The Kent Johnson Dream Is Over – Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild have made no secret of their desire to get bigger, faster and stronger this offseason. Did they? Depends on whether the 6-foot-2 Yakov Trenin or the 6-foot-0 Jakub Lauko is in the bottom six, which sways you.

However, that wasn't the plan for Minnesota to add size. As reported repeatedly by Michael Russo and Joe Schmidt of The Athleticsthe savages had their feelers up moving out 1.75 meter tall Marco Rossi. Like Russopinned downOn June 25, the Columbus Blue Jackets were a logical destination.

The Jackets had a collection of young, once-highly touted prospects who may have fallen out of favor. David Jiricek (sixth overall, 2022) and Kent Johnson (fifth overall, 2021) had remarkable degradationswho questioned their future in Columbus. Meanwhile, Cole Sillinger (12th overall, 2021) has seen his development stall since his 18-year-old rookie season.

Of the three, Johnson was the most intriguing option in a potential Rossi trade because he came closest to a one-on-one comparison with the young Wild center. Though Johnson has played primarily as a wing in the NHL, starting 23 faceoffs in his two years with Michigan, Columbus drafted him as a center. Would the Wild have tried to move Johnson back to the pivot? In a world where Ryan Hartman is a center, anything is possible.

If so, Johnson would be an ideal return for Bill Guerin in a Rossi swap. While Rossi is more filled out at this point in his career, Johnson has a 6-foot-0 frame that offers him more length. Maybe Johnson’s skating isn’t any better, but one out of three ain’t bad?

The draft and free agency have come and gone, though. If you dreamed of Johnson in a Wild uniform, that dream is already fading. Rossi appears locked into a roster spot for the Wild, and Minnesota’s $1.5 million in cap room dictates they keep Rossi’s entry-level contract in-house.

Last week the door slammed shut on Johnson. The Blue Jackets signed Johnson to a bridge contract, signing the restricted free agent to a two-year, $1.8 million per season contract.

That’s more than a movable contract, but it’s also a big reason why Columbus wouldn’t move him. Say what you will about how much he struggled last year, but Johnson had a 16-goal, 40-point rookie season in 2022-23. There’s plenty of room to grow there.

The Jackets also have a chance to put all the unpleasantness of last season behind them. They fired general manager Jarmo Keklinen and brought in interim GM John Davidson. They also replaced coaches Mike Babcock and Pascal Vincent. In comes GM Don Waddell and head coach Dean Evason, and thus a chance for a fresh start.

For that trade framework to happen in the future, Rossi and Johnson would likely have to be distressed assets. The Wild would still have to send signals that they want to sell Rossi, and Johnson would have to burn through his goodwill with a new coach/GM regime. At that point, it wouldn’t be a particularly attractive trade.

The good news is that Minnesota's inability to move Rossi has a good chance of being a blessing in disguise from Guerin's perspective. It's still puzzling that the Wild, with their lack of centers in their history, would want to trade (allegedly) the first true center in their history to score 40 points before turning 23.

The Wild were hesitant to commit to Rossi, as they were with Matt Boldy and, most recently, Brock Faber. But their young center has shown a ferocious commitment to improving in the offseason, and he has just as much room to grow as Johnson. The Johnson Dream may be over, but realizing the Rossi Dream could be an even better outcome for the Wild.

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