Snapshots: Johnson, Crawford, Murray

Jack Johnson’s not hiding the fact that he asked for a trade in November, but he wanted to make it clear that he’s nowhere near quitting on the Columbus Blue Jackets. In an excellent piece by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), Johnson goes into detail on how he would love to stay with his current club, but is just trying to do what is best for his career and family:

This isn’t a situation that’s normal. Most people, when stuff like this happens, it’s because they don’t want to be where they’re at, or they’re not happy with the team, the city, the coaches, whatever. I’m not … this isn’t a case of any of that.

Johnson is perhaps more concerned with future paydays than the average NHL veteran because of the public bankruptcy he had to file in 2014 thanks to debt his parents created in his name. Still, Johnson only wants to show he’s capable of contributing to a winning lineup, and he’ll get that chance tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars when he’s reunited with David Savard on the team’s second defense pairing. Though he remains a possibility for trade, Portzline perhaps put it best on Twitter when asked if Johnson could play his way into a contract: “rule out nothing.”

• Though Scotty Bowman seemed to dispute the report of vertigo-like symptoms for Corey Crawford when he was on Sportsnet radio in Toronto, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times caught up with the legendary coach to clarify his comments. Bowman was just “guessing” at the fact that Crawford has a concussion, and had no confirmation of the diagnosis. Either way, as Lazerus points out, it doesn’t seem like there is a timetable for Crawford’s return.
• If you’re tuning into the Pittsburgh Penguins game and wondering where Matt Murray is, the team announced earlier today that the goaltender will be away from the team indefinitely following the death of his father, James Murray. There was an outpouring of support from media and fellow NHL players as Murray is well-liked around the league. PHR would also like to extend our condolences to the Murray family.