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Reese Johnson

Blackhawks Notes: Murphy, Johnson, Veterans

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The Blackhawks have been without blueliner Connor Murphy for nearly three months with an undisclosed lower-body injury.  Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, the veteran indicated he was dealing with an osteitis pubis injury, the same issue that has sidelined San Jose’s Logan Couture for most of the season albeit a less severe case.  Murphy took part in a full practice today and is targeting a return sometime next week.  While there isn’t anything left for Chicago to play for in the standings, getting a few games under his belt before the campaign comes to an end would certainly be worth it for Murphy to confirm that he had indeed fully recovered from this issue.

More from Chicago:

  • Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson suffered a setback as he works his way back from a concussion, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The 25-year-old has missed nearly four weeks and had been skating at one point but has stopped since then.  At this point, a return in the final two weeks of the season seems unlikely.  Johnson collected two goals and three assists in 42 games with Chicago while adding 109 hits; he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
  • Heading into the season, many expected Chicago to move veterans Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek. As pending unrestricted free agents, the thought was they’d hold down a roster spot and then be moved at the trade deadline for draft picks but both signed two-year extensions instead.  Scott Powers of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that the Blackhawks could use more players like that, short-term veterans that can make a bigger impact than anticipated and then stick around a little longer.  Adding pieces like that would raise the floor of the team when they eventually look to emerge from their long-term rebuild.

Evening Notes: Fast, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks

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Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff tweeted that Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast has re-joined team practice after missing Carolina’s last three games with an apparent upper-body injury. Fast hasn’t played since March 19th and is “nursing something” according to Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind ’Amour.

Fast had struggled leading up to the injury announcement, tallying just a single assist in his last six games. Fast has never been an offensive juggernaut but has been a consistent 30-point producer and has seen a drop off this season in his scoring. Through 66 games, the 32-year-old has just six goals and 12 assists and his shooting percentage has dropped four percent below his career average to just 8.6% on the season.

In other evening notes:

  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic writes that the Columbus Blue Jackets are unlikely to interview director of player development Rick Nash for their vacant general manager position even though he was just named the general manager of Team Canada for the upcoming IIHF World Championships. Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson spoke with The Athletic on Saturday to discuss his search for the team’s next GM after firing Jarmo Kekäläinen. Davidson reiterated that he is looking to hire a person with experience as an NHL GM and that he planned to look outside Nationwide Arena for the next hire. Davidson told The Athletic that he has spoken with Nash and others within the organization to let them know that they will not get an interview for the position as the timing isn’t right for them to move into the role of general manager.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks had a trio of injured players on the ice today as Taylor Hall, Connor Murphy, and Reese Johnson skated before the teams practice. Hall won’t be back into the lineup until next season after undergoing ACL surgery on his right knee in November. While Hall’s timeline is fairly clear, Murphy’s return date is murky at this point as he has not played since January 13th and may not return before the end of the season. Murphy was initially diagnosed with a groin injury, but that was eventually changed to a core injury. Johnson also joined the other veterans after being ruled out due to concussion protocol. The 25-year-old last played on March 12th and sat out the last five games. He has dressed in 42 games this season for Chicago and has two goals and three assists.

Injury News: Lindgren, Johnson, Murphy, Carlsson

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Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren left today’s game with a lower-body injury, relays Ethan Sears of the New York Post.  The injury occurred in the second period and he was helped off the ice without being able to put weight on his left leg.  Head coach Peter Laviolette didn’t have an update following the game, noting Lindgren was still being evaluated.  The 26-year-old came into today logging over 19 minutes a night on their second pairing but it appears they’ll need to shake things up again after redoing the pairings following Jacob Trouba’s injury.  Chad Ruhwedel was acquired at the trade deadline but has yet to play so far, he’d likely draw in if Lindgren isn’t able to suit up on Tuesday against Winnipeg.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Blackhawks winger Reese Johnson (concussion) is doing better but won’t accompany the team on their three-game road trip, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was injured back on Tuesday.  Johnson has played in 42 games so far this season, picking up five points along with 109 hits while averaging just under 11 minutes a night.
  • Still with the Blackhawks, blueliner Connor Murphy visited a specialist as he continues to be out with a groin injury, notes Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Murphy has been listed as week-to-week for two months now and head coach Luke Richardson indicated that this is still the case.  At this point, it’s unknown if Murphy will return this season.
  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that center Leo Carlsson was cleared to return from his concussion tonight against St. Louis. The rookie had missed eight straight games because of it.  Between injuries and early-season load management, Carlsson has been limited to just 40 games so far this season but he has played well, picking up nine goals and 14 assists in those contests.

