With their acquisition of Ian Cole, the Blue Jackets have a potential replacement for blueliner Jack Johnson if they decide to move him. To that end, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks are making a push to acquire the 31-year-old from Columbus.
Johnson’s situation has been well-documented. With his ice time decreasing, he asked for a trade earlier in the season but in recent weeks, his playing time has increased and for a short time, discussions about a potential extension took place although those have since broken off. The pending unrestricted free agent has three goals and five assists in 62 games this season, his lowest points-per-game pace since his first full season in the NHL back in 2007-08.
Anaheim has a fully-healthy back end at the moment but rookie Marcus Pettersson has only played a limited role while Francois Beauchemin has been in and out of the lineup as of late. Johnson would represent an upgrade to their third pairing while giving them some insurance in case one of their top-four defenders goes down with an injury. The pending UFA carries a cap hit of just over $4.35MM but the Ducks have the ability to add nearly $14MM in full-season salary today.
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
JJ would have been a nice add to play with Beauch or Bieksa (who have been rotating in and out of the lineup lately), but Pettersson has played well since his recall. I imagine Columbus would have wanted a first with Anaheim offering a second and prospect. BM wouldn’t pay that price for a UFA if he wasn’t confident that he’d resign. Oh well