The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed veteran defenseman Jack Johnson to a one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2024-25 National Hockey League season, club President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced today.
Johnson, 37, has registered 77 goals and 259 assists for 336 points and 637 penalty minutes, while averaging 21:11 time on ice in 1,187 career regular season games with the Los Angeles Kings, Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks over 18 NHL seasons. He has added 5-16-21, 30 PIM and 18:08 TOI in 57 career playoff games and helped the Avalanche win the 2022 Stanley Cup.
“Jack Johnson is a consummate professional who has been a very good player and leader in this league for many years and will be a great asset to our team, particularly the young defensemen we have in our organization,” said Waddell. “He is in tremendous shape, plays a simple, hard game, has won a Stanley Cup and has great passion for this city and organization and we are thrilled to welcome him back.”
Johnson appeared in 445 games with the Blue Jackets after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 23, 2012 and tallied 36-118-154 and 198 PIM, while averaging 23:22 TOI in six-plus seasons with the club. He ranks fifth among franchise blueliners in assists, points and games played. He had back-to-back seasons with 30-plus points, collecting 5-28-33 in 82 games in 2013-14 and 8-32-40 in 79 outings in 2014-15. He led the club in time on ice in four-straight seasons from 2012-16 and set the franchise record for average time on ice in a season at 25:58 in 2012-13.
The 6-1, 227-pound blueliner was Carolina’s first pick, third overall, at the 2005 NHL Draft. He was traded to Los Angeles and spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the Kings. After leaving Columbus following the 2017-18 season, he spent two years in Pittsburgh (2018-20), one with the Rangers (2020-21) and most of the past three with Colorado. In 2023-24, he tallied 3-13-16 and 38 PIM with a +15 plus/minus rating and 14:55 TOI in 80 contests with the Avalanche.
A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Johnson earned All-American honors during two seasons at the University of Michigan from 2005-07. He also has played for Team USA at numerous international competitions, including the 2010 Olympic Games (silver medal), 2016 World Cup of Hockey, IIHF World Championships (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and IIHF World Junior Championships (2006, 2007-bronze).
