He worries me. If we could convince Tampa to pay us to take him I'd probably go for it. Not asking much, maybe Johnson+2nd for a 3rd or 4th.
I’ve looked at him hard because I think you could get him for next to nothing. He’s not playing a ton in Tampa. he’s at about 2 points/60. I don’t think he’s much of an upgrade over Ek for the 2C slot, if at all. I’d rather make a more substantial move, but I could see Guerin doing it.
He's an upgrade over Ek on the offensive side of the game. He may not be a #1C, but I think he could put up those kind of numbers playing with Fiala (he'd also be able to match his skating a lot better than Staal can).
His contract would be great for us if he works out too. His final year would be played at 33, which means his age isn't much of a concern. And if he only puts up 45-50 point seasons, he's not being overpaid at a $5M AAV.
Overall, if he doesn't end up being able to play at a 1C level, I think his floor is probably around a 2C. Seems like a low risk play for the Wild who have the cap space to make the move.
I don't want almost 20M tied up in 3 forwards for the next 4 years, on the wrong side of 30, that would be better described as "middle-6" or "bottom-9" than "top-6" forwards. While Johnson's contract is more appealing than those 2, I don't see those 2 going anywhere.
Johnson isn't really old. He just turned 30 a few days ago and isn't really being paid a significant amount. I think at minimum, he replaces Staal as a 2C at an affordable price.