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A veteran of more than 1100 NHL games, Johnson split last year between Chicago and Colorado, becoming the rare player to appear in more than 82 games (83) in a single season. His offensive production was predictably minimal (two goals, eight points) and he was in and out of the lineup for the Avalanche in the postseason. The 36-year-old inked a one-year, $775K contract to return to the Avalanche, where he will compete for a spot on the team's third defensive pair in training camp.
Johnson had been miscast in a top-four role for a good portion of his long career, but he arrived in Colorado a season ago and immediately became a regular for a team which went on to win the Stanley Cup. Johnson played in 74 of the club's 82 regular-season games, in addition to its final 13 playoff contests, including all six games in the Stanley Cup Finals. Set to turn 36 years of age in January, Johnson signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Blackhawks in free agency this summer. There's a real chance Johnson will be given a more significant role with his new team due to its lack of depth, which is potentially bad news for both the team and the player. Look elsewhere on draft day.
Johnson will be given the opportunity to earn a spot with Colorado after securing a professional tryout agreement from the Avalanche. The veteran defender will no doubt be facing an uphill battle to even make the team given the club's young talents. If he does, the Indianapolis native should probably be expected to slot in as the sixth or seventh defenseman on the depth chart, at best, which makes him a relative non-factor in nearly all fantasy formats.
Johnson followed defensive assistant coach Jacques Martin from Pittsburgh to the Rangers in the offseason. His familiarity with Martin's system makes Johnson a logical choice for the third pairing, though the veteran defenseman could find himself frequently watching from the press box if prospect K'Andre Miller proves himself ready to play from day one. Regardless of whether Johnson consistently dresses, he's unlikely to move the needle in fantasy, having scored no more than 13 points in any of the past three seasons.
Nobody has faced more criticism from the Penguins faithful than Jack Johnson, and that's largely due to his albatross contract, which will pay him $3.25 million annually for another four seasons. While the 32-year-old may no longer be an offensive force -- he's reached the 40-point mark twice during his 13-year career -- he was still in action for all 82 games last season, which is a level of durability Pittsburgh's blue line has often lacked. The Indianapolis native figures to once again slot into a bottom-pairing role in 2019-20, and should still log north of 19 minutes of ice time per game. Just don't count on him getting back over the 25-point threshold again any time soon.
The veteran blueliner had his least productive season in 2017-18 since he was a rookie, scoring only 11 points in 77 games and seeing his average ice time drop below 20 minutes. Johnson never really profiled as a No. 1 defenseman despite being miscast in that role in both Columbus and Los Angeles, but he seemed to struggle when given significantly less responsibility behind the young duo of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. He'll look to get his career back on track in Pittsburgh after signing a five-year deal in the offseason, settling into a spot on one of the bottom two pairings, and while an improved team context could help his production, Johnson almost certainly isn't going to be shouldering 25-plus minutes a night ever again.
After years of inconsistent play, Johnson staged a remarkable turnaround in 2016-17 as the perennial plus-minus liability posted a career-high plus-23 rating while forming a shutdown pairing with David Savard. Johnson’s biggest weakness has always been his decision-making when it came to joining the rush and pushing the attack, but with youngsters Zach Werenski and Seth Jones handling those duties, the veteran could focus on clearing the defensive zone with his still-excellent passing skills and letting his teammates take it from there. Johnson may never crack the 40-point plateau again, but he offers far more value to his team in his current role than he ever did while being miscast as a No. 1 defenseman
A disappointing season ended early for Johnson, as he underwent shoulder surgery in March, limiting him to just 60 games and 14 points. The 29-year-old is no longer a top-pairing defenseman in Columbus, with youngsters Seth Jones and Ryan Murray taking on larger roles, but decreased responsibility might not be a bad thing for Johnson, considering his penchant for the occasional brain cramp. While his overall play may improve, the loss of ice time on the power play will put a big dent in his production. Even if he comes back from surgery fully healthy, don't expect a big rebound.
