It was announced today that veteran defenceman Jack Johnson has signed a contract with the New York Rangers. Johnson was recently bought out by the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, clearly, both sides feel he has more to give. The deal is one-year for one million dollars.
Jack Johnson agreement with the NYR when complete, expected to be 1 year, just over $1 mil.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 9, 2020
Jack Johnson Signs
Johnson is known as a physical stay-at-home defenceman. He is is a lightning rod when it comes to discussions. Some love the physicality he brings, however, others feel the game has passed him by. Regardless, his new team feels he will be helpful in some capacity. In 937 career NHL games, he has 70 goals, 232 assists, for 302 points. He has also added 521 penalty minutes on top of that.
Johnson will certainly look to bring some physicality to this lineup. He will likely not see too much time at 5v5, but rather be a third-pair guy who plays some penalty kill. At this point in his career, that feels like the best fit for him. Johnson was originally drafted third overall back in 2005 by the Carolina Hurricanes. He never played a game for them, instead, he has played with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Penguins.
Moving Forward
Johnson should be a depth guy for New York. They can’t ask him to do too much or this simply won’t work out. That being said, it is a very low-risk move for the Rangers. If Johnson can’t find his legs next year, he can easily be moved or waived due to the low salary. A deal with very limited risk is a decent bet from New York. It is possible this is not all they get up to this week or day.
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