great city, a great place to live. My wife loves it here. We have two young kids, and it's a great place to raise a family. So there's a lot of things to like about this place and yeah, it's a great place to play."
