73 Jack Johnson D

Johnson is bogged down in a 14-game point drought, dating back to Feb. 26 versus Columbus.

While Johnson's primary role isn't in the offensive end, the Pens no doubt would like to see the blueliner get back on the scoresheet soon. The 31-year-old has reached the 40-point mark twice in his career, but is unlikely to make it to 20 in his first season in Pittsburgh. While he won't offer much in terms of fantasy production, Johnson figures to be a mainstay on the Pens' blue line and should continue seeing over 19 minutes of ice time per game.

Johnson picked up a helper against Columbus on Tuesday.

Johnson's assist ended an 11-game pointless streak, though he still hasn't found the back of the net since Oct. 25 versus Calgary. With injuries on the blue line, the Indianapolis native has logged over 25 minutes of ice time in each of his last two games, including a season-high 31:08 in Saturday's Stadium Series clash with the Flyers. Considering his lack of offensive touch, the defenseman offers low-end fantasy value in most formats.

Johnson (undisclosed) was a full participant in practice Tuesday and won't miss any time, Sam Kasan of Pens Inside Scoop reports.

Johnson's potential absence would have opened the door for Chad Ruhwedel to slot into the lineup, but instead it appears Johnson avoided injury after being forced to leave Monday's clash with New Jersey early. The blueliner is a minus-6 in his previous five outings with one assist, 11 hits and five blocks.

Johnson (undisclosed) suffered an injury in Monday's game and did not return.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said he didn't have an update on Johnson after the game, so his status for Wednesday's home showdown against the Lightning is still unknown. If he's out, Chad Ruhwedel will slide into the lineup.

Johnson has just one assist and a minus-5 rating in his last five outings.

Johnson's poor numbers include a minus-4 rating versus Vegas on Jan. 19. While the team would certainly like some offensive contributions from the blueliner, the bigger concern will be his performance on the defensive end. If Johnson isn't helping keep pucks out of the net, the team could decide it's time to give Chad Ruhwedel a look.

Johnson has started to shoot the puck again (six shots in his last three outings) after having gone five games without a single shot on goal.

Johnson shouldn't have to worry about getting bumped from the lineup, as the coaching staff seems more concerned about his play on the defensive side of the puck, but certainly getting some offensive from the blueliner would help. The Indianapolis native is pointless in his last four contests and is bogged down in a 28-game goal drought.

Johnson notched his first goal as a Penguin in Thursday's 9-1 victory over Calgary.

Johnson faced a lot of criticism for being on the ice for all five of Edmonton's goals on Tuesday, but he has points in back-to-back games as well as the support of coach Mike Sullivan, who told reporters, "He's quietly played a sound game for us, and I don't think he gets some of the credit he deserves...he had no responsibility for any of those goals against," per Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

Johnson owns a minus-2 rating over five pointless performances with the Penguins.

Johnson owns an egregious minus-111 rating over 13 seasons, so the slow defensive start isn't surprising, but we figured he would have produced at least one point by now as a minutes-munching defenseman averaging 20:12 of ice time on a quality Penguins squad that will be without Justin Schultz (leg) for at least four months.

Johnson signed a five-year contract worth $3.25 million AAV with the Penguins on Sunday, TSN reports.

Since racking up 40 points in 2014-15, Johnson has slumped with two of the last three seasons under 15 points. His best contributions of last season came in blocked shots (135) and hits (101). Moving to a perennial contender may help Johnson re-up his game, but fantasy owners shouldn't jump on his bandwagon just yet.

Johnson has agreed in principle to a five-year deal with Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While the deal can't be signed until July 1, it appears Johnson -- who was linked to the Penguins at the trade deadline last season -- will link up with the club for the 2018-19 campaign and beyond. The defenseman went unused by the Blue Jackets in their first-round playoff matchup with Washington and will likely be in a constant battle for a spot in Pittsburgh's lineup.

Johnson, who finished the 2017-18 campaign with three goals, 11 points and a minus-6 rating, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

There's still a chance Columbus will try to retain Johnson, but it seems as though the writing was on the wall for his departure from the Blue Jackets during their first-round matchup with Washington, as the 31-year-old blueliner sat as a healthy scratch for all six playoff games against the Capitals. Regardless of where he lands, the 2005 third overall pick's lack of offensive upside will keep him off the fantasy radar in all but the deepest of formats in 2018-19, but he'll still be a solid pickup for an NHL club looking for veteran help on its second pairing.

Johnson played 21:39 in Monday's 5-1 win over the Capitals, recording one shot, one hit, one blocked shot and a plus-1 rating.

Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen didn't find a taker for Johnson at the trade deadline, or at least didn't get an offer he liked, and as a result the veteran defenseman will remain with the club and hit unrestricted free agency in the offseason. Johnson has only three goals and eight points in 63 games and no longer sees power-play time, keeping him off the fantasy radar, but he should still see a regular shift as part of a deep Columbus blue-line corps that now features three solid pairings after the addition of Ian Cole.

Johnson has softened his stance on a trade after a one-on-one meeting with coach John Tortorella, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

With his ice time declining and free agency looming, Johnson said his request for a trade wasn't about him being unhappy in Columbus but about positioning himself for his next contract, and Tortorella is more than willing to give him an opportunity to earn that ice time back with the Jackets rather than in another uniform. "I don't think it's Jack Johnson pounding his fist on the table saying 'I want out of here,' " Tortorella said Wednesday. "I think it's a player when he's lost some minutes in his game, he's at the end of his contract, maybe negotiations aren't going on. ... He wants to know if there are other options. This doesn't change anything with me and my thoughts about him. Jack and I have known each other for a long time in national tournaments. I know what he is. And I know he's not a player that wants to get the hell out of here." Johnson will get his first chance to regain a key role on the Columbus blue line Thursday against the Stars, when he'll be put back on the second pairing with David Savard.

Johnson has requested to be traded from the Blue Jackets, The Athletic reports.

Despite the fact that he's an assistant captain, Johnson wants out of Columbus. The 30-year-old is logging under 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career, and he reportedly wishes to set himself up to be in a better position this summer, when he'll be an unrestricted free agent. We highly doubt Johnson will come close to matching the $4.357 million annually that he's banking on his current deal originally procured with the Kings -- after all, the guy has just seven points, a minus-5 rating and a discouraging 46.4 Corsi For percentage through 46 games this season.

Johnson recorded a plus-3 rating and two blocked shots in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Islanders.

Separated from long-time blue line partner David Savard to begin the game, Johnson snapped out of a bit of a tailspin defensively that had seen him produce a minus-6 rating over his previous five games. On the season, the veteran now has six points (two goals, four assists) and a minus-1 rating through 32 games while only taking 36 shots on net. He reached the 40-point plateau as recently as 2014-15, but with Zach Werenski and Seth Jones now handling the bulk of the power-play duties for the Jackets, Johnson's offensive contributions figure to remain minimal.

Johnson is bogged down in a 10-game pointless streak.

Considering Johnson barely broke the 20-point threshold last season (23), fantasy owners probably weren't expecting him to go back to being the 40-point producer he was in 2014-15. However, his one-goal, three-assist start to the year is subpar at best. Despite his lack of production, the Indiana native continues to log significant minutes on the blue line (18:36).

Johnson has yet to record a point this season, though he's gone plus-2 through three games.

The 30-year-old blueliner owns a pitiful minus-101 rating over 714 career games between the Kings and Blue Jackets, but it looks like he's focusing heavily on maintaining steady own-zone production after turning in a plus-23 mark last season. Fantasy owners have to hope it doesn't come at the expense of lackluster offensive numbers, though.

Johnson was not on the Blue Jackets' protected list for the upcoming expansion draft, but is rumored to be one of the players the Golden Knights have agreed not to select in exchange for Columbus' first-round pick (24th overall) in the 2017 draft, Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The blueliner may not have been of much interest to the expansion team anyway as a 30-year-old with one year remaining on his contract, but Johnson will remain in Columbus and reprise his role on the team's second pairing with David Savard. The duo formed a steady complement to the young and extremely talented Seth Jones and Zach Werenski on the top pairing, helping Johnson post a career-best plus-23 rating last season in addition to his five goals and 23 points.

Johnson might have his ice time reduced over the final two games of the regular season, Tom Reed of The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The Blue Jackets' depth on the blue line has been tested down the stretch with both Zach Werenski (shoulder) and Ryan Murray (hand) sidelined, and now that their first-round playoff matchup is set in stone, coach John Tortorella may want to give his key defensemen a bit of a break prior to their postseason showdown with the Penguins. Johnson has carried a heavy load this season, averaging 21:47 a night, and if Werenski can't return for the start of the playoffs that ice time will probably increase with Johnson and David Savard forming the Jackets' most reliable defensive duo. Getting fewer shifts this weekend might help keep some pep in Johnson's postseason step.

Johnson posted a goal with three blocked shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss against the Capitals.

Johnson has managed just 23 points this season, but he is working on a three-game point streak with two goals and an assist. He has managed a solid plus-21 rating with 87 hits and 127 blocked shots to help fantasy owners in deeper pools.