Columbus Blue Jackets reunite with defenseman Jack Johnson
The Blue Jackets have replaced the loss of one former University of Michigan depth defender with another who’s much bigger and older.
The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday that they signed veteran defenseman Jack Johnson on a one-year, one-way contract for the league minimum of $775,000.
Johnson is the second NHL signing for the Blue Jackets since free agency opened Monday. They also inked center Sean Monahan on Monday.
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Johnson, 37, played seven years and 445 games for the Blue Jackets before leaving in 2018 to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent. After criticizing the Blue Jackets by saying he was happy to join a “winning culture” in Pittsburgh — immediately drawing ire from former Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella ― Johnson played two lackluster seasons with the Penguins before bouncing around the NHL as a journeyman veteran.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 as bulky, stay-at-home defenseman who’s built like a linebacker at 6 feet 1, 227 pounds. Johnson’s speed became an issue at the end of his previous stint with the Jackets, but he's learned to make up for it with size, strength, positioning and experience. Don Waddell, the Blue Jackets’ new president of hockey operations/general manager said Monday that he’d like to add defensive depth via the UFA market, and Johnson fits the bill.
He played at Michigan and is returning to the Blue Jackets after fellow Wolverine defenseman Nick Blankenburg left Monday as a free agent. Blankenburg was hampered by multiple injuries and played most of this past season with AHL Cleveland.
Blankenburg is also right-handed, which made it tougher for him to play the left side on the third pairing when matched with veteran righty Erik Gudbranson. Johnson is a lefty who could slot into that spot, but playing him with Gudbranson will be a challenge against teams with fast forwards who could give each trouble.
Johnson, who lives in the Columbus area with his family, is a veteran who has gained invaluable experience winning the Stanley Cup and making playoff runs, which is a commodity the Blue Jackets need. It’s unlikely that he’ll be called upon to play more than 40-45 games, but having Johnson split time with either Jake Christiansen, Denton Mateychuk or another young defender could help the youngsters develop.
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell tells TV station he’s down to three coaching candidates
Waddell’s initial list of 12 candidates to fill the Jackets’ vacancy at head coach is down to three, according to his comments during an interview Tuesday with Columbus television station WBNS.
Waddell didn’t name the candidates but reports last week tabbed Todd McLellan as a front-runner for the opening. McLellan, 56, has run the bench for the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings in the NHL ― most recently last season in L.A., where he was replaced during the season.
McLellan has the type of NHL experience Waddell has cited as a priority for the next Blue Jackets’ head coach, so it won’t be surprising if he ultimately lands the job. Others who’ve been mentioned during NHL insider reports include former Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft and former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason – both of whom, like McLellan, were replaced during the past season.
Joel Quenneville, who is second all-time in NHL coaching wins and has won the Stanley Cup three times, isn’t expected to be interviewed. The NHL recently cleared Quenneville to coach again after he was forced to resign from the Florida Panthers in 2021 following his alleged involvement in covering up the sexual assault of former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Kyle Beach in 2010 by former video coach Brad Aldrich.
Quenneville and former Blackhawks executives accused of wrongdoing by Beach will officially be cleared to return to NHL work on July 10, according to the league. Despite Quenneville’s success with every NHL team he’s coached, he’s almost certainly precluded from coaching the Blue Jackets.
After hiring Mike Babcock last year and asking for his resignation 78 days later due to a privacy scandal, the Blue Jackets probably don’t have the stomach for absorbing the public relations hit that hiring Quenneville would carry.
Waddell told WBNS that he’d like to have a coach in place within a week to 10 days.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets sign Jack Johnson to 1-year deal
