July 3: Columbus made the deal official Wednesday morning.
July 2: The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a one-year deal worth $775K (as per PuckPedia). The deal brings Johnson back to the organization in which he had the most success on the ice, having played in Columbus for seven seasons. Johnson has bounced around the league to Pittsburgh, Colorado, Chicago and the New York Rangers since leaving Columbus in 2018 and won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche back in 2022.
The 37-year-old Johnson isn’t the offensive contributor he once was and will likely serve as a depth defenseman on the Blue Jackets bottom pairing. He should also provide their young group with a veteran presence.
Johnson was a third overall pick of the Hurricanes back in 2005, selected two spots behind his good friend Sidney Crosby. The Indianapolis, Indiana native spent six seasons in Los Angeles before he was dealt to Columbus along with a first-round pick for Jeff Carter. The Kings went on to win two cups with Carter in the lineup, while Johnson and the Blue Jackets time together was a rollercoaster that culminated in Johnson departing as a free agent in 2018 to sign with the Penguins.
Johnson had three goals and 13 assists in 80 games last season with the Avalanche and posted a +15. He played just under 15 minutes a night and remained a drain on possession numbers, posting a negative relative CF% for the 17th time in 18 NHL seasons.
Quick fact-check: Johnson was drafted by Carolina and traded to LA.
Fixed
Oh yea. His daddy made him do it.
Holy sh** this guy keeps getting a job…
Gotta keep playing since his parents took all his money
It’s Jack Mother F***in’ Johnson, as well should know.
This guy is still being paid by the penguins from that buyout.
Some of the Columbus faithful are already calling for the GMs head over this.