Ryan Johansen
Ryan Johansen is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is an unrestricted free agent. Growing up, he played minor hockey in the Greater Vancouver area until joining the junior ranks with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League for one season. In 2009–10, he moved to the major junior level with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. After his first WHL season, he was selected fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He would play five seasons with them before being traded to the Nashville Predators for Seth Jones in January 2016. Playing parts of eight seasons with Nashville, he was a key part of seven straight postseason berths for the Predators, including a trip to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. Nearing the end of his contract as the Predators declined, he was traded to the Avalanche in the 2023 off-season.
Internationally, he has competed for the Canadian national junior team at the 2011 World Junior Championships, where he earned a silver medal and was named to the Tournament All-Star Team. In 2015, he participated in the 2015 NHL Skills Competition and was named the 2015 NHL All-Star Game MVP.
Playing career
Amateur
Johansen was drafted into the Western Hockey League 150th overall by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2007 WHL bantam draft. Having been offered an athletic scholarship to play with Northeastern University, he opted to play for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2008–09 to protect his eligibility for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He appeared in 42 games for the Vees as a 16-year-old, scoring 5 goals and 12 assists.Convinced of his ability, the Winterhawks persuaded Johansen to forego university and join their club for the 2009–10 WHL season. In Portland, he joined a line with fellow 2010 NHL entry draft prospects Nino Niederreiter and Brad Ross. He finished the year with 25 goals and 69 points in 71 games, second among league rookies behind Kevin Connauton and second in team scoring, behind Chris Francis. Helping the Winterhawks make the playoffs one year after finishing last in the WHL, they advanced to the second round. Johansen added 18 points in 13 games, ninth in league scoring and first among rookies, despite playing in only two of four playoff rounds.
Johansen rapidly climbed prospect charts for the 2010 NHL entry draft, starting the year as a potential second round selection, before rising to 16th among North American skaters when the NHL Central Scouting Bureau released its mid-season ranking. Johansen's coach with Penticton noted that, as one of the younger players of his draft class, his skill was often overlooked. NHL scouts praised his speed, playmaking ability and vision on the ice but believed he needed to show more consistency and physicality. He had been compared to Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza, while Johansen had said he tried to model his game after San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton. He finished the season as the tenth ranked skater according to Central Scouting and was projected to be a top 20 pick, perhaps as high as top 10. With the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, Johansen was chosen by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A couple of months after his draft, Johansen signed with Columbus to a three-year, entry-level contract on September 9, 2010. With a base salary of $900,000, the deal could have reached $1.975 million per year if he achieved all his bonus incentives. Attending his first NHL training camp that month, he did not make the Blue Jackets roster and was returned to Portland on October 2 for another year of junior hockey. Back in the WHL, Johansen was chosen to represent the league at the 2010 Subway Super Series, a six-game exhibition tournament featuring all-stars from the Canadian Hockey League against Russian junior players. He completed the 2010–11 season improving to 92 points in 63 games, ranking seventh among league scorers.
Professional
Columbus Blue Jackets (2011–2016)
Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Johansen participated in the Blue Jackets training camp and their annual NHL Prospects Tournament. Following training camp, Johansen made the Blue Jackets opening line-up and subsequently made his NHL debut on October 7, 2011. He registered 8 minutes and 46 seconds of ice time in his debut as the Blue Jackets fell 3–2 to the Nashville Predators. Johansen later registered his first NHL point, an assist on a Kris Russell goal, in a 4–3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on October 22. Three days later, Johansen and fellow rookie John Moore both scored their first career NHL goals against the Detroit Red Wings to lead the team to their first win of the season. This marked the first time in franchise history that two players scored their first NHL goals in the same game. As he continued to be a mainstay in the Blue Jackets lineup, Johansen became the third player in NHL history to tally two game-winning goals as his first in the NHL. After playing in his ninth game of the season, having recorded two goals and two assists in that span, Johansen was notified by Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel that he would remain with the team and not be returned to junior. By November 14, Johansen was tied with Vinny Prospal for the team's goal-scoring lead with five. Johansen also became the first player since Brian Propp to score his club's first three game-winners of the season. Although he would experience bouts of pointlessness, Johansen was often placed on the top line with Rick Nash and Jeff Carter. By mid-January, Johansen had accumulated seven goals and eight assists for 15 points through 36 games and was tied for the NHL lead among rookies with three game-winning goals. As a result, he was one of 12 rookies selected to participate at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition.Due to the NHL's decision to lock out the players at the start of the 2012–13 season until a new collective bargaining agreement could be reached, Johansen was reassigned to the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. He made an immediate impact on their top line by tallying six points in seven games to lead them to a 5–1–1 record for the first time in franchise history. Through December, Johansen steadily led the team with 18 points through 22 games while playing an average of 20 minutes per night on their top line. On February 24, 2013, Johansen was re-called by the Blue Jackets for the remainder of the season after an agreement was reached. At the time, he had accumulated 13 goals and 13 assists through 33 games. However, after only collecting two assists and two penalty minutes in 10 games with the Blue Jackets, Johansen was re-assigned to the Falcons on February 6. He was recalled back to the NHL on February 24 and immediately centered a line with Matt Calvert and Nick Foligno. On April 12, Johansen played in his 100th career NHL game against the St. Louis Blues and scored a goal for the second consecutive game. By the end of the month, Johansen had tallied five goals and seven assists for 12 points with 12 penalty minutes through 40 games. Shortly after the Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention, he was re-assigned to the Falcons on April 28 to help them with their 2013 Calder Cup Championship run.
After being benched by the Falcons coaching staff during the 2012 Calder Cup Championships, Johansen described himself as hitting "rock bottom." He subsequently spent the off-season gaining muscle and he returned to the Blue Jackets training camp weighing 222 pounds. Although the Blue Jackets struggled to win games at the start of the 2013–14 season, Johansen began to develop chemistry with new linemates Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson on the top line. Alongside his new linemates, Johansen tallied 13 points through 20 games and recorded 54 shots on net to rank second on the team behind Atkinson. By the end of November, Johansen led the team with 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points as they finished the month maintaining a 10–3–2 record. Johansen continued to remain a consistent offensive threat even after being reunited with his original line of R. J. Umberger and Foligno. By December 5, he had registered 20 points in 28 games to put him on pace for a 60-point season. This trend continued throughout the month and by December 18, he led the team with 27 points through 34 games while also maintaining a nine-game point streak. He also improved his face-off win percentage to 52.85 while also taking the most face-offs for the team with 306. By early February, Johansen led the Blue Jackets in goals and points while tied for 14th in the NHL with 23 goals. On April 8, Johansen scored the game-winning goal at 3:33 of overtime to lead the Blue Jackets to their 41st win of the season and tie a franchise record. After scoring another game-winning goal a few days later, he helped the Blue Jackets clinch the first wild-card spot to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. Johansen finished the regular season playing in all 82 games and leading the Blue Jackets with 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points. His efforts were subsequently recognised with the NHL's Third Star of the Week.
During the 2014 off-season, Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets engaged in lengthy contract negotiations which Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson called "absurd" and "extortion." He later revealed that the team had offered Johansen numerous contract offers including $6 million, $32 million, and $46 million. Johansen eventually agreed on a three-year contract worth $3 million the first two years and $6 million in the last on October 6 after he had already missed the majority of training camp. Despite the holdout, Johansen made an immediate impact on the Blue Jackets lineup by quickly tallying six goals and 14 assists for 20 points through 17 games.