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The Columbus Blue Jackets have gone through the ringer in terms of injuries this season as it seems like there’s never been any point where the team was 100 percent healthy. Despite looking like it was best to throw the towel in on the season, the team persevered and is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak that has them six points off an Eastern Conference playoff spot. The single biggest reason for the team’s ability to weather the storm has been the stellar play of center Ryan Johansen.
Johansen entered the season amid a tough contract dispute that had some questioning whether the former Portland Winterhawk had a future in Columbus. It took until October, mere days before the Jackets opened their season and after missing almost of training, for Johansen and the team to agree to a deal. All Johansen did when the season started was produce offensively as he has a team-leading 27 points despite a revolving door of linemates.
As the team gets healthier they’re starting to look more like the playoff team we saw last season and less like the rag tag group they were for most of the first few weeks of the season. Those healthy bodies surely make Johansen’s job of creating and facilitating exponentially easier as few players in the league elevate the play of their linemates like Johansen does.
While the Jackets face a long and arduous task to make the playoffs it’s not impossible especially if the 22-year-old center keeps on lighting it up offensively. As one of the few players to remain healthy it’d be easy to say Johansen is the team MVP by default, but his play has undoubtedly earned him the honor. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes for the Jackets, Johansen has firmly entrenched himself as a bona fide first line center in the NHL and better days are ahead for both him and the team.
