The New York Islanders placed veteran enforcer Ross Johnston on waivers today, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
This will not allow the Islanders to assign him to AHL Bridgeport before tonight’s 4 p.m. CT opening-night roster deadline. However, as Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reports, the Islanders will designate Johnston as a non-roster player while on waivers, eliminating his $1.1MM cap hit from the books within the next few hours to help the Islanders get under the salary cap’s $83.5MM Upper Limit.
Johnston’s waiver assignment comes as a bit of a surprise, as New York has carried him as an extra forward since 2018-19. He’s played 109 NHL games in that span, scoring 18 points. Johnston is currently in the second year of a four-year, $4.4MM contract. This deal was signed at the start of the 2021-22 season. Johnston would go on to score seven points and record 44 penalty minutes in 32 games that year.
The Islanders signed Johnston as an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL in 2015. His appeal was largely as an enforcer, leading his QMJHL team in the final two years of his four-year juniors career. He brought this precedent to pro hockey as well, leading the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL in penalty minutes as soon as his sophomore year in the league. He even led the New York Islanders in penalty minutes, recording 62 in only 24 games, during the 2017-18 season; Johnston’s rookie year. This was nine minutes more than Cal Clutterbuck, whose 53 penalty minutes through 76 games ranked second on the team.
While Johnston’s return to the AHL is surprising given his duration with the NHL club, it’s not likely that this is the last fans have seen of him at the top level. The Islanders clearly have an affinity for his reckless style. He’ll certainly remain one of the team’s top options to fill in gaps in the NHL lineup.
PHR’s Gabriel Foley added to this report.
Lou pride and joy