Warm welcome for Johnson in contrast to Columbus exit
away perfectly happy with how Johnson played.
“We felt he actually played pretty well,” Rutherford said.
The Johnson signing actually goes back to something Rutherford has reiterated since the end of the regular season, when he said he wanted to add another defenseman to the mix.
Now, that guy was supposed to be a third-pairing player and right-handed, which isn’t quite how it worked out with Johnson. The Penguins might experiment with playing Johnson on a second pair, or they could use him on the third. It depends on how he fits on the ice.
But something Rutherford talked about Sunday was interesting: The signing of Johnson allows the Penguins to, in some way ensure they have a puck-moving defenseman on each of their three pairings, which is something they lacked last year.
“It’s certainly going to help him with the forwards he plays with,” Rutherford said. “You go back to the two years we won the Cup. Especially the first year, we had a terrific transition game.
“That transition game, you have to have defensemen who can move the puck. We look at the numbers, but we also talk to the guys who see them all the time. Then, like I just said, our coaches really study the videos of some of his games. We feel he’s going to make a difference.”
Sidney Crosby sure did, which is why he basically tried to recruit Johnson and also vouched for him to Penguins management.
Although, to be fair, Johnson said the pitch never really got off the ground.
“With Sidney, he actually talked to me awhile back,” Johnson said. “We had a short conversation about it. He said he’d like to give me a sales job on coming. I told him I would save him the time, you don’t have to do much of a sales job on me.
“He’s definitely an important part of this. He’s the one who drives the boat around here. I know him well enough to know he’s the kind of guy who wants five Cups. The minute he gets five, he’s going to want a sixth. That’s important to me, to be a part of that.”
This all must seem crazy for Johnson, who was cast aside in Columbus. He’s now teammates with Crosby, and he’ll be looking to move the puck up to Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and others, a huge departure from where he was.
“There were a few things that didn’t go according to plan,” Johnson said. “Some of those things I’d prefer not to discuss in the media. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Not coming to an extension in Columbus led me to this opportunity. I couldn’t be happier. I wouldn’t trade a thing that happened to be standing here right now.”