Johansen says he’s ‘100 percent now’
A strange string of days for Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen ended on Thursday when the previously ailing All-Star declared himself fit to return to the lineup and play tonight against the Washington Capitals.
Exactly what was bothering Johansen has not been made public. Officially, he missed the previous two games — both Blue Jackets wins — because of “illness.”
But what matters, Johansen said, is that he is back to himself.
“I feel good,” he said. “I just had some things I’m not used to and I wanted to do some digging and figure out what’s going on. I’m happy that I can come back out here and get back on the ice and know that I’m 100 percent now.
“I’m ready to go, whatever the team needs me for now.”
Johansen and a team trainer were flown home from Denver on Saturday. He missed games against Colorado that night and New Jersey on Tuesday, ending his streak of consecutive games
played at 202.
Johansen underwent a number of tests before returning to the ice for solo skates on Tuesday and Wednesday. He participated fully in practice on Thursday morning and traveled to Washington with the team in the afternoon.
Johansen’s energy level had “been down for a while,” according to his agent, Kurt Overhardt, before he was benched by new coach John Tortorella late in a one-goal loss at Minnesota on Oct. 22.
Johansen said fatigue was an issue, and he was asked about the possibility of mononucleosis or a similar illness.
“We were digging, checking (into) that, just trying to see what was going on,” he said. “It was more of a precautionary thing. It’s more important to be healthy instead of going out there and being a liability or whatever, just not being yourself. I’m happy we took a couple of days and figured it out.”
Johansen was briefly hospitalized this past summer after complaining of an elevated heart rate, but testing determined he was suffering from no serious ailments, he said.
His recent issues were “kind of similar” but “not to the same extent,” he said, though they were unsettling.
“I don’t even know how to explain it, really,” Johansen said. “Basically I just haven’t been the same, and that’s all I’m going to touch on.
“I just wasn’t playing to the level I should be playing at, and now I’m back to 100 percent. That’s all that matters. It’s in the past. I’m good to go now.”
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen declined to offer any specifics about Johansen’s diagnosis or treatment.
“He saw the doctors and was informed it wasn’t a long-term issue, and now he’s back,” Kekalainen said.
Johansen acknowledged the timing of his illness was not ideal but said he simply “wasn’t playing to my standard” against Minnesota and suffered the consequences. He was taken off the top line and later benched for the final 6:10 of the game.
“The people who are doing their jobs are going to get rewarded, and a good example is that game,” Johansen said. “Coach made the decision to sit me. Some other guys were doing some great things and had some great chances, so that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Tortorella said Johansen is on track to reclaim his spot in the lineup.
He put Johansen on a line with wingers Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson on Thursday and had him work with a power-play unit that included forwards Scott Hartnell and Nick Foligno and defensemen Jack Johnson and David Savard.
“He feels better, so he is coming with us (to Washington),” Tortorella said. “If it continues to go where it’s going right now, he’ll play.”