Ryan Wilson: Damned if you do damned if you don't: The Jack Johnson saga Damned if you do damned if you don't: The Jack Johnson saga

I keep toying with trade ideas for Johnson, but quickly realize I'm getting my hopes up since it doesn't appear JR wants to move him. If by some miracle JR decides to move JJ I still maintain OTT is an ideal team to deal with. Ottawa is in for a long-haul rebuild, is below the capfloor and has roster spots it needs to fill out. They also have some temporarily bad contracts: Boedker.

Boedker is on the hook for one more year at $4M. He's a player that never lived up to expectations after leaving AZ and never will, but he's not without an ability. While grossly overpriced, he'd bring some offensive punch to the Pens fourth line and be gone next year.

TO OTT:
Jack Johnson ($500k retained)
ZAR's rights
4th round pick

TO PIT:
Boedker

Yes, it's not a cap solution THIS year, but it gets the Pens off the hook while at least bringing someone who can help on the fourth line instead of not helping the team at all.

Wow...... one year into Johnsons contract and Pittsburgh can not get out (quick enough).

It was rumored that Pitt. Was going to sign Johnson weeks in advance. Everybody knew it was a bad signing and wondered why they would do that. Articles were wrote on players to beware of signing b4 free agency and Johnson was at the top of many of these list.

It's like Rutherford is steering the Titantic and can see the ice berg for miles and still decides to hit it.

Live with it...... you did it. Make the best of it. Stay together for the kids. The old ball and chain will be waiting for you when you get home.

OHya.... Rutherford ...... "we told you so" and you did it anyways.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.

Wow...... one year into Johnsons contract and Pittsburgh can not get out (quick enough).

It was rumored that Pitt. Was going to sign Johnson weeks in advance. Everybody knew it was a bad signing and wondered why they would do that. Articles were wrote on players to beware of signing b4 free agency and Johnson was at the top of many of these list.

It's like Rutherford is steering the Titantic and can see the ice berg for miles and still decides to hit it.

Live with it...... you did it. Make the best of it. Stay together for the kids. The old ball and chain will be waiting for you when you get home.

OHya.... Rutherford ...... "we told you so" and you did it anyways.
- Deanyoungblood7

Nobody will ever understand. I think the biggest mistake is the term. The ONLY other team with interest in JJ was MTL and I just can't believe it was such a tight bidding war that they had to throw five (frank)ing years at him to sway his decision.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.
- jmatchett383

Every team has one contract that isn't ideal, but I think the better question is which of the teams with a bad albatross made it deep in the playoffs if they made it at all.

I keep toying with trade ideas for Johnson, but quickly realize I'm getting my hopes up since it doesn't appear JR wants to move him. If by some miracle JR decides to move JJ I still maintain OTT is an ideal team to deal with. Ottawa is in for a long-haul rebuild, is below the capfloor and has roster spots it needs to fill out. They also have some temporarily bad contracts: Boedker.

Boedker is on the hook for one more year at $4M. He's a player that never lived up to expectations after leaving AZ and never will, but he's not without an ability. While grossly overpriced, he'd bring some offensive punch to the Pens fourth line and be gone next year.

TO OTT:
Jack Johnson ($500k retained)
ZAR's rights
4th round pick

TO PIT:
Boedker

Yes, it's not a cap solution THIS year, but it gets the Pens off the hook while at least bringing someone who can help on the fourth line instead of not helping the team at all.
- Rinosaur

I just don't know why Ottawa would want Johnson if there wasn't a 1st rd pick coming back with him.

I'd propose:

Johnson + 2019 1st Pit

for

Condon, Pit 3rd 2019 + Harpur

Even then, Ottawa is close to set on the left side with Chabot, Brannstrom and Wolanin as the best three and then Boro + Harpur as extras...

Every team in the league has at least 1 bad contract worth 3-5 million. EVERY TEAM - JJ's is a measly 3 million, 2 million of he's so bad that he gets sent to the AHL

Get over it, It isn't crippling the team in any way

I just don't know why Ottawa would want Johnson if there wasn't a 1st rd pick coming back with him.

I'd propose:

Johnson + 2019 1st Pit

for

Condon, Pit 3rd 2019 + Harpur
- riceroni

That's not actually too bad if the Pens didn't already have DeSmith. I just think you guys are ideal because you're in a rebuild and realistically wouldn't be trying to make a real run the playoffs for a few years. If I'm being funny for a second, there's no better way to keep drafting in the top five than to have Johnson in your lineup.

