CBJ of the Day: Ryan Johansen

By: William Espy

The 2010 NHL draft is mainly remembered for the Taylor vs Tyler argument that has resulted from it. Taylor Hall would be selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers and many questioned if they passed on a better player in Tyler Seguin who would be drafted by the Boston Bruins. Many players from this draft have had an impact in the NHL already, including Jeff Skinner (7), Vladimir Tarasenko (16) and Nick Bjugstad (19).  The Blue Jackets picked fourth overall in the 2010 draft, and picked a player who is already on pace to break many team records. That man is named Ryan Johansen.

In the 2011-2012 season Johansen would make his NHL debut and would go on to put up 21 points in 67 games. The next year, he would split time between the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons. At the NHL level, he would score 5 goals and a total of 12 points in 40 games. Meanwhile in the AHL, Johansen would have 17 goals and a total of 33 points in 40 games. While the Blue Jackets would miss the NHL playoffs by 1 point that season, following the season Johansen would be sent back down to the Falcons where he would have a very disappointed playoff posting a single assist and going -8 in 5 games.

Then came the difficulty. Following the season, Johansen’s entry level agreement ended leaving the two sides with a negotiation for the first time. After months of worry for Blue Jackets fans, almost no ground had been made. Johansen’s agent Kurt Overhardt has been infamous for hold outs, including Brandon Dubinsky holding out through training camp in New York and a negotiation that required Kyle Turris to be traded to Ottawa. The Blue Jackets faithful feared the worst. Johansen would hold out through the entire training camp but would finally agree to a bridge deal worth $4M a year.

The 2014-2015 would be a difficult season for Blue Jackets fans, however it would be a great year statistically for Johansen. He would be one of only two Columbus players to play in all 82 games, the other would be David Savard. In those 82 games, Johansen showed a new motivation. He would finish the season 16^th in the league in points. That was higher than names like Ryan Getzlaf, Rick Nash, Henrik Zetterberg, and his childhood idol Joe Thornton. During the season, Johansen would be the first overall pick in the All-Star draft. Then he would win the NHL breakaway competition during the All-Star weekend and finally be named All-Star MVP. While it’s very possible (and pretty likely) that a majority of these All-Star related accomplishments only happened because it was being hosted in Columbus, it is still impressive none-the-less.

The 2014-2015 season was not only a growth on the ice, his bond to Columbus and maturity in general saw a massive growth. During the All-Star festivities, Johansen was a proud ambassador of the City of Columbus. He has become one of the first people a player will hear from when they join the team, or in the case of Mike Reilly they will see this:

We didn't want him anyway

— Ryan Johansen (@RyanJohansen19) June 17, 2015

STATUS: UNTOUCHABLE

This one goes essentially without saying. Johansen is a very important part of the Blue Jackets future and can very easily grow into a top player in the league if he keeps up his rate of development. Playing next to Brandon Saad will only improve his numbers for now and the future.


Johansen takes his shots at the NHL Breakaway Competition.