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Stephen Johns

Stephen Johns Announces His Retirement

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It has been a tough past few years for Stars defenseman Stephen Johns as he has battled post-concussion symptoms which limited him to just 17 games over the past three seasons.  He has attempted to come back a few times in that stretch but has decided to call it a career, announcing his retirement on social media.

The 29-year-old was a second-round pick (60th overall) back in 2010 to Chicago but didn’t get his first NHL opportunity until he was traded to Dallas back in the 2015 offseason.  He made his NHL debut the following season and then became more of a regular in 2016-17, playing in 61 games that year and 75 the following campaign, becoming a reliable shutdown defender that played with plenty of physicality.  That helped earn him a well-deserved three-year, $7.05MM extension in 2018 as the Stars appeared to lock up a key defensive presence on their back end.

However, a late-season concussion in 2018 led to post-concussion symptoms that cost him all of 2018-19 and most of 2019-20.  He was able to come back late in the year, suiting up in 17 games while logging over 17 minutes a night.  He even got into the first four games in the bubble before the symptoms returned and unfortunately, they kept him out for all of this season as well.

With his contract coming to an end, Johns has decided to hang up his skates, sort of.  While he won’t be skating on the ice anymore, he will be doing a rollerblading tour across the country.  PHR joins the hockey community in wishing Johns the best of luck in his next adventure.

Stephen Johns Will Not Play This Season

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When the Dallas Stars released their training camp roster this afternoon, a few names were notably marked with asterisks. Ben Bishop and Tyler Seguin were both listed as “Injured Player Not Participating in Training Camp” after offseason surgeries, but with them was also Stephen Johns. Not only will the veteran defenseman miss camp, but according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Johns will not play at all this season.

In one of the most disheartening moments of the playoff bubble, Johns was forced from the Stars’ first game against the Calgary Flames just a few months after making his triumphant return to the lineup. After missing nearly two full years with post-concussion symptoms, Johns had returned in January 2020 and played 17 games down the stretch for the Stars. He even made it through three round-robin games with Dallas in the bubble, but it appears as those may potentially be the final matches of his career. Yousuf writes that it is premature to consider Johns’ career definitely over, but notes that the 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent when his contract expires after this season.

His $2.35MM cap hit can be moved to long-term injured reserve when necessary to make some additional room for the Stars, but this is certainly not a celebratory announcement for fans of the defenseman. Johns, selected 60th overall in 2010 by the Chicago Blackhawks, made his NHL debut with the Stars in 2016, and looked oh-so-promising early on. He was big—standing 6’4″ 225-lbs—could skate well and had upside at both ends of the rink. He would go on to score a career-high eight goals in the 2017-18 season before a concussion threw his career off track in March. After working extremely hard on his rehab, he returned last season and looked like a solid NHL contributor once again.

If this is the end of his playing career, it would finish with 167 regular season games played in the NHL. Hopefully, somehow, Johns will be able to get back on the ice. It won’t be this season and it may not be for the Stars.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Bobby Ryan Wins Bill Masterton Trophy

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This week, the NHL will be revealing some award winners in the pregame show of a Conference Final game.  Today’s award announcement was for the Bill Masterton Trophy which was won by Senators winger Bobby Ryan.  The other two finalists were Flyers winger Oskar Lindblom and Stars defenseman Stephen Johns.  The award is given to “to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey”.

Ryan took a leave of absence from the Senators in November to enter into the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program and was in there for close to three months.  He had quite the memorable return as in his second game back, he had a hat-trick against Vancouver.  Before the pandemic hit, Ryan had played in eight games, collecting four goals while playing over 16 minutes a night, well above his season average.  While his season ended on a high note, he’ll remember it best for overcoming the alcohol abuse issues that saw him enter the assistance program and for sharing his story publicly.

Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma back in December, ending his regular season.  At the time of his cancer diagnosis, he was leading the Flyers in goals with 11 and had 18 points in 30 games.  He was well on his way to recovery at the time of voting and signed a three-year, $9MM contract back in July.  While it was initially believed that he wouldn’t play in Philadelphia’s playoff run, Lindblom recovered quick enough to get into their last two games against the Islanders, playing more than 16 minutes in both contests.  He looks well-positioned to once again be an important winger for the Flyers next season and could be a contender for this trophy next season as well.

