27 Jack Johnson D

Johnson signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Rangers on Friday, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Another in a line of recently bought out players to sign new deals Friday, Johnson will head north from Pittsburgh to New York, where he'll suit up with his fourth different NHL franchise. The 33-year-old was the third-overall pick way back in 2005, and it's no secret that he never really came close to the expectations that come with such lofty draft stock. That's been doubly true in recent years, as Johnson has managed just 35 points in his last three seasons (226 games). He'll likely be a regular on the Blueshirts' bottom D pairing next year.

Johnson was designated for waivers Monday for purpose of buying out his contract.

Johnson became redundant for the Penguins when the team acquired Mike Matheson from the Panthers. The 32-year-old Johnson's name has been circulating in trade rumors as part of a cap dump for much of the offseason. Instead, the team will save approximately $2.1 million over the next two seasons, then $1.3 million the following year by offloading Johnson. It's a drastic break from Pittsburgh's historically anti-buyout stance.

Johnson is averaging just 13:28 of ice time over the Penguins' last four games following the return of Brian Dumoulin.

Johnson's recent minutes are well off his season average of 19:31, likely also a result of Pittsburgh getting John Marino back as well. The Indiana native will likely see a similar usage to his last four appearances down the stretch in a third pairing alongside Justin Schultz, making Johnson a low-end fantasy option.

Johnson will likely see an uptick in minutes with John Marino (face) sidelined 3-6 weeks.

Already Johnson's ice time is up in his last two games, as he logged 23:05 and 20:46 against Florida and Tampa Bay, respectively. Even with the absence of Marino, Johnson won't be asked to suit up on the power play, which will limit his fantasy value. Once Brian Dumoulin (ankle) returns to action, Johnson figures to get bumped off the top pairing with Kris Letang.

Johnson scored the game-tying, short-handed goal on his only shot of the game while adding three hits and three blocks in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins.

Johnson jumped into an odd-man rush early in the third period and absolutely hammered a shot past Jaroslav Halak to tie things up at 3-3. It was Johnson's first goal since Dec. 14, snapping a 15-game slump. Johnson logs plenty of minutes but is no longer the offensive factor he was earlier in his career with Los Angeles and Columbus. The 33-year-old has three goals and 10 points in 47 games this season.

Johnson recorded an assist, four hits, two blocked shots and two PIM in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Golden Knights.

Johnson's assist came on a Patric Hornqvist goal in the first period. It's the defenseman's third helper in the last five games. Johnson has eight points, 110 hits, 49 blocks and a plus-7 rating in 41 appearances this season.

Johnson had an assist, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 5-2 win over the Senators.

Johnson picked up the secondary helper on Evgeni Malkin's tally just 27 seconds into the game. The defensive specialist has collected six points, 102 hits and 44 blocked shots with a plus-9 rating through 37 contests this year.

Johnson scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM, five hits and two blocks in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Kings.

Johnson scored his second goal of the season in the third period, finding the net for the first time in almost exactly a month. His five hits also led all defensemen on either squad. No longer the offensive contributor he once was, Johnson has five points in 31 games this season.

Johnson (illness) is projected to be in the lineup against Arizona on Friday, per Wes Crosby of NHL.com.

With Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz (undisclosed) both back in action, Zach Trotman was shipped back to the minors and Juuso Riikola will head up to the press box. In 26 appearances this year, Johnson has recorded one goal, three assists and 19 shots, but perhaps most importantly, he's sporting a plus-8 rating. Until Brian Dumoulin (ankle) is able to return, it appears Johnson will link up with Kris Letang on the top pairing.

Johnson (illness) won't play in Wednesday's matchup against the Blues.

Johnson will miss his second game of the season, and John Marino will fill in on the top unit alongside Kris Letang. The veteran blueliner will look to get well for Friday's game against the Coyotes.

Johnson scored his first goal of the season in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Devils.

The veteran defenseman spoiled MacKenzie Blackwood's shutout bid with a tally midway through the third period, but it was all the offense the Pens could muster. Johnson hasn't reached the 25-point plateau in any of the last four seasons, and it doesn't look like the current campaign will be any different -- the 32-year-old has only three points through 18 games.

Johnson garnered an assist in Tuesday's 7-1 rout of the Flyers.

It was just the second point of the season for Johnson, who saw his shot from the point tipped in by Zach Aston-Reese. The 32-year-old blueliner is never going to be confused with an offensive powerhouse at this point in his career, but has been defensively solid for Pittsburgh to start the season; enough so the club was willing to part ways with Erik Gudbranson. Still, Johnson is far from a lock for the lineup every night and could occasionally find himself scratched in favor of Juuso Riikola.

Johnson finished Saturday's 3-0 win over Dallas with two hits and a blocked shot.

The veteran blueliner continues to sprinkle the scoresheet with contributions, but Johnson only has one assist through the season's first 11 games. He's not the point producer he once was and shouldn't be owned outside of deeper leagues. For a second straight game, Johnson logged more than 20 minutes of ice time, playing 22:29 on Saturday.

Johnson registered three hits, three blocks and one shot versus Buffalo on Thursday.

The much maligned Johnson -- who has been the subject of trade rumors all summer -- was relatively quiet in the season opener, which is exactly what fans want to see out of a third-pairing defenseman. The Indianapolis native figures to see his name circulating on trade winds throughout the year due to the Penguins' cap crunch. While Johnson has topped the 40-point mark twice in his career, fantasy owners should probably expect his ceiling to be near the 20-point range in 2019-20.

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.