Longevity in any sport is impressive. It is a confluence of factors that helps a player achieve those goals.
Playing a physical sport like hockey well into your 30's isn't anything to scoff at. It makes Jack Johnson's career all the more impressive given the trials and tribulations he has been through on and off the ice.
As Johnson waits to find out his fate with the organization before the NHL Expansion Draft, it is important to remember the journey he has been on with the team.
Acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings, Johnson was supposed to step in and be the number one defenseman of the future. It's a phrase many Blue Jackets have been hyped as and Johnson was never up to the task.
In his first half season with the team, Johnson's average time on ice topped out at just under 28 minutes. A truly heavy workload. It wasn't only a brutal position to put him in but it also indicated everything to come with the player.
Each year except this past season with the Blue Jackets, Johnson was one of the top players in ice time. He always saw the ice and it didn't matter the circumstance that he was in, he would be out there. It also exposed major flaws in his game.
The first being his inability to influence shot differential in a meaningful way. The more ice time he got with the Blue Jackets at even strength, the worse his numbers were. He was consistently on the ice for goals against. Rather than a player who is unequivocally terrible, Johnson was more of a player miscast in the wrong role.
In 2016-17, Johnson started in the defensive zone more times than he has ever had in his career. He also saw his ice time cut down by four minutes in the process. Instead of being used on the power play, he was used on the penalty kill and at even strength with more regularity. For a player tabbed as an offensive dynamo, Johnson was given a tough assignment but was able to improve on past numbers due to his new role.
A large credit can be given to David Savard, who was his partner this past season. The two were unflappable. They also seemed to thrive under assistant coach Brad Shaw's tutelage. They were aggressive without being reckless. It gave Johnson's career new life.
As an exposed player Johnson may be seen as a player that should be willingly give up on, he plays a much bigger role for the Blue Jackets. Trying to pass him off as just another player is disingenuous. He stabilized a position that needed it and now the Blue Jackets don't have to worry about the defense as a result.
It's a hell of a change from when they acquired him. He didn't ever meet the expectations set for him but he never had to. He just needed to be part of a winning defense for people to forget. It only ended up taking him five years to do it.