Johns returned to the ice after missing 22 games due to lingering concussion trouble that first came about in Dallas’ training camp in 2018.  He made an immediate impact upon his return, picking up an assist in his third game back and a goal in his fourth contest.  Overall, he played in 17 games and logged an impressive 17:40 per game while adding some stability to the back half of their defense corps in the process.  Johns suited up for their first four playoff games (all three Round Robin matches plus the first Qualifying Round game versus Calgary) before being injured.  He remains unfit to play and there is no word on how long he’ll be out.

Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner was the recipient of the award last season.  The Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award is next up and will be revealed on Tuesday.

West Notes: Jets, Benn, Johns

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Last summer wasn’t a fun one for the Jets as salary cap issues resulted in several key veterans leaving the roster without much of a chance to retain or replace them.  However, Dustin Byfuglien’s departure gives them a lot more cap room to work with and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters, including Postmedia’s Paul Friesen, that they will be looking to spend this offseason.  With a little less than $66MM in commitments and no pending free agents that are in line for significant raises, Winnipeg will have enough flexibility to at least try to fill one of their two primary holes, a top-four defenseman, or a second line center with Bryan Little’s future in doubt.  If Little can’t play, he’d be eligible for LTIR which could then open up some more short-term spending flexibility.

More from the Western Conference:

  • While he’s not in the lineup today, Canucks defenseman Jordie Benn has cleared quarantine and is now available to suit up, notes Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province (Twitter link). The veteran left Vancouver during training camp to go to Texas for the birth of his child which means he would have had to produce four negative COVID-19 tests in as many days before rejoining the team.  Benn had a limited role this season, logging just 16:19 per night, his lowest ATOI since 2015-16.  However, if an injury strikes, he’s someone that could step onto the third pairing.
  • Stars defenseman Stephen Johns remains unfit to play for tonight’s third game against Calgary, relays Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (Twitter link). His availability for Thursday’s contest was up in the air for a while with Taylor Fedun ultimately suiting up in his absence, though he played just over five minutes of ice time.  There’s no word on how much longer Johns will miss.

2020 Masterton Trophy Finalists Announced

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2020.

Past winners of the award include Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).

Each team provided a nominee for the award. The finalists this season are Stephen Johns from the Dallas Stars, Oskar Lindblom from the Philadelphia Flyers and Bobby Ryan from the Ottawa Senators.

Johns’ story of perseverance may not be as well known across the hockey landscape, but it is an inspiring one nonetheless. His career was cut short in 2018 due to concussion symptoms and for a very long time, it looked like he may never hit the ice in an NHL game again. 22 months later he made a triumphant return to the Dallas Stars lineup, playing 17 games for the team and even scoring two goals. Johns himself admits that at one point he lost hope. In Sean Shapiro’s beautiful telling of the story for The Athletic, the defenseman explained that he experienced suicidal thoughts while dealing with post-traumatic headaches and associated symptoms. Johns found his way back.

Lindblom’s ordeal was much more publicized, after a cancer diagnosis in December. His battle and cause were taken up by players and fans in Philadelphia and across the hockey world, with #OskarStrong bringing people together to support the young forward. In early July, Lindblom completed his radiation treatments and was able to ring the bell at Abramson Cancer Center. He will not be taking part in the Flyers’ postseason but is expected to make a full recovery and continue his career.

Ryan, the oldest of the three finalists, went through a battle with alcoholism that ended in a three-month leave from the Senators. During that time he underwent treatment and eventually returned in one of the most emotional moments of the season. Ryan scored a hat trick in his first game back in Ottawa, bringing the fans in attendance to their feet for a long standing ovation. Not only did Ryan show perseverance to return to the NHL, but it is his willingness to share his story that has touched so many people. The 33-year old veteran continues to answer questions about his experiences in order to try and help younger players who may be dealing with the same thing.

