Kent Johnson has had very high expectations since being drafted fifth overall in 2021. When a team makes a pick inside the top five, it needs to land. At this point, we can't say for sure whether it has or hasn't.
In his first full NHL season, Johnson scored 40 points in what was a solid start that brought promise to the team's future. The next year, however, he managed just 16 points in 42 games and was sent down to the Monsters in an attempt to regain some confidence.
That move seemed to have worked, as KJ had a really solid 2024-25 season, tallying 57 points in 68 games, showing true playmaking talent and capable defensive play that led many of us to hope that he could bring first-line talent on the wing.
However, he then went on to have a career-worst season last year, finishing with just 22 points on the season despite playing in the vast majority of the team's games. While this definitely doesn't leave the fanbase with high expectations, I'm hoping his rollercoaster ride can go back up this season.
Although the results didn't come, it wasn't as bad as it looked
At the end of the day, points are going to be the deciding factor in Kent Johnson's career, as he was drafted for his offense and offense alone. If he's not helping the team score goals, it simply won't be enough, no matter how good his analytics are.
With that being said, those analytics really weren't bad this year, which gives me hope that he can bounce back and finally bring some consistency to his game.
The main number that I like to look at is expected goals %, which tells us, based on shot volume and location, the percentage at which the Blue Jackets should have outscored their opponents, with an even split being 50%.
Believe it or not, KJ's expected goals % was 56.4% according to MoneyPuck, the highest of his career. He wasn't being carried by his linemates either, as that number is about 8% higher than when he wasn't on the ice.
That 8% ranked him fifth among the team's forwards, and was the second-best of his career after that fantastic 2024-25 campaign. Again, these numbers didn't dictate the actual results, but I'm hoping they can predict them.
New linemates may help to bring back that spark
One thing I'd like to point out is that this past season, Kent was always on a line with either Boone Jenner or Sean Monahan, and most frequently with both of them.
While I don't say this as an insult to either of those guys, they just don't really play with the same speed that Kent Johnson does. While I get that the Jackets likely wanted more defensive responsibility on that line, I think it hampered KJ's production.
I believe that he would be much better suited if at least one of his linemates has great straight-line speed to allow his puck skills and playmaking to be on full display when in transition or attacking in the offensive zone.
With Jenner gone, I'm hoping that being on a line with Conor Garland or the newly acquired Valeri Nichushkin can help him elevate his game back to what we saw the season before. For context, Johnson was almost exclusively centered by Adam Fantilli or Cole Sillinger that season.
I know it might be hard for the 5th Line to trust Johnson with consistent top-six playing time right out of the gate, but I really think that if he can get back on track, it could be big enough to help Columbus make the playoffs, which is pretty much a necessary outcome this year.
Despite the inconsistencies over the past four years and a particularly disappointing performance last year, I'm hoping that Kent Johnson can capitalize on his quiet production and new linemate(s) to return to form as a main offensive driver for the Blue Jackets.
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