Kent Johnson practices with Columbus Blue Jackets, won't play against Pittsburgh Penguins
Kent Johnson isn’t ready to return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup yet, but he’s making good progress.
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Johnson’s latest step toward returning from a shoulder injury arrived Thursday at Nationwide Arena, where he skated in a full team practice for the first time since sustaining the injury during a fluke fall in the fourth game of the season.
“He’s just going through the process, but we’ve got to be very careful not to get ahead of ourselves, right?” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “He’s not cleared medically. Ultimately, the player has to make that decision, but we have to make sure that he understands the big picture.”
Johnson wore a gray practice jersey that matched those worn by the Jackets’ third line, currently comprising Mikael Pyyhtia, Justin Danforth and Mathieu Olivier. He and Pyyhtia alternated reps during line rushes and other drills, and Johnson also killed penalties during power-play practice. He didn’t wear a “no contact” jersey, but also didn’t participate in rougher battle drills near the end of a one-hour practice.
“It’s fun just to be with the guys,” Johnson said. “The last couple days, I was kind of waiting for the boys to get home, and it’s definitely nice to get on the ice with all of them. It’s a good step to take.”
Johnson won’t play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at Nationwide Arena, when the Blue Jackets will again try to end a six-game winless skid (0-5-1). It will also be their third straight weekend back-to-back set of games, which concludes Saturday in Montreal.
Johnson might be out for that one, too, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he joins the Blue Jackets for the short road trip that concludes Monday in Boston. That would allow him to keep skating with the team. Evason said Johnson, who tallied five points in the season's first three-plus games, is “begging” to return, but the Blue Jackets won’t rush him back.
“Do we want him back in?” Evason said. “Is he hungry to get back in and help his team win and get out of this funk? Yes, but we’re going to do it in an intelligent manner. So, having said that, he’s not playing (Friday) night obviously. We’ve got to get him through practices and bumping and grinding and doing all the things to take the proper process before we put him in a game.”
Last season, Johnson needed surgery after tearing the labrum in his left shoulder during a meaningless faceoff at the end of a loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. This time, the issue involved a different part of the shoulder and was treatable with rest and rehab work.
Johnson doesn’t have to wear a restrictive harness or brace, which means his only mobility limitation will stem solely from his shoulder injury – which specialists assessed closely before making an assessment that surgery wasn’t necessary.
“I got to a point, almost, where I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst, that kind of thing,” Johnson said. “But in the back of my head, it just didn’t feel as bad at all (as a torn labrum). It was nice to get that (reassurance), and it was a clear decision. It wasn’t a tough decision in the end (to rehab it). It was very clear, so that was nice. I feel at peace with the decision we made.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets' Kent Johnson progressing with shoulder injury
