COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets’ search for defensive depth and another veteran voice in the dressing room has landed on a familiar player.
Defenseman Jack Johnson, who spent seven seasons with the Blue Jackets in the previous decade, signed a one-year, $775,000 contract — the NHL’s minimum salary — after visiting with GM Don Waddell in Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.
Johnson, 37, has played in 1,187 games with six different franchises, winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022. The 2024-25 season will be his 19th in the NHL.
Johnson has continued to live in suburban Columbus even as his career took him to Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers, Colorado, Chicago, and back to Colorado after he left the Blue Jackets as a free agent following the 2017-18 season.
The contract talks started when Johnson got word to the Blue Jackets that he’d welcome a chance to play, and possibly finish his career, in Columbus.
“This is my hometown,” Johnson told The Athletic. “This city means a lot to me. This is where I’m raising my family. This is where my wife’s family is, too. It’s special, for sure.”
On Monday, the opening day of free agency, the Blue Jackets signed 29-year-old center Sean Monahan, to a five-year, $27.5 million contract to be the No. 1 center and…