Johnson appeared in national news for the wrong reason last year, as he filed for bankruptcy after his parents seemingly bilked him out of all his money and left him deeply in debt -- ouch. But he responded to adversity by turning out perhaps his best NHL campaign yet, tying his career high in goals (eight) as part of a 40-point effort for the up-and-coming Jackets. He remains a crucial part of the team's power play and a top-pairing blueliner alongside partner David Savard, who himself broke out as an offensive force last year. The Jackets look like they're geared up to make a run to the playoffs, and Johnson should be an integral piece of the puzzle.
Johnson gets a lot of flak from the analytical crowd for being an overall liability on the ice, but fantasy owners have no complaints about the 33 points (18 of them on the power play) that he contributed last season. The workhorse defenseman logs big minutes and lays a lot of hits along with his man-advantage production. As the young Blue Jackets' roster continues to improve around him, Johnson might even be able to avoid being a slight drag on your plus-minus someday.
The blue line stalwart Johnson once again logged a lot of ice time (nearly 26 minutes a night) and chipped in solid production with 19 points in 44 games in his first full season with Columbus. He isn't going to be a top fantasy asset, especially on a Blue Jackets team that lacks a dynamic power play unit, but he managed a plus-5 rating over the last two months of the season and may be able to avoid being a liability in that category as the young club around him continues to improve.
Johnson thrived after being sent back east from the Kings, recording four goals and 14 points in 21 games with Columbus, while even managing to record a positive plus-minus, no mean feat on a team that finished the season dead last in the standings. The Blue Jackets will be scrambling for offense with Rick Nash now gone, but Johnson's place on the top power play unit is secure and he could have a chance to top his previous career-high of 37 points if the forwards show any signs of life at all.
Johnson set a career high in points (42) thanks to 25 helpers with the man advantage but still sported an ugly minus-21 due to his lack of production at even strength. The Kings have added some firepower up front with the additions of Mike Richards and Simon Gagne which could help out their power play but Johnson's going to need to improve his even strength play to take the next step. Expect another 40-point effort until he starts collecting points at even strength.
Johnson enjoyed a breakout season (8G, 28A) but was clearly overshadowed by Drew Doughty. He'll need to work on his defensive game (minus-15 last year) but he sees enough time on the team's second power play unit (2:48 of power play ice time per game, sixth on the team) to make the ugly plus/minus numbers a little easier to swallow. The Kings have a host of young blueliners looking for more ice time, but Johnson should be able to hold onto his role for at least one more reason.
Jackson battled a shoulder injury for half the season and never really got his game in order as a result. He's got a host of youngsters coming up behind him and has already been passed over by Drew Doughty. He'll rebound if he can stay healthy but his ceiling may be a lot lower than it looked two years ago.
Johnson's rookie effort (3 G, 8 A) was a disappointment to most fantasy owners but the Kings will rely heavily on the youngster to soak up some of the minutes that left with the departures of Rob Blake and Lubomir Visnovsky. Whether or not that results in an increased offensive role remains to be seen but it's hard to imagine Johnson won't post moderately better numbers in his sophomore season. Don't expect a breakout season but there is room for improvement.
The Carolina Hurricanes badly needed a defenseman early last season, so all the Kings had to give up for Johnson was defenseman Tim Gleason and forward Eric Belanger. The deal may eventually go down as one of the bigger steals in NHL history. Johnson is an elite defensive prospect who turned pro late in the season and played the final few games of the season with the Kings. He played very well in his brief time in the NHL and should get a ton of ice time this year, especially on the power play. He makes for a great selection in keeper leagues and could even have some fantasy value next season.
Johnson has steadfastly resisted the Hurricanes' entreaties to him to join the club, preferring to continue his college career at Michigan. There is a good chance, however, that he may make the jump when his sophomore season ends in the spring of '07. Last season, Johnson decided to stay in college, declining to sign with Carolina. But after being acquired by the Kings in September along with defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky in exchange for center Eric Belanger and defenseman Tim Gleason, Johnson had his sights set on the NHL and finally agreed to terms in March of 2007.
Johnson refused Carolina's contract offer and will play collegiate hockey at Michigan. Unless your league covers the CCHA, he won't generate anything for you.
