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Columbus Blue Jackets thrown 'curveball' with Kent Johnson's season-ending shoulder injury

Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson his had 16 goals and 24 assists in 79 games last year as a rookie.
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson his had 16 goals and 24 assists in 79 games last year as a rookie.

Kent Johnson’s upper-body injury will keep the young Blue Jackets forward out for the rest of the season.

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Johnson was placed on injured reserve Sunday with a torn left labrum and is expected to have it surgically repaired this week. Multiple Blue Jackets players who’ve had torn shoulder labrums repaired the past few seasons have needed five-to-six months to return.

Using that as a guideline, Johnson should be back right before training camp in September, which lines up with Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and interim general manager John Davidson's expectations.

“It’s disappointing because he’s going to have to go through a tough time and a rough time, but he’s a good kid,” Davidson said. “He’s got time on his side for sure. He’s young and it’s this time of year, so he’ll be ready for training camp and he’s going to have a good, solid, hard rehab summer. He’ll be ready to go.”

Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson has 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points through his first 130 NHL games.
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson has 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points through his first 130 NHL games.

The Blue Jackets will initially fill Johnson’s roster spot with rookie goalie Jet Greaves, who was recalled from the Cleveland Monsters to hold a netminding slot while Elvis Merzlikins is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

As for losing Johnson, the fifth overall pick in the 2021, it’s a bitter blow for the rebuilding Blue Jackets. Johnson’s sophomore season in the NHL was filled with turbulence. He sat out the season-opener as a healthy scratch. On Nov. 3, he assigned to AHL Cleveland for a 10-game stint, where he lit it up with five goals, 10 assists and 15 points while mostly centering the top line.

Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson is expected to have surgery on his torn left labrum this week.
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson is expected to have surgery on his torn left labrum this week.

Then, on Nov. 30, the Blue Jackets recalled Johnson in response to Cole Sillinger's upper body injury. Sillinger missed five games, while Johnson never returned to the minors but languished statistically after an initial boost following his call up.

After adding 5-5-10 in his first 15 games back with the Jackets, Johnson had just 0-3-3 in the 19-game stint prior to the injury. He averaged just 13:35 in ice time and was saddled with a -5 plus/minus rating.

Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the game in which he was hurt, may have been one of Johnson's best overall efforts.

Skating opposite of recently acquired right wing Alex Nylander on a line centered by Sillinger, Johnson showed chemistry at left wing in that combination. He held onto pucks, made good decisions and began to find teammates with setup feeds that had been dormant for several weeks.

Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson is going into his first contract renegotiation this summer as a pending restricted free agent.
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson is going into his first contract renegotiation this summer as a pending restricted free agent.

Johnson was injured taking a faceoff in Sillinger’s place against New York’s Jonny Brodzinski with 11 seconds left to play. Despite holding an insurmountable three-goal lead, Brodzinsky aggressively went for a tie-up against Johnson to win a meaningless draw.

Johnson’s arms were pushed upward, his left shoulder apparently gave out and the labrum tore.

"Those are curveballs you get, and the best thing you can do when you get curveballs, and you don’t like them, is you deal with them," Davidson said. "So, we’re going to get him taken care of, and he’s going to be starting his next season right now.”

Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson had no goals and just three assists in the 19-game stint prior to tearing his left labrum on Wednesday.
Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson had no goals and just three assists in the 19-game stint prior to tearing his left labrum on Wednesday.

Johnson, who played two seasons at the University of Michigan before starting his NHL career in April 2022, is going into his first contract renegotiation this summer. He's a pending restricted free agent for the first time, coming off his entry-level deal, and he won't hold much leverage based on his career stats.

Johnson has 22 goals, 37 assists and 59 points through his first 130 NHL games. His scoring pace this season is a drop from his 16-24-40 in 79 games last year as a rookie.

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“We’re developing winning habits, and it’s true for him and all of our young guys ... playing the right way,” coach Pascal Vincent said. “It’s the little details. I’m not expecting Kent Johnson to be blocking shots like (Erik) Gudbranson, but when it’s there, it’s there. We’re creating those habits. I’m not looking at points right now. I’m looking at habits, and because he’s so highly skilled, once those habits are in place, the points will come. I don’t worry about that.”

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Johnson to have season-ending shoulder surgery