Gaborik, on return: “I really wasn’t here long enough”

Though it’s not a more traditional rivalry, Kings-Blue Jackets games always have a decent share of intrigue. Whether it’s Jack Johnson facing his former team or Jeff Carter returning to the arena where he spent the better part of the 2011-12 season (and now doesn’t receive the warmest welcome), there are former players returning to previous pastures and old teammates renewing acquaintances. Even Darryl Sutter was asked by a local reporter during this morning’s media session whether management “will assemble a deal to send a high scoring Blue Jacket to the Kings by the deadline.”

This time it’s Marian Gaborik’s turn to return to the arena where he spent parts of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons after a trade from the New York Rangers. He only appeared in 34 games in Ohio’s capital city, totaling nine goals and 22 points – and nearly helped carry a Cinderella Columbus squad to the 2013 playoffs – before he was traded to Los Angeles midway through the 2013-14 season in exchange for Matt Frattin and two second-round draft picks.

“I really wasn’t here long enough,” said Gaborik, who still has good memories of playing at Nationwide Arena. “Obviously when I got here, we were chasing the playoffs then. We almost made it. It was a great atmosphere here. Great guys here, I really enjoyed my time with those guys here. Then I got hurt and I got traded, so I wasn’t really here long enough.”

Marian Gaborik, on Columbus being a good sports city:
Yeah for sure, as soon as we started winning and got close to the playoffs there, the fans started coming more and more. It was a great atmosphere.

Gaborik, on his return to Columbus:
I didn’t really spend a whole lot of time here. I really enjoyed the guys. They have a good team I think. They’re [going] in the right direction.

Gaborik, on how he anticipates being treated by the fans:
I can’t control it. We’ll see how it turns out. It’s not going to be… I’ve experience these situations before. So I’m not even really thinking about that. I know I’ve been hurt a lot, but my job here. I waived my no trade clause to come here. I showed them that I wanted to come here and the fans appreciated that. We’ll see. Leave it up to them.