“He’s a unique combination of great high-end skills and soft hands.” This is how Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager, Jarmo Kekalainen recently described his 21-year-old center. It’s an accurate description to anyone who has witnessed Ryan Johansen’s stellar play this season, his third year in the league.
A great hockey player is born with these gifts that Kekalainen so accurately described. They cannot be taught. High praise coming from one of the Blue Jackets front office brass tasked with turning around a franchise that has only made the post season once since its inaugural season in 2000.
This is the year the Blue Jackets front office and fans have been patiently waiting for in regards to Ryan Johansen. This is the season that fans of the Blue Jackets, as well as the game in general will look back upon as the surfacing of a major NHL talent. It’s all happening right now. Take notice.
Looking back, surly Blue Jackets fans remember Johansen taking the ice and at times having a minor contribution during the 2012-2013 lockout shortened campaign, the second NHL season of his career. However, despite the fact that it was only his second season in the NHL there were already whispers around Columbus and the league that the young center from British Columbia may in fact be a draft bust. Those whispers were undoubtedly heard by the young center.
As the lockout threat of the 2012-2013 NHL season became a reality Johansen was sent to the Blue Jackets minor league affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, of the American Hockey League. Blue Jackets management felt that 20-year-old Ryan Johansen’s development needed attention. They felt that Johansen needed more focus. It soon became obvious that they were correct in their assumptions.
Ryan Johansen’s transfer to the AHL happened despite the fact that he played nearly an entire NHL season a year prior during his rookie campaign in 2011-2012. He appeared in 67 games that rookie year tallying 9 goals and 12 assists with a -2 rating while averaging nearly 13 minutes a game. Not a bad rookie season for a 19 year old. Not great by any means, but not a disaster either.
It seems that not much was thought of that season in terms of disappointment and that is obviously because Johansen was a 19-year-old rookie competing at a highly skilled position in the world’s top hockey league. For all intents and purposes he was still just a kid.
Everyone figured his time would come so nobody really panicked about the overall performance during that rookie year. It was widely assumed that he would grow as a professional both mentally and physically to become a major factor in the Blue Jackets 2012-2013 season. Sadly, those aspirations never came to fruition.
Naturally, with the young Canadian being one of the Blue Jackets top prospects he was immediately recalled from Springfield once the lockout of the 2012-2013 season had ended. However, due to his lack luster play it was not long before Johansen was again sent back to Springfield.
He would eventually miss eight Blue Jacket games in an already shortened season due to his demotion. After those eight lost games he was recalled from Springfield and finished the remainder of the season at the NHL level. After the Blue Jackets narrowly missed the playoffs Johansen was once again sent to Springfield. This time to aid in the Falcons own post season. However, during the second round of the Falcon’s American Hockey League playoffs Johansen was benched. Again, lack luster play and effort.
This most certainly had the heads of General Manager, Jarmo Kekalainen and President of Hockey Operations, John Davidson wondering about the future of their young center.
Only Ryan Johansen himself truly knows the embarrassment of those events that transpired but his play on the ice this season suggests that he is not interested in repeating history.
Enter his third NHL season, the 2013-2014 campaign, and ladies and gentleman, Ryan Johansen has arrived. It’s as if a switch was turned on. It’s as if he decided to let his natural abilities guide him through the season.
Fans of the game are now viewing the young center in an entire new light. The Blue Jackets faithful are now witnessing the skills and natural talent that made him a first round (4th overall) pick of the organization in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Perspective is definitely necessary. Ryan Johansen is still only 21 years old. Let’s not forget that.
Ryan Johansen is hands down the Columbus Blue Jackets offensive MVP in this concluding NHL season. He has had a solid season from the beginning. On Saturday night in Carolina, Johansen netted the game winner in OT off of a beautiful feed from Artem Anisimov giving him his team leading 30th goal of the season. This also gave the Blue Jackets their much needed two points in the ever tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
That goal put Johansen in the Blue Jackets record book along with Geoff Sanderson and Rick Nash as the only Blue Jackets in franchise history to achieve the 30 goal mark in a season. That’s quite a feat considering how the previous two seasons unfolded for Johansen statistically.
Johansen has appeared in 74 games this season. Along with his team leading 30 goals he also has a career high in assists with 25 and time on ice where he is averaging 17:34 per contest. So far this year he has a rating of plus 1.
Johansen and the Blue Jackets are currently holding down the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference with a daunting schedule looming ahead. Beginning Tuesday in Columbus at Nationwide Arena the Blue Jackets will finish out the regular season by playing 8 games in 12 days including three back to backs.
If the Columbus Blue Jackets are to make the playoffs this season, Ryan Johansen’s skills will be needed and relied upon during their most difficult final playoff push.
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