Mutual attraction emerges
But Penguins need cap room to sign defenseman Jack Johnson as free agent
With the interview window for soon-to-be unrestricted free agents officially open, the Penguins and defenseman Jack Johnson have talked, and there seems to be plenty of mutual interest in a potential deal, a source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tuesday.
Rules prohibit the two sides from exchanging salary figures at this point, but the optimism that exists seems to have pushed this move to the top of the list for the team and player.
As with anything the Penguins might do in free agency, however, salary cap space is the biggest factor, and they would need to create a decent amount of it to fit Johnson.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday he intends on making at least one move to give himself some additional flexibility under the salary cap, which will be $79.5 million for the 2018-19 season.
Johnson, 31, is a lefthanded defenseman and coming off the worst season of his career, one where he asked to be traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
For the past seven years, Johnson has carried a cap hit of $4,357,143. It’s unlikely he’ll match that given he played a career low in minutes (19:33) and produced just three goals and 11 points in 77 games, finishing as a minus-6 one year after playing to a plus-23 rating.
Some might question the fit, but Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been lobbying for the Penguins to pursue Johnson, according to a source. Johnson was Crosby’s prep school teammate at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and one of his best friends.
Rutherford previously has expressed a desire to bolster his defense corps, although he has talked about wanting a defenseman who can play the right side. Johnson can, but he has spent the bulk of his career on the left.
At his best, Johnson is a physical defenseman who can kill penalties, block some shots and likely provide a straight man for Justin Schultz on the second pairing.
That would enable Olli Maatta to play third-pairing minutes with Jamie Oleksiak or Chad Ruhwedel on the right side — assuming no other changes.
Free agency starts at noon Sunday. From the sound of things, Johnson and the Penguins should have a firm feel of what to expect at that time.