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Jack Johnson is going to get paid in free agency

June 12, 2018, 12:07 PM ET [20 Comments]
Paul Berthelot
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
After what has gone on off the ice for Jack Johnson he needs a big deal in free agency. From the sounds of it he just might get what he’s looking for.




This comes just two days after Elliotte Friedman mentioned Montreal as a “stealth destination” for Johnson, in 31 Thoughts.

Jack Johnson is 31 years old and is rapidly declining. For someone who is supposed to be a solid offensive defencemen he had just 11 points last season. He was a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets in the playoffs. Why would any team line up to pay him six million dollars.

The HockeyBuzz Hotstove today was focused on what defencemen teams should stay away from in Free Agency, and all three writers said Jack Johnson. Todd Cordell had a really good visual in his section, which he posted on twitter.




That paints the perfect picture of Johnson. He’s had two above average seasons in his 11 year NHL career.

Johnson has been discussed a ton this season. The Jackets made a big mistake not trading him at the deadline. Even if the first round pick that was reported, was inaccurate or no longer on the table, the team missed a big opportunity to get something for a player they were no longer playing.

Johnson is the type of player you take a chance on late in the summer, sign him for something in the $1-2M range to be your 6th/7th defencemen. On a good team, like Columbus was this past season, he was not in the line-up. Even when Johnson is playing well, like he did in 2015-16, he was still only a third pairing defencemen on a good team.

It’s tough to see why Johnson is a player Montreal would target, especially at that price. The big takeaway is it doesn’t look like he will be re-signing in Columbus.

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