The Minnesota Wild announced today that they have signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a paid tryout. At 38 years of age, Johnson played half a season for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, scoring six assists in that timeframe. Johnson has 77 goals and 265 assists for 342 points in 1,228 games.
Johnson won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022. The long-time NHL veteran comes to Minnesota with plenty of experience in and out of the playoffs. He’s played for rebuilders, contenders and everything in between. To top it all off, he even represented the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
How Jack Johnson Can Help the Wild
Johnson has nearly 20 years of NHL experience under his belt. While he’s well-removed from his prime, his experience alone more than warrants a PTO. At best, the Wild secure a seventh defenseman with veteran experience. At its worst, the younger players get a chance to talk to a Cup-winning veteran.
In an interview with Colorado Hockey Now, Johnson had one thing in particular he wanted to bring to future teams. “Definitely the professionalism,” he said. “One thing that was really a great skill that the Avs had was they were always an even-keeled team. They never got too high, never got too low. Whether you won a couple or lost a couple, everyone had the same attitude at the rink every day. All the decisions they made at the rink and away from the rink were about winning.”
Johnson knows what it takers to win the Stanley Cup. His experience alone should vastly benefit younger defenseman like Zeev Buium and David Jiricek. Whether he’s on the roster or not, his presence alone during training camp is a net positive for a young roster in search of playoff victories.
Minnesota Have One Major Obstacle to Conquer
The biggest roadblock the Wild face, however, lies in signing center Marco Rossi. Rossi, 23, is the only unsigned restricted free agent by the Wild. He hit career highs last season with 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 80 games.
As of right now, Rossi and the Wild are nowhere close to a deal. Michael Russo of The Athletic believes term is a major factor at play. âI think heâs a little worried about signing some sort of bridge dealâ¦and then getting buried and not being able to prove himself fully.â
With that said, however, Guerin isn’t worried about offer sheets. âI donât think anyone would be willing to step up and pay,â Seravalli said. âI donât think they could present any number that would scare off the Wildâ.
The Wild are contemplating an aggressive approach to the offseason. Getting Johnson on a PTO solves the question of defensive depth. Still, Rossi’s contract is a major roadblock. The Wild, per Puckpedia, have $9.41M in salary cap space. Having said that, Guerin is walking a precarious tightrope. He has to both sign Rossi and ensure he has enough cap space to re-sign Kirill Kaprizov next season.
The Wild open the 2025-26 season against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, October 9th at 7:00 p.m.
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