Nominees Announced For 2020 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2019.

Past winners of the award include Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Ryan Miller

Arizona Coyotes – Conor Garland

Boston Bruins – Kevan Miller

Buffalo Sabres – Curtis Lazar

Calgary Flames – Mark Giordano

Carolina Hurricanes – James Reimer

Chicago Blackhawks – Corey Crawford

Colorado Avalanche – Ryan Graves

Columbus Blue Jackets – Nathan Gerbe

Dallas Stars – Stephen Johns

Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri

Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid

Florida Panthers – Noel Acciari

Los Angeles Kings – Jonathan Quick

Minnesota Wild – Alex Stalock

Montreal Canadiens – Shea Weber

Nashville Predators – Jarred Tinordi

New Jersey Devils – Travis Zajac

New York Islanders – Thomas Hickey

New York Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist

Ottawa Senators – Bobby Ryan

Philadelphia Flyers – Oskar Lindblom

Pittsburgh Penguins – Evgeni Malkin

San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton

St. Louis Blues – Jay Bouwmeester

Toronto Maple Leafs – Zach Hyman

Vancouver Canucks – Jacob Markstrom

Vegas Golden Knights – Shea Theodore

Washington Capitals – Michal Kempny

Winnipeg Jets – Mark Letestu

Three finalists and the winner will be named at a later date.

West Notes: Hughes, Stone, Johns, Neal

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The Calder Trophy race continues to get tighter. The NHL announced its Rookie of the Month for February with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes picking up the hardware. He joins Victor Olofsson (October/December), Cale Makar (November) and Dominik Kubalik (January), all legitimate candidates for the Calder Trophy, as recipients of the award.

The defenseman led all rookies in points with 15 points in 13 games and was tied for the most assists in the NHL with 13. He also had a multi-goal game against the New York Islanders on Feb. 1. Hughes beat out several key rookies for the award, including New Jersey’s MacKenzie Blackwood, New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Chicago’s Kubalik, Dallas’ Denis Gurianov, Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Colorado’s Makar. Hughes currently has the points lead among rookies with eight goals and 51 points.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights got some disappointing news as forward Mark Stone is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Head coach Peter DeBoer said that surgery isn’t necessary for the 27-year-old and the team does expect him to return before the end of the regular season. Stone, who recently has been centering Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith on the first line will now be replaced by veteran Paul Stastny. Stone isn’t having as good a season last year when he had 33 goals and 73 points, but is still having a strong season with 21 goals and has tied his career-high 42 assists.
  • Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks writes that Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns was forced to sit out his third straight game Saturday due to an upper-body injury. While the nature of the injury is unknown, Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness said that it is not related to the post-traumatic headaches that Johns had been suffering from for more than 22 months. Bowness added that he believes that Johns will return to the lineup Tuesday as he has been skating and practicing with the team. “If this was a do or die game, he probably would play,” Bowness said. “But with the travel that we’ve had this month and the schedule that’s coming up, we figured just give him an extra couple days. It’s not going to hurt him.” Johns has re-established himself as a top player since returning in January. The 27-year-old has two goals, five points, 35 hits and 17 blocks in just 13 games.
  • The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reports that the Edmonton Oilers are expecting forward James Neal to join the team on their upcoming three-game road trip and could return to the lineup at some point during that trip. Neal has been out since Jan. 29 with a sprained ankle. He has 19 goals and 29 points in 50 games this season for the Oilers.

Central Notes: Bowness, Johns, Fiala, Kubalik

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The Dallas Stars were placed in a tough position back on Dec. 11 when they fired head coach Jim Montgomery due to off-ice, personal issues. The team installed assistant coach Rick Bowness in as interim coach, but general manager Jim Nill recently said that despite there being several big-name coaches available suddenly after a number of firings, he has no intention of making a second coaching change during the season.

However, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) wonders whether Nill and the Stars might reconsider that stance with their bye-week coming up now that former Vegas coach Gerard Gallant has become available, as well as others like Mike Babcock and Peter Laviolette. The scribe writes that while it might create more unrest in the locker room, the team might not be able to resist a coach like Gallant, while Bowness might be OK with returning to his assistant coach role regardless.

