Langway
In den Wolken
- Jul 7, 2006
- 32,470
- 9,185
I could maybe tolerate streakiness from Johansson if he were still good at getting shots on or PKing. He did put up a career high of 138 shots last year but that's still on the weak end for a top six forward. Sure, he has speed and might put up the same numbers in the regular season despite weaker linemates because he arguably fares worse 5-on-5 when with better offensive players due to poor deferential decision-making.
If he's going to transition into more of a third-line energy type and PKer he's going to have to play with more tenacity and consistency. He has to use his speed to get interior or he'll continue to not do much in the playoffs and generally not be all that hard to play against. With Burakovsky developing and Vrana coming along it's up to him to carve out some essential niche before time runs out. It makes sense to put it on the player and keep his cap hit as low as possible. I don't think the Caps will fare tremendously well in arb if they're seeking ~$3M and Johansson more like $4M but if they're destined to go year-to-year it might not matter much.
If he's going to transition into more of a third-line energy type and PKer he's going to have to play with more tenacity and consistency. He has to use his speed to get interior or he'll continue to not do much in the playoffs and generally not be all that hard to play against. With Burakovsky developing and Vrana coming along it's up to him to carve out some essential niche before time runs out. It makes sense to put it on the player and keep his cap hit as low as possible. I don't think the Caps will fare tremendously well in arb if they're seeking ~$3M and Johansson more like $4M but if they're destined to go year-to-year it might not matter much.