Continuing to add to their forward core, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have agreed to a one-year, $800K contract with Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson most recently played for the San Jose Sharks after a trade-deadline deal with the New Jersey Devils.
Included in the deal to land the Devils Timo Meier, Johnsson is ready for a bounce-back year. Severely limited in playing time under head coach Lindy Ruff during the 2022-23 NHL season, Johnsson managed to play in only 13 games last year, mostly for the Sharks and tallied three points (all assists) in total. A true-to-fashion change-of-scenery candidate, Johnsson will be looking to find his game in Pittsburgh.
Not so long ago, Johnsson was projected to be a regular top-six forward. During the 2018-19 season, Johnsson scored 43 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 73 games, incredibly averaging only 13:40 minutes of ice time per night. Unfortunately for Johnsson, as his ice time increased, his production took a dive. Just a year later, the Maple Leafs would trade him to the Devils for depth forward Joey Anderson.
Johnsson has shown flashes during his time in New Jersey and his time in Toronto as being a particularly above-average forward on the defensive side of the puck, and he will most certainly need to recapture that in Pittsburgh. By their current roster construction, Johnsson will most likely feature in the team’s bottom six, where defensive responsibility will be just as important as his offensive upside.
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