When Jack Johnson first became a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the franchise was at its nadir. A blockbuster trade for Jeff Carter quickly turned sour, and Johnson was a big piece of the return when Carter was dispatched to Los Angeles. Captain Rick Nash would follow Carter out the door a few months later after a trade request of his own.
Even though he was traded away from a team that ended up winning the Stanley Cup that spring, Johnson never expressed resentment. He recognized there was a leadership void in the locker room and stepped up to fill it. The Jackets regrouped and rebuilt over the summer and when they finished just shy of a playoff berth in 2013, it was JJ who took the mic and addressed the loyal fans in Nationwide Arena after the season finale.
He remained a key part of the playoff teams of 2014 and 2017, but after turning down an offer of a long term extension in summer 2017, his game fell off in 2018 and he was a scratch for the playoffs. He left in free agency that summer, said some things about a “winning culture” in Pittsburgh that rubbed the Fifth Line the wrong way, and ended up having underwhelming (to be generous) tenures in Pittsburgh and New York.
At a low point in his own career, he wound up in Colorado for the 2021-22 season. There he celebrated the 1000 game milestone, and earned the right to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Now, as a 38 year old, Johnson returned to Columbus on a veteran minimum deal for a chance to keep his career going. His wife is from Central Ohio so this town was always going to be home again eventually. He didn’t come here to chase a ring, but rather to see if he could mentor another group of young players.
His performance was…well, it was about what you’d expect. He only suited up for half of the games, and was “fine” at best and “disastrous” at worst. But for a team that was so young and was missing some key leaders in the room (after the death of Johnny Gaudreau, and the injuries to Boone Jenner and Erik Gudbranson), Johnson could be a steadying influence as someone who had been around the block more than a few times.
Assuming this is the end, it is nice that Johnson got an opportunity to finish his playing career in the city where he played the most games, and where he established his family. There were two times where he came here at a low point for the franchise, and left the team better than he found it. Can’t ask for much more than that.
2024-25 Stats
Games: 41
Goals: 0
Assists: 6
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: -13
PIM: 2
5v5 Corsi%: 45.2
5v5 Fenwick%: 43.8
Off. Zone Start %: 47.1
Contract
Johnson signed a one year contract on July 2, 2024 with a cap hit of $775,000. He is an unrestricted free agent again this summer.
High Point
Johnson was a +3 in just 10:41 in a 5-1 blowout win in Toronto on January 22. Remarkably, of the five games in which he recorded a point (this wasn’t one of them), only one was a CBJ victory.
Low Point
The final three games in which Johnson appeared were big losses to Colorado, Toronto, and Ottawa in early April. He was collectively a -5 in 44:21 of ice time, and the Jackets put their playoff chances almost completely out of reach.
Report Card
D
Johnson the player wasn’t very good, but he was only meant to be a 7th defenseman type. The off-ice attributes and his overall legacy bump the grade up a bit, in my perspective.