9 Tyler Johnson C

Johnson notched an assist in Friday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Johnson, who was unable to play in Wednesday's season opener due to some salary cap gymnastics, didn't appear to miss a beat from the late start to the year. He provided the primary helper on Alex Killorn's goal at 4:43 of the second period. In 65 contests last year, Johnson had 14 goals, 31 points and 62 hits. He should produce enough to be worth a look in deeper fantasy formats if he can stay on the second line with Killorn and Anthony Cirelli.

After clearing waivers, Johnson has been assigned to the taxi squad and will not be eligible to suit up against Chicago on Wednesday, Frank Seravalli of TSN.ca reports.

This was expected, as the Lightning are tight against the salary cap and needed to get creative with waiver and taxi squad transactions in advance of Wednesday's season opener. Luke Schenn joins Johnson on the taxi squad, with both players eligible to play Friday (also against the Blackhawks). It's unclear at this point if they'll be in the lineup for that contest, however.

Johnson was waived by the Lightning on Monday, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

Johnson was also waived by the Lightning back in October in an effort to clear his $5 million cap hit from the books. The 32-year-old center saw a significant drop-off in production last season with just 31 points over 65 games, but he'll remain with the team if he clears waivers, which is expected. In turn, Johnson likely will start out on the taxi squad to begin the 2020-21 season. He should be called up again once the Lightning clear up the necessary cap space.

Johnson is expected to get a chance to play on the second line this season, reports The Athletic.

Nikita Kucherov's long-term injury absence means that Johnson not only will stay in Tampa Bay, but move up the lineup -- he'd been the subject of trade rumors all summer and fall. Now, Johnson could skate with Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn, and get a plum role on the power play. He did score 29 goals just a couple years ago, so bump him up a little at draft.

Johnson went unclaimed off waivers Saturday, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

With no takers on Johnson's $5 million cap hit, the team has limited options going forward to clear cap space. At best, the Lightning can bury Johnson's contract in the minors which will generate $1.25 million in space and could convince Johnson to remove more teams on his no-trade list.

Johnson was designated for waivers by Tampa Bay on Friday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Johnson's contract includes a no-trade clause, which may have prevented the organization from finding a landing spot for the four years remaining on his deal at a $5 million cap hit. Considering the 30-year-old has four 20-plus goal seasons under his belt, he should garner plenty of interest around the league.

Johnson has provided the Lightning with a list of teams he'd accept a trade to, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Johnson's contract has a full no-move clause, so this is essentially him doing a favor for the team that gave him his first shot in the NHL all the way back in 2012. The Lightning have several major restricted free agents to re-sign this offseason, including Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli, so they were always going to need to make moves in order to make it work, and trading Johnson and his $5 million annual salary is considered by many to be the logical first step. It appears to be a foregone conclusion that Johnson, who picked up 14 goals and 31 points in 65 games last campaign, will be playing elsewhere next season.

Johnson scored a goal and doled out four hits in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Islanders in Game 3.

Johnson tied the game at 3-3 with his goal at 12:04 of the third period, but that was the extent of the Lightning's offense. It was the 30-year-old's fourth goal and seventh point of the playoffs. He's added 30 shots on net, 26 hits and a minus-4 rating in 16 contests.

Johnson netted a power-play goal in Sautrday's 4-1 round-robin loss to the Flyers.

Johnson got the Lightning on the board at 5:21 of the second period. He ended up with two goals, an assist, five shots and five hits in three games during the round-robin round.

Johnson scored the game-winning goal and added an assist with two shots in Wednesday's 3-2 round-robin victory over Boston.

Johnson crashed the net late in the third period and knocked home an Alex Killorn rebound, breaking a 2-2 deadlock with 1:27 remaining. Johnson also assisted on Killorn's power-play goal midway through the first period. A 20-goal scorer in each of the previous two seasons, Johnson dipped to 14 goals in 65 games during the 2019-20 regular season.

Johnson dished out an assist in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Bruins.

Johnson's in danger of finishing with a career low in points, as he just notched his 30th point after 61 games. He's getting fewer opportunities -- his average of 14:33 per game is the lowest since his rookie year -- on the third line, and it's been an especially tough stretch with just three points over the past 12 contests.

Johnson (undisclosed) picked up an assist in 11:59 of ice time in a 5-3 win over the Flyers on Saturday.

Johnson missed Friday's practice, but he didn't miss any game time. The helper was his first point in five games and just his 28th in 55 games. At this point, Johnson is on pace for 37 points. That would be his lowest output since his 14-game debut in 2012-13. He still has name recognition, but his fantasy value isn't nearly as good as people think.

Johnson (undisclosed) will play in Saturday's game versus the Flyers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Johnson was a game-time call after missing Friday's practice, but he'll avoid missing his first game since December. The 31-year-old will flank Cedric Paquette on the third line and look to build on the 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) he's accrued through 53 games.

Johnson (undisclosed) didn't take part in practice Friday and is considered a game-time call for Saturday's tilt versus the Flyers, Bryan Burns of the Lightning's official site reports.

Johnson is one of four Lightning players to be deemed a game-time call for the contest, though Joe Smith of The Athletic notes that it appears a couple of them may be in line to draw in. Look for confirmation of the team's lineup to surface on game day.

Johnson posted an assist, two shots on goal and two PIM in Friday's 4-3 win over the Ducks.

Johnson reached the 25-point mark with his helper Friday. He's at 12 goals, 13 assists, 84 shots and 50 hits in 46 games this year. The 29-year-old figures to remain on a highly productive line with Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat for the foreseeable future.

Johnson potted a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Johnson finished off a give-and-go with Ondrej Palat at 5:48 of the second period to put the Lightning on the board. The 29-year-old now has 12 goals and 24 points in 45 contests this season. He's added 82 shots on net, 50 hits and a plus-5 rating.

Johnson picked up an assist and went plus-3 in Friday's 7-1 win over the Jets.

Johnson had the secondary helper on the first of Anthony Cirelli's three goals in the game. Their line with Ondrej Palat was arguably the most effective against the Jets. Johnson is at 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists), 78 shots on goal, 48 hits and a plus-4 rating in 43 appearances this season, mostly in a middle-six role.

Johnson netted a goal on two shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Devils.

Johnson tallied 37 seconds into the second period, but the Devils scored the last three goals of the game. The 29-year-old forward has four goals and two helpers in his last eight appearances. Through 40 games this season, he's up to 11 goals, 21 points and 75 shots. His tally Sunday was the 150th of his career.

Johnson scored a goal and added a pair of assists, one on the power play, in a 6-4 win over the Sabres on Tuesday.

The three-point effort pushed Johnson's season point total to 18, but he remains without a power-play goal this season. He does have five power-play helpers, though. The 29-year-old has produced 0.55 points per game in 2019-20 and is more than capable of turning in nights like this but can also go cold for long stretches.

Johnson (lower body) is available for Saturday's game against the Canadiens.

Johnson has sat out five of the last eight games with this injury, but he'll be back in the mix Saturday. The 30-year-old is expected to center the fourth line, but he should contribute on the power play as well. Through 30 games this season, Johnson has accrued seven goals and eight assists.