Jack Johnson

[BronzeSpruce]

Is Jack Johnson one of those Defenseman the league has passed up? meaning bigger slower guy who would have fit in great a decade or so ago but the league as since passed him up in favor of guys like Dumo who have size and skate but are less physical?

I think it was the first time the Pens played the Jackets in the playoffs; Jack Johnson was one of the only players that stood out for the jackets, he was all over the place and playing very physical. But since then the speed game as taken over and he looks like Dion Phaneuf 2.0, just a total pylon out there.

He hasn't been overly physical like i expected him to be. I assume he's afraid to get caught out of position trying to deliver a big hit. I'm kind of surprised the organization did identify this before signing him.

having said all that hes new to the team and the team in general isn't playing very well, certainly ups and down so far this season so I'm probably being to harsh but given the fact he was a healthy scratch in Columbus I'm starting to wonder if that's just what he is....An antiquated Dman in a league that is moving in a new direction.

PS id rather have Cole

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[Empoleon8771]

Calling Johnson a "bigger slower guy" is a painfully inaccurate description of him. He's an athletic and dumb defensemen, he's a light beer version of struggling Letang. He has been inconsistent this year, he has had some good games and some bad games.

What I will say is that he has done really well since being put with Letang on the top pair. If they stick with that pair and Letang continues to play at a Norris level, the complaints about Johnson should become dramatically quieter. Since Letang became the Penguins #1D, the Penguins have had good top pairs with worse LD than Johnson in the past.

 

[BronzeSpruce]

I will disagree, yes he's not huge but 6'1 230lbs is pretty big. In the past hes been know as a good skater and athletic but i haven't see any of that so far in his tenure with the pens, although like i said its early. I also think comparing him to Letang is laughable, unless you want to compare their IQs I'm not sure yet about Johnson's hockey IQ but you might be right in that respect when it comes to comparing him to Letang. As far as inconsistency its been more than just this year. Being benched in the playoffs in a contract year says a lot. At the end of the day if Letangs stellar play so far this season shelters and shadows how bad Johnson has been playing , Does that make it a good signing?

 

[Son Goku]

Calling Johnson a "bigger slower guy" is a painfully inaccurate description of him. He's an athletic and dumb defensemen, he's a light beer version of struggling Letang. He has been inconsistent this year, he has had some good games and some bad games.

What I will say is that he has done really well since being put with Letang on the top pair. If they stick with that pair and Letang continues to play at a Norris level, the complaints about Johnson should become dramatically quieter. Since Letang became the Penguins #1D, the Penguins have had good top pairs with worse LD than Johnson in the past.

Spot on IMO and can we just thank the heavens that we have Letang and Dumo. Two work horses.

 

[Gurglesons]

The game passed him by in 2011. He overachieved on a bad CBJ team and when they got good he essentially got phased out.

 

[EightyOne]

He was overrated, and has gone nowhere but down.

 

[Turin]

Sucks, our best hope is that Letang carries his ass or he gets dealt.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Banana Pancakes

 

[Shady Machine]

Has good physical attributes, but he makes dumb decisions and his situational awareness is not very good. He can be a fine player in certain circumstances, but so can a lot of players and most of them don't make 3.25MM x 5 years. It was a dumb, dumb contract.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

The league did not pass him by, he was always the has-all-the-tools-but-no-toolbox kinda guy that busts more often than not. The league has just stopped drafting these guys 3rd overall.

 

[EliteGoaltending]

People see him as pretty fast skater? Dunno for me he looks pretty slow out there.

 

[Gurglesons]

People see him as pretty fast skater? Dunno for me he looks pretty slow out there.

I mean, the people that see him as a fast skater also think he is an okay defensemen so that should tell you enough about their analysis.

 

[Doogle]

He moves pretty well for his size. He's certainly a better skater than Oleksiak or Maata. Movement isn't his problem. He's also got size and a decent shot, and his breakout passes aren't bad. He's got the tools, the problem is his toolbox is completely disorganized. He makes a lot of mental errors. If he was the only defenseman on the team that was occasionally a liability, I would have no problem with him on the team or at that contract.

Problem is we got Johnson who makes mental errors, Maata who is as soft and slow as pudding, Schultz who even when healthy is questionable in our own zone, Oleksiak who is better in smaller doses, Ruhwedel who is a career 7th defenseman, and Riikola who has potential but needs sheltered. Everyone but Dumoulin and Letang need some sort of shelter.

 

[TNT87]

I heard he's good friends with Sid.

 

[billybudd]

Johnson was never a guy whose assets and, more importantly, liabilities particularly coincided with what gives you success in this league. You could drop him in any era and he'd struggle more often than not.

 

[PensandCaps]

Sucks. Not even better than Ruhwedel tbh

 

[Clare2904]

When I think of JJ I just remind myself "at least we didn't sign Alzner" He has much love in Montreal

 

[UnrealMachine]

As someone else pointed out in another thread, his biggest liabilities are in decision making. It takes him too long to read a play and then his reaction is panicky and often wrong. This could be masked to some degree if he had better anticipatory hockey instincts, or just a knack for reading the ice and knowing where to be and where the play is likely to go next, but he doesn't. If he somehow clicks (long-term) with Letang it'll be a Festivus miracle.

 

[Slaaapshuter]

Banana Pancakes

I recently had pancakes with bananas on them together with chocolate sauce and flour sugar over the top.

It was heavenly.

That's not Jack Johnson.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Johnson just isn't a very good def anymore.

It wasn't an accident that he was a healthy scratch for CBJ last year.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Spot on IMO and can we just thank the heavens that we have Letang and Dumo. Two work horses.

Was thinking about this the other day.

Know what would solve a TON of the Pens' defensive issues? A Dumo clone. Someone who isn't flashy, isn't overly fast or strong, not a huge shot, but he's just always in the right hockey position.

 

[Son Goku]

Was thinking about this the other day.

Know what would solve a TON of the Pens' defensive issues? A Dumo clone. Someone who isn't flashy, isn't overly fast or strong, not a huge shot, but he's just always in the right hockey position.

Makes you think about how good Maatta would be if he had NHL level speed. Easily as good as Dumo IMO.

 

[KIRK]

Sucks, our best hope is that Letang carries his ass or he gets dealt.

One of those hopes is infinitely better than the other.

 

[heysmilinstrange]

Was thinking about this the other day.

Know what would solve a TON of the Pens' defensive issues? A Dumo clone. Someone who isn't flashy, isn't overly fast or strong, not a huge shot, but he's just always in the right hockey position.

So like Paul Martin but younger.

 

[KIRK]

So like Paul Martin but younger.

But with a shot that isn't a powder puff.

But with some playoff grit.