Snapshots: Bruins, Perry, Johnson

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The NCAA free agency frenzy has kicked off and the Boston Bruins could be in the mix for one of the top names, with the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter sharing that the team is interested in Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel. Bischel has been with the Fighting Irish for the last five seasons, confidently taking over the team’s starting role over the last two. And he’s been tremendous with the opportunity, posting 16 wins and a .931 save percentage in 37 games last season and 15 wins and a .924 in 36 games this year. He managed his high marks while facing an average of 33 shots against each game this season. The performances have earned Bischel plenty of recognition, getting named a finalist for Big Ten Goaltender of the Year this season, after winning the award last year.

Goaltending has been a major sore spot for countless teams this year and any team in need of goaltending depth is likely trying to find out their chances of signing Bischel. That could make it hard for Boston – who already boasts fantastic depth with Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman, and Brandon Bussi – to find an advantage in negotiations. But Bischel’s addition could be aptly timed, with Boston also entertaining trading Ullmark around the Trade Deadline. How NCAA free agency negotiations play out could go a long way toward determining what the Bruins want to do next.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The NHL, NHLPA, Chicago Blackhawks, and Corey Perry have reached a settlement relating to Perry’s termination from the Blackhawks on November 29th, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Rather than have Perry file a grievance with the league, the two sides agreed to a financial settlement. Perry signed with the Edmonton Oilers on January 22nd and has since scored five goals and seven points in 20 games with the Canadian club. This settlement marks a success in the Player’s Association’s protection of guaranteed contracts.
  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson has entered concussion protocol and didn’t practice with the team on Thursday, per Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. Johnson has been a routine depth forward for Chicago, scoring five points in 42 games. It’s his second season of full-time NHL action, after posting four goals and six points in 57 games last year. Rookie Landon Slaggert is set to make his NHL debut in Johnson’s absence, joining Chicago after the conclusion of Notre Dame’s season.

West Notes: Kurashev, Kolesar, Johnsson, Knyzhov

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Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that forward Reese Johnson will be replacing Philipp Kurashev in the lineup tonight. Johnson will suit up in his first game since the team’s February 19th win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his report, Pope mentions that Kurashev may be headed toward concussion protocol, but are waiting until the team returns to Chicago to make a better determination. In 70 games played for the struggling Blackhawks so far this season, Kurashev has scored nine goals and 16 assists. Although these may seem like tepid numbers from a forward, he has passed his total production from last season, which must be a welcomed sign from the rebuilding Chicago team.

Other notes:

  • After being out since March 11th, the head of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, reports that Keegan Kolesar will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game. Although Kolesar does not usually generate a lot of offensive chances for the Golden Knights, the forward has thrown 240 hits so far this year, good for seventh overall throughout the entire league. As the Golden Knights are making their final push to return to the playoffs, Kolesar’s ability to throw the body is a valuable asset to employ come playoff time.
  • Since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline, forward Andreas Johnsson has not been able to find his footing in the Bay Area just yet. Tallying just three assists in 13 games for the Sharks, Johnsson has been out since the team’s March 20th game with an injury. Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka passes on a note from head coach David Quinn that the new forward will likely be out for some time, with no update on when he will return to the lineup.
  • Continuing on with the Sharks, the team has announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been sent down to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda. Spending most of this year on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Knyzhov has suited up in nine games for San Jose, scoring only one goal from the back end.

 

Chicago Blackhawks Extend Reese Johnson

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The Chicago Blackhawks have reached a two-year contract extension with Reese Johnson, signing him through the 2023-24 season. The deal comes with a cap hit of $800K, and means that the young forward will avoid restricted free agency for the time being. PuckPedia reports that the one-way deal carries a salary of $750,000 in year one and $850,000 in year two.

If there’s an opponent that Johnson doesn’t want to hit, he hasn’t found it yet. The 23-year-old forward has racked up 111 hits in just 28 games this season, his first semi-regular NHL campaign. Coming into the year he had seen just five games with the Blackhawks and was still looking for his first NHL point, and he now has six of those to his name, including one goal.

While he might not offer much offense, the undrafted free agent signing can certainly provide some energy and physicality in a fourth-line role, and now appears to be penciled into that spot for the next few years. With the Blackhawks starting into a full tear-down, and other players likely traded out this offseason, there may be a full-time opportunity coming down the pipe for Johnson and other cheap forwards like him. This deal avoids arbitration and locks him in through his age-25 season at a price barely above the league minimum.

That’s certainly some job security, especially given Johnson would have to pass through waivers in order to be assigned to the minor leagues starting next season. The two-year term on the deal likely helps him clear, should that be the Blackhawks’ plan at any point.

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