Jack Johnson signs with Blue Jackets, says he’s ready to serve as ‘role model’ on the blue line

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets’ search for more defensive depth and another experienced voice in the locker room has yielded a familiar player.

Defenseman Jack Johnson, who played seven seasons with the Blue Jackets over the past decade, signed a one-year, $775,000 contract — the NHL minimum salary — after visiting GM Don Waddell on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.

Johnson, 37, has played in 1,187 games for six different franchises and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022. The 2024-25 season will be his 19th in the NHL.

Johnson has remained based in the Columbus suburbs, even as his career has taken him to Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers, Colorado, Chicago and back to Colorado after he left the Blue Jackets as a free agent following the 2017-18 season.

Contract negotiations began when Johnson informed the Blue Jackets that he would like the opportunity to play in Columbus and possibly finish his career there.

“This is my birthplace,” Johnson said The Athletics. “This city means a lot to me. I’m raising my family here. My wife’s family lives here too. It’s definitely special.”

On Monday, the opening day of free agency, the Blue Jackets signed 29-year-old center Sean Monahan to a five-year, $27.5 million contract. He will be the No. 1 center and help guide their young forwards, particularly centers Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger.

Johnson will be asked to fill a similar role — along with other Blue Jackets veterans — with defensemen David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk, two former first-round draft picks who come to training camp with a solid chance to make the roster.

“I’m coming to play and compete like I do every night,” Johnson said. “But it’s a different situation (than Colorado). There’s a lot of young guys and I’m going to try to be the best example and role model I can be. I’ve met a lot of great leaders in my career.

“I’m going to try to implement all those things to help this group, on and off the ice. That’s the dining room, the weight room, having young guys over for dinner … whatever I can do to help.”

Johnson is the only player in the Blue Jackets locker room with his name on the Stanley Cup. That should be enough in a room full of 20- and 21-year-olds.

“It’s absolutely life-changing,” Johnson said. “It gives you a new level of confidence and it gives you a new level of knowledge, just knowing how hard it is to win. It’s absolutely the hardest trophy in sports to win, and there’s a great sense of pride that comes with winning it.

“It will stay with me forever. I hope I can do what I can to contribute a little bit to reaching this organization.”

If Johnson’s role is similar to the one he played at Colorado, it will be as a third-pairing player with heavy penalty-kill duties. At 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, he throws his weight around in the corners and near the front net. In 80 regular-season games with Colorado last season, he went 3-13-16 and played 14:55 per game.

“I feel like I can offer a lot of good hockey,” he said.

A lot has changed since Johnson played in Columbus.

The only Blue Jackets players who were with the club when Johnson last played for the Jackets in 2017-18 were defenseman Zach Werenski and captain Boone Jenner. Several of his other former teammates — Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett and others — now work for the club.

“I saw a lot of familiar faces in there today,” Johnson said. “And the (renovated) locker room is awesome. I swear, if I didn’t have someone to show me around, I would have gotten lost in there. It’s definitely an NHL locker room now.”

Johnson infuriated the Blue Jackets — particularly former coach John Tortorella — when, after signing with the Penguins in the summer of 2018, he told Pittsburgh media that he was “looking for a winning culture.” Johnson insisted at the time that he was speaking only about Pittsburgh and was not trying to insult the Blue Jackets.

(Photo by Jack Johnson: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)