After 18 years in the NHL, including a Stanley Cup Championship, no one would blame Jack Johnson for hanging up the skates. As it is, Johnson is not ready for that and has a new contract in an old place. Jack Johnson has returned to the Columbus Blue Jackets, singing a one-year deal.
#CBJ have signed D Jack Johnson to a one-year, $775,000 contract, the league minimum. It's a one-way NHL deal.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 3, 2024
Jack Johnson Signs Contract With The Blue Jackets
Johnson has signed a $775,000 contract with the Blue Jackets. The upcoming season will be Johnson’s 19th in the league.
With New Contract, Johnson’s NHL Career Has Spanned 4 Presidential Administrations
George W. Bush, Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden have two things in common. They have all been presidents, they all were presidents during Johnson’s playing career. Futhermore, with an election this November, Johnson will play during a fifth administration.
Johnson’s NHL career started in March 2007 with the Los Angeles Kings. Johnson would spend his first five and a half seasons with the Kings before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jeff Carter.
Johnson would remain a Blue Jacket until the 2018 offseason. There, Johnson would sign a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Struggles In The Black and Yellow Sent Johnson to the Blueshirts
Johnson would see a significant decrease in production with the Penguins. The Penguins would buy out the remaining three years of the contract. Johnson would become a free agent again just two years into the contract.
Johnson would sign a one-year contract with the Rangers for the 2021 season. However, Johnson only played in thirteen games before undergoing season-ending surgery.
Johnson’s Fifth Team Would Bring Him His First Stanley Cup
Johnson would join the Colorado Avalanche and see a bounce back 2021-22 season. Johnson played in all but eight of the Avalanche’s 82 regular season games. After an injury to defencemen Sam Girard in Game 3 of the team’s second-round series against the St. Louis Blues, Johnson would enter the lineup and remain the rest of the way. Johnson would win his first Stanley Cup as the Avalanche defeated the back-to-back defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Johnson would sign with the Chicago Blackhawks for the following season before getting traded back to Colorado at the 2023 trade deadline, and would remain with the Avalanche for the 2023-24 season.
Veteran D-Man Offers Experience And Productivity With This Contract
The Jack Johnson contract has value to the club. Johnson played in 80 regular season games for the Avalanche last season. It would seem Johnson has much left in the tank. If that is the case, he has more than just experience to offer the Blue Jackets.
Main Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
