NHL Free Agency 2018: Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly plan to sign Jack Johnson
According to Mark Madden, the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to sign defenseman Jack Johnson to a five-year deal once NHL free agency begins
The Pittsburgh Penguins, after falling short of their lofty goal of pulling off a three-peat, will see some changes during this offseason. After trading Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres to clear up cap space, speculation began about who the Pens were clearing the space for. According to Pittsburgh radio host Mark Madden, the answer is defenseman Jack Johnson.
Later, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed the details of the reported contract. The deal cannot become official until NHL free agency begins on Sunday, July 1 at noon.
.@MarkMaddenX first reported that the Penguins intend to sign defenseman Jack Johnson Sunday to a five-year deal. Confirming that. Source says it will be in the $16 million range total (between $3-$3.5 million AAV).
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) June 27, 2018
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Johnson has played 12 seasons in the NHL. He has spent parts of six seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and parts of six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The defenseman has spent five full seasons with both teams and was traded midway through the 2011-12 season.
In 788 career regular season games, he has 66 goals, 212 assists, and 278 points. Though Johnson has averaged over 22 minutes per game over the course of his career, last season was the first time he averaged below 20 minutes. He has seen a decline in his playing time in each of the past two seasons.
The Penguins were looking to upgrade their blueline this offseason. If this reported deal is accurate, it’s baffling why they would want to add Johnson.
While the Penguins have had a lot of success with guys like Justin Schultz and Jamie Oleksiak, each of them had youth on their side when the Pens acquired them. At 31 years old, Johnson is aging and on the decline.
He’ll be expected to fit on the third pairing, especially since Brian Dumoulin and Olli Maatta are better left-handed options.
Johnson will likely be one of the Penguins primary penalty killers too. His recent history is not promising and he has never been a positive force as far as puck possession.
If the Penguins got rid of Sheary and Hunwick to help facilitate a long-term deal for Johnson, that’s a very questionable move.
For updated NHL Free Agency coverage, be sure to check out our Free Agency hub page.