The Sens have to at least hit the cap floor and have roster spots to fill.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.
- jmatchett383

THIS

That's not actually too bad if the Pens didn't already have DeSmith. I just think you guys are ideal because you're in a rebuild and realistically wouldn't be trying to make a real run the playoffs for a few years. If I'm being funny for a second, there's no better way to keep drafting in the top five than to have Johnson in your lineup.
- Rinosaur

Yes, and Cody F'ing Ceci!

Every team has one contract that isn't ideal, but I think the better question is which of the teams with a bad albatross made it deep in the playoffs if they made it at all.
- Rinosaur

Backes, Bozak, J-Bo, Jake Allen...take your pick.

Backes, Bozak, J-Bo, Jake Allen...take your pick.
- jmatchett383

Seems to me all those players were effective for their respective teams outside of Allen. Allen's hit really didn't affect their ability to go far thanks to this year's Matt Murray.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.
- jmatchett383

Seattle

Every team has one contract that isn't ideal, but I think the better question is which of the teams with a bad albatross made it deep in the playoffs if they made it at all.
- Rinosaur

Boston has Backes, St Louis has Jake Allen (and lets not pretend like Steen plays like a $6 million player anymore)

Yes, and Cody F'ing Ceci!
- riceroni

Ha!

You don't give away a 1st round pick to avoid a 2 million dollar cap hit

If GMJR realizes JJ sucks and has to go, The AHL is where you send him and just eat the cap hit - 2 million is chump change

You don't give away a 1st round pick to avoid a 2 million dollar cap hit

If GMJR realizes JJ sucks and has to go, The AHL is where you send him and just eat the cap hit - 2 million is chump change
- RoloTahmasee

I mean, if you want to bury your head in the sand and ignore how JR would handle this then sure, let's go with your idea.

Seems to me all those players were effective for their respective teams outside of Allen. Allen's hit really didn't affect their ability to go far thanks to this year's Matt Murray.
- Rinosaur

Backes had 7/13/20 in 70 games and is making $6M for 2 more years (but is having a decent playoff so far).

Bozak I guess has been decent, but J-Bo is getting paid like the stud defenseman he was with Florida, not the bottom-3 player he is now (but it's still better than his previous contract was). Allen, yeah, that's a $4.35M pit.

I mean, if you want to bury your head in the sand and ignore how JR would handle this then sure, let's go with your idea.
- Rinosaur

IMHO, the best options for how to handle JJ, in order, are:


1. Look to trade him (alone) with no money retained for a lower cap hit/term player(s)
2. Buy him out
3. Look to trade him (alone) with money retained for a lower cap hit/term player(s)
4. Look to trade him, plus players/picks (not a 1st or second) for relief.
5. Demote him to the AHL.

However, what WILL happen is he will make the roster as one of your 7D, likely a top-6.

Cant help but think this blog will be about jj for 10 more years whether we trade him or not. If he gets moved .there will be whining about the return for a decade and how horrible Ruth is as a result. The day RW becomes an NHL GM is the same day EK becomes a TSN insider. Please stop whining about something you cannot change or affect in any way at all. Move on...you have established your hate for a player and it's now to the point that every ounce of drivel you spew here is negative garbage.

Cant help but think this blog will be about jj for 10 more years whether we trade him or not. If he gets moved .there will be whining about the return for a decade and how horrible Ruth is as a result. The day RW becomes an NHL GM is the same day EK becomes a TSN insider. Please stop whining about something you cannot change or affect in any way at all. Move on...you have established your hate for a player and it's now to the point that every ounce of drivel you spew here is negative garbage.
- taleisyreXIII

I miss my daily Toews update.

From Rossi yesterday:

Trade probability: 70 percent. Johnson, who is 32, was given a contract by Rutherford that would be tough to move. That doesn’t mean Rutherford isn’t trying to move it, though.

He put Maatta at 50% and said one would go.

Rossi is not a great source and normally I wouldn't even quote him so take with a pound of salt, but it's the first local guy I've seen suggest it might be JJ that moves and he's been around the team long enough to have sources.

I didnt realize they could bury him in the minors at only $2M... that's not bad and much better than a buyout.

I wouldn't be totally opposed to a Rask trade. Putting him at 4C allows Blueger to move up the lineup on the wing potentially.

In a trade with Minnesota, I'd be trying to do Kessel and JJ for Brodin & Zucker.

Although I agree about not adding Rask who is an even bigger cap problem, if the Subban idea doesn't happen, I'd look into the idea of a Kessel/JJ for Zucker/?. The Wild have cap space, and an available D spot, and are under pressure to get scoring up and back in the playoffs. I don't think we'd have to take Rask back here and there might be a depth forward that could work (they have a roster crunch).