CHICAGO — Tyler Johnson’s in a weird spot. He’s an undrafted player who became a borderline star who famously won two Stanley Cups by embracing a lesser role who was partially acquired as a “bad contract” and who is now toiling in relative anonymity. He’s just 32, but that’s too old to be part of a long-term rebuild, yet he has another year on a bad contract that carries a $5 million cap hit, so he’ll still be with the Blackhawks after the trade deadline. He’s one of the better players on a bad Blackhawks team, but he can’t seem to stay in the lineup.
So is Johnson approaching the twilight of his career? Can he someday become a useful player on a great team again? Where exactly? is at this stage of his career?
These are natural, existential questions that plague many a pro in his early 30s.
But they’re not plaguing Johnson.
“I don’t think you can really ever look at the long term,” the Blackhawks winger said. “I try to be in the present. Obviously, you’re working for your future and whatever that may be, and you have goals and everything, but I’m with Chicago right now, and I want to do as much as I can here.”
Johnson’s not just happy to be here after missing 56 games last year following artificial disc replacement surgery to repair his neck and 23 games this season with a high-ankle sprain; That’d be too glib to say, and frankly demeaning to such an accomplished player. The losing gnaws at him the way it gnaws at everybody.
But the Blackhawks — all of the Blackhawks — went into this season eyes wide open, with no real delusions despite some early defiance. That’s made for one of the more upbeat last-place teams you’re ever likely to see. And Johnson, a naturally upbeat sort, has embraced being a mentor for the first time in his career.
Patrick Kane, Jack Johnson and Tyler Johnson. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“I want to try to help guys grow, and it’s been fun having some of these younger guys coming up and just being an older guy,” Johnson said. “I’ve never really had that (role) in my career. It’s kind of fun getting to talk to the young kids and getting to see the enthusiasm. You see (Lukas) Reichel get his first goal the other day, and stuff like that makes it really fun to play.”
And there aren’t many better role models than Johnson, whose skill set and mindset made him a popular player and teammate for eight-plus seasons in Tampa. He blends talent and grit, as likely to make a backdoor pass as he is to go to one knee and block a shot. Finally feeling fully healthy for the first time in years with his neck fixed, Johnson started the season great, with two goals and four assists in his first six games, helping linemate Jonathan Toews get off to his own hot start.
Then came the dreaded high-ankle sprain, a common yet infuriating injury. Doctors initially gave him a timeline in weeks, not days, but Johnson was convinced it wouldn’t take nearly that long. After all, he felt hardly any pain at all walking around all day. But once he strapped that boot to his foot and hit the ice, the pain returned. At one point in November, he practiced and expected to return to the lineup the next day.
He was back in a walking boot within a week. Johnson said he never felt sorry for himself, but it took seven weeks