NHL teams
Scott BurnsideKatie Strang 10y

Johansen negotiations could stall Jackets

Scott Burnside and Katie Strang discuss the contentious negotiations between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets as well as other free agents still on the market.

Burnside: Greetings, Katie. Oh boy, the Ryan Johansen saga isn’t getting any prettier, is it? The Blue Jackets and their star, although relatively unproven, center are, oh, about a million miles apart on a new contract.

In the past couple of days, Columbus president John Davidson made a number of strong statements about how negotiations have been handled by Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt. The two sides are about $3 million apart per year on what is expected to be a two-year bridge deal. The Johansen camp is looking for about $6 million annually after his breakthrough 33-goal season that helped the Blue Jackets to the postseason and their first-ever playoff win(s) against Pittsburgh. Speaking to a couple of reporters in Traverse City, Michigan, where the Blue Jackets’ prospects won the rookie tournament, Davidson essentially accused the Johansen camp of trying to extort money from the team. Yikes.

Johansen isn’t the only interesting restricted free agent still without a deal with camps set to open around the NHL. In the next day or so, the absence of guys like Johansen in Columbus, Jaden Schwartz in St. Louis and Torey Krug in Boston is going to cause some consternation for coaches and GMs in those cities. At this stage, no one is going to drop an offer sheet on any of these kids, and the clock will start ticking on lost time vis-a-vis development and working with new teammates.

Let’s start with this, which team or player stands to lose the most if the contract dispute stretches into camp and perhaps the start of the regular season?

Strang: Holy smokes, Scotty, what an ugly turn indeed! Because of how quickly this situation is escalating and how ugly it is getting -- vitriol now has a seat at the table as the third party in negotiations -- I have to say that the stalemate between Columbus and Johansen remains the most concerning, for both sides.

Krug can take one quick click over to CapGeek.com to see why the Boston Bruins aren't ready (able is really the correct word) to plunk down a ton of cash on the restricted free-agent defenseman. Meanwhile, Schwartz and the St. Louis Blues remain "significantly far apart" on a new deal for the 22-year-old forward, but talks are ongoing and have yet to get nasty.

But, wow, reading Davidson's comments, it feels like this is a ticking time bomb. When I spoke to Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen about the situation last weekend, he was a bit more detached and less emotional. He conceded that Johansen was an important player but made it clear that the franchise will not be made on the success of individuals. Kekalainen stressed the importance of team to the club's success last season and was frank when asked if he was worried that the Johansen situation could become a distraction. Kekalainen said he would worry only about those players who were at training camp when it begins.

Here's the problem: Kekalainen is right in suggesting that Columbus' strength is in its balance and depth, but for a team lacking in star power, it is imperative that the Blue Jackets do not alienate their cornerstone player for years to come. You have to wonder what sort of impact this could have on the 22-year-old pivot. Many guys that have been around a while know that this is a business, but that doesn't make it any easier of a lesson to learn the first go-around. If Johansen thought the team's offer earlier was "a slap in the face," I'd be interested to see how he's feeling about the current state of affairs.

Burnside: Agreed that the tone and tenor surrounding the Johansen situation is very different than other similar situations with camps ready to open. Still, there’s no doubt Schwartz has an opportunity to see his role increase dramatically after last season’s 25-goal effort, and the Blues are once again considered among a handful of teams that should challenge for supremacy in the Western Conference. Does a long absence stunt Schwartz’s evolution?

In Boston, things are a bit more fluid, as Krug and Reilly Smith are both considered key parts of a Bruins team that is a work in progress after it was bounced in the second round of the playoffs last spring by Montreal and saw Jarome Iginla chase dollar and term to Colorado. The Bruins are in salary-cap hell as you noted, and GM Peter Chiarelli will likely have to move a significant piece to get Krug and Reilly under contract. Even then, will there be enough money to pay what both talented young players are worth? Tough calls all the way around for a team still considered by most to be the cream of the Eastern Conference crop.

Bigger picture, do you think these kinds of squabbles have the potential to produce long-lasting consequences? Do players really fall that far behind? (Drew Doughty struggled early after taking some time to get his long-term deal done before the start of the Kings’ Cup-winning season in 2011-12.) Does acrimony taint the relationship with a franchise long term? Or do you chalk all this up to business and it’s completely forgotten the moment the pen hits the paper on a new deal?

Strang: Well, you can certainly assume that once these players gain the leverage they currently lack as they get older, they won't feel any need to give their respective clubs a hometown discount. If you're Krug, you understand the reality of the cap crunch, but is it your fault that the team finds itself in such a precarious position? Tough situation for all parties and, yes, conventional wisdom is that the Bruins will have to move one of their many defensemen -- top candidates are Johnny Boychuk and Matt Bartkowski -- to accommodate both players.

In terms of readiness, I think it is certainly fair to wonder what sort of impact that will have on these guys as they prepare for the start of another season. Take for example the case of New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan. After a summer of protracted contract negotiations and missing time during the start of training camp, the young pivot had a rough beginning to the 2013-14 season. He went the first 12 games without a goal. Part of that can be attributed to a brutal October road trip and a new coach in Alain Vigneault, but regardless, he was behind the eight-ball and suffered the consequences. As much as you skate and train on your own, there is nothing quite like the real thing.

Burnside: The whole notion of whether to go all-in on a second contract or try to control term and dollar with a bridge deal and then run the risk of ending up opening the vault, as the Montreal Canadiens did with P.K. Subban, is going to be an ongoing debate across the NHL landscape.

But every situation is unique, so I’ll go back to the Johansen impasse. For me, the Blue Jackets are one of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference. Could they win the Metropolitan Division? Absolutely. Can they do so without Johansen doing what he did last season? Nope. Not a chance. In fact, if Johansen falls back, it puts the Blue Jackets on the playoff bubble. That tells you how high the stakes are in this squabble, which suggests that both sides better put their thinking caps on and get a deal done or they are going to potentially pay a big price, at least in the short term.

Strang: Considering the recent developments -- Davidson publicly disclosing the terms of three offers they submitted to Johansen and his agent -- it's safe to say this isn't going to be something that simmers down any time soon. Overhardt is not afraid of bringing things to the brink (see Brandon Dubinsky and Kyle Turris), so this figures to be an ongoing saga throughout training camp. Look for Blue Jackets assistant general manager (and former player agent) Bill Zito to take on an even bigger role in these discussions. As mad as Columbus seems to be with Overhardt's asking price, Zito can probably at least understand the thought process having played that side of the game. At the very least, he may be good at ratcheting down the emotions and hunkering down to see if the two sides can figure out something that works.

Let's hope cooler heads prevail or one of the league's up-and-coming teams may stall before the season even begins.

^ Back to Top ^