He's a decent defensive D. I know the rental pool isn't very good this year as there aren't as many upcoming UFAs. So with that under consideration, what is Jack Johnson worth?

EXCLUSIVE: The Athletic: #CBJ alternate captain Jack Johnson has requested a trade https://t.co/JAGo8lFccG pic.twitter.com/UBgmJt8aN5

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 13, 2018

Big contract ... maybe something like a 3rd for Johnson 50% retained?

@Jarvis

I'd argue that he is not even a decent defensive D.
There was always hope he would improve on his possession numbers and decision making, but both have become worse and more questionable over time. It's only been magnified since he was taken off the power play and buried in defensive zone starts.
Personally, I wouldn't be confident enough to give him the ice time or to deploy him in defensive situations, to justify including him in a lineup.
At best, I'd give him sheltered 3rd line and PP minutes with a reliable partner. I wouldn't give up anything significant. At most a busted prospect or project player exchange.

Given how he has lost his offensive role with Columbus, the trade request doesn't surprise me. Especially with a new contract coming, he'd probably like to show he can still be a point contributor. I'd urge caution to any team willing to give up picks or decent assets for him.

Columbus doesn't trade him. There are hundreds of players in the NHL who at some time in the season are unhappy. Do they all get traded.? No. One reason is you trade one, then you have an outbreak of " I wanna be traded too."

Now we know Johnson isn't the money smart. He's bankrupt despite earning 30m in the NHL. Now he pulls this? He has lessened his opportunities as a UFA this summer by trade demand.

I gave the reasons why Columbus maybe won't trade him. I just can't think of any reason why a another team would want him.

That's unfair - he was screwed over by his own family. Who else are you going to trust if not your parents? Many young people with intense jobs involving travel give a family member power of attorney (eg. military) - no expectation that your parents will take out high interest loans against your future earnings.

As far as the player? Leafs would be the best match, I think, in that he's actually a big upgrade on their 2nd pair. I agree though that CBJ have little motivation to trade him.

In an article from The Athletic, Johnson was cited saying that one of the reasons for the trade was to better position himself for the market so he can have a more stable cashflow.

With that in mind, an ideal partner would be a team that he would have a bigger role on. With Tampa Bay recently losing Victor Hedman for the next 3-6 weeks, and the uncertainty of how Mikhail Sergachev will produce now that he would be getting the primary minutes, I wonder if TB would be a location spot for Johnson. TB will most certainly make the playoffs, giving Johnson a chance to provide a leadership role and further enhance his market value. This would be something along the lines that I am thinking of:


Jack Johnson (retain whatever it is to make the numbers match)


2018 5th round pick (TBL)
Conditional 2019 4rd round pick (TBL)*
*If Johnson is dressed 1/2 of the remaining regular season games and 2/5 of the playoff games, the 2019 4th becomes a 2019 3rd.

I know every one of these is different, but if you look at some recent guys asking for a trade (Hamonic, Drouin, Yakupov, Duclair), every one of those has been traded since then. Those are the only ones i know of recently. And it took Hamonic and Drouin over a year, though Johnson is a UFA after this season, so he's likely traded this season.

Plekenec for Johnson + Pick?

The teams that would be interested in him are those who want a third pairing upgrade for the playoffs. However, given that his contract is up at the end of the season, and Columbus' positioning in the standings, I'd be shocked if Columbus actually moved him. If he were to get moved at all, I wouldn't expect him to be traded in the East. Columbus would rather send him to a team out West, where they would only potentially meet in the Finals.

@phillyjabroni is right in saying that Tampa could potentially be interested during Hedman's absence. He could fill in to the second pair, while Sergachev takes top pairing duties. Once Hedman returns, he can battle out for third pairing minutes with Koekkoek, Coburn, or whoever Tampa usually puts in that spot. Earlier I mentioned that he wouldn't be traded in the East. I believe that the thought of trading him to Tampa wouldn't be considered unless it was a massive overpayment, simply because it would be making the best and deepest team in the league that much better and deeper.

When the trade deadline passes, I fully expect him to still be with the Blue Jackets (and if I fully expect him to stay, it probably means he's getting traded )

Honestly, him asking for a trade this far into the last year of his contract on a really good team where he is still getting decent playing time is beyond me. Unless there is something we don't know behind the scenes going on here, this is a major red flag for me. I wouldn't want him on my team now personally.

Like i said, if there is a legitimate reason then ok but this seems like a prissy whiny thing to do.

He no longer wants to be the 7th defensemen in CBJ and wants a chance to raise his market value before FA so he can land a lucrative contract.

How is he a 7th dman? Plays 4th most minutes? No?

He has been losing TOI steadily the last couple of games. He may be 4th in aggregate minutes, but he isn't trending upwards.

Hmm seems to me he should start playing better than........ Guess he just wants to go to a middle of the pact team where he can score more points and make it look like he's better than he actually is.

Once again, I wouldn't take this guy on my team with an attitude like that. I think this will hurt his value more than improve it.

@phillyjabroni

He's eating most of the dzone starts to shelter the younger guys I believe. The minutes he's losing in the O-zone, he's recouping in the D-zone and on the PK.
That doesn't make him the 7th dman, but he's becoming a 3rd pairing defensive specialist (or a 4/5) in Columbus.
Definitely not the role he sees himself in, and not one that will allow him to pursue a lucrative contract in the offseason.

I read something about how he only played 13 minutes against Buffalo in the loss. I may be early labeling him as "7th defensemen" in CBJ, but he sure seems to be trending that way.

So I forgot about the fact that he went bankrupt a couple years ago and every penny he's earning is going towards paying off his debts so I'm guessing the next contract for him is pretty important to him being able to stay afloat.

If I were a GM, I'd still not want him and his problems on my team but I can at least understand his intentions a bit better now.

His problems were also part of the fact that he was having money taken out without his knowledge.

He needs to increase market value asap.

His contract may be the only thing keeping him in the lineup. You don't tend to keep that much salary in the press box. A smart GM would do well to avoid signing him for more than that role, imo.

A trade would do both parties well. Even if it's addition by subtraction for Columbus.

@F50marco

I don't want him either, but I'd consider Alzner if they'd bite, just to get out of both contracts at the end of the season.

Lol yeah I don't think CLB would want that kind of swap but if they did.....well I'd gladly take Jack on for a couple months.

http://ottawasun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/garrioch-sunday-coyotes-have-a-decision-to-make-on-oliver-ekman-larsson

This says Columbus wants a 1st and a top prospect for Johnson. If this is true (which it might not be), then the Jackets are being crazy. A UFA Jack Johnson isn't worth a 1st AND a top prospect ...

Heard that Columbus wants an expiring forward for Jack Johnson pretty sure the 1st is incorrect.