Several years ago, Tyler Johnson was a key supporting piece of Tampa Bay’s offense, playing a secondary scoring role in their back-to-back titles in 2019-20 and 2020-21. However, despite a couple of seasons of decent output in that same role with Chicago, the veteran finds himself unsigned more than six weeks into free agency.
The 34-year-old spent his first nine NHL seasons with the Lightning with his best performance coming nine years ago when he put up 72 points in 77 games before settling into a full-time middle-six role after that. Along the way, he was rewarded with a seven-year, $35MM contract, one that was a market-value deal for a while.
However, with Tampa Bay’s cap crunch forcing their hand on clearing out multiple veterans, the Lightning eventually needed to move him out; they moved a second-round pick to get Chicago to take on the final three years of his contract while taking on the LTIR contract of Brent Seabrook in return.
Unfortunately for Johnson, his first two seasons were mired with injuries, playing in only 82 games combined while spending just as many on the shelf. Despite that, in 2022-23, he still managed to put up 32 points in 56 games, respectable numbers for a middle-six forward.
Last season, Johnson produced at close to the same clip. He was able to stay healthy for longer, making 67 appearances while putting up 17 goals and 14 assists, his highest goal total since 2018-19. However, that hasn’t been enough to land him a guaranteed contract so far.
Stats
2023-24: 67 GP, 17 G, 14 A, 31 PTS, -35, 26 PIMS, 112 shots, 15:32 ATOI, 41.7 CF%
Career: 738 GP, 193 G, 238 A, 431 PTS, +20, 240 PIMS, 1,498 shots, 16:26 ATOI, 49.6 CF%
Potential Suitors
At this stage of his career, Johnson is no longer a full-time top-six player. With that in mind, his best fits are generally going to be with teams that have an offensive-minded third line while potentially moving into the top six temporarily when injuries arise.
In the East, his old stomping ground in Tampa Bay could make some sense. They could use one more addition to their middle six and having some familiarity with their system could give Johnson a leg up. If Boston wants some insurance for Matthew Poitras in case they don’t think he can handle a full season at center, Johnson could serve as low-cost veteran depth. Washington, meanwhile, has some questions with T.J. Oshie’s health and might want an extra veteran in the fold; Johnson could also potentially allow Hendrix Lapierre to play a big role with AHL Hershey to start the season.
Out West, Colorado could still stand to upgrade their depth but with their cap situation, they will be primarily looking for players at or close to the league minimum. After Nashville moved Cody Glass last week to free up cap space, they could be an under-the-radar option if they have enough cap space left after re-signing Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino. Meanwhile, Winnipeg struck out on helping their center situation this summer after not being able to re-sign or replace Sean Monahan. Johnson isn’t at that same level but would at least give them some extra depth at the position.
Projected Contract
It’s more than clear that Johnson won’t come anywhere close to the $5MM he made over the last seven years. While it’s possible that he could land a seven-figure deal with a rebuilding team that wants some veteran depth, the better option for him might be signing for close to the $775K minimum salary, giving him a chance to have a better selection of teams to choose from.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hendrix Lapierre has earned a shot to start the season with the Capitals. He was arguably their best forward in the playoffs last season. Also, Hershey doesn’t need him. They already have 17 forwards without him.
The old days are over and unfortunately so is Tyler. I see Europe in his future.
Perfect fit in Toronto… I thought a middle six C was their biggest need, as that would allow the team to potentially move Tavares to LW where they’re lacking depth. Johnson isn’t a 2C for long stretches, but it could give the team a new look at times with Tavares on the wing and for vet minimum, why the hell not.