  • Sticking with Dallas, Stars defenseman Stephen Johns fared well in his debut after missing 22 months due to post-concussion headaches. He played 18:29 against the Minnesota Wild with two shots on goal, two hits and a blocked shot, but told NHL.com’s Mike Heika that he intends to treat the upcoming bye-week and all-star break as his own training camp to get back into form. “I’m going to treat this bye week like a training camp for me,” said Johns. “Obviously, I need to get in better shape, I was breathing pretty hard out there today. It’s not really a break for me, which I’m fine with. I’ve had a long break.”
  • Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune writes that almost a year after coming over from Nashville via trade, Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala has found himself trying to develop himself as a complete player. While he has great offensive potential, he has often found himself as a healthy scratch due to his in-game mistakes and has made it clear he wants to change the way he plays. “I want to be a package, the full package, for sure,” Fiala said. “[But] I want to be me. I want to be offense.”
  • The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus (subscription required) writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik has forced his way into the Calder Trophy discussions after scoring nine goals in the last seven games. The 24-year-old, whose rights came to Chicago in a trade with Los Angeles a year ago for a 2019 fifth-round pick, arrived from the NLA this summer and currently leads all rookies with 20 goals. Of course Colorado’s Cale Makar is the obvious first choice for the Calder, but the scribe writes that Kubalik is getting comfortable in the NHL now and might continue to improve.

Dallas Stars Activate Stephen Johns, Place Radek Faksa On IR

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The long-awaited wait for the return of defenseman Stephen Johns, who hasn’t appeared in 22 months due to post-traumatic headaches, is finally here. SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks reports that John has been activated and is expected to play Saturday against the Minnesota Wild. To make room for the blueliner, Dallas has placed center Radek Faksa on injured reserve.

“For 22 months this is the day I’ve looked forward to every second of every day,” said Johns earlier today (via The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro).

The 27-year-old Johns hasn’t played in a game since March 29, 2018, and many wondered if he’d ever return to the ice. However, the blueliner began skating several months ago and finally was cleared to play recently. He was assigned to the Texas Stars of the AHL on a conditioning stint where he played two games for them, picking up a goal and three assists and looks to be ready to return to action. He is expected to be paired with Andrej Sekera on the team’s third pairing.

Johns should provide the team with significant defensive depth as his 6-foot-4 frame and physical play should only help the Stars down the road. Johns  played 75 games for the Stars back in the 2017-18 season with eight goals, 15 points, 155 blocked shots and 201 hits. The team also is thrilled to see him return after star defenseman Miro Heiskanen went down in the second-half of Thursday’s game against Buffalo and is considered day-to-day as he is in concussion protocol.

Faksa is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is not expected to play Saturday, their last day before the all-star break the team has. With the next game not being until Jan. 27, the team can activate him then with just one game missed.

Injury Notes: Johns, Strome, Palmieri

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The Dallas Stars have recalled Stephen Johns from his assignment in the minor leagues, but the veteran defenseman remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being. Johns is trying to work his way back from post-traumatic headaches that have kept him out for more than a year.

Johns did make his return to game action for the Texas Stars, playing in two games for the AHL club. Even though he’s never been a very dangerous offensive player, he recorded four points in those two games and was a +5. His return would be a real boost for a Dallas team looking like potential Stanley Cup contenders at this point in the season.

  • Dylan Strome has been placed on injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll miss any more time than expected. The designation is retroactive to January 7th, meaning he can be activated at any time. The team has brought up Brandon Hagel in the meantime. The 21-year old Hagel has 13 goals in 38 games this season for the Rockford IceHogs.
  • Michael McLeod is up for the New Jersey Devils, who placed Kyle Palmieri on injured reserve. Palmieri was supposed to be the Devils’ All-Star representative but has already been ruled out thanks to a left foot injury. McLeod, the 12th overall pick from 2016, has 18 points in 32 games for the Binghamton Devils this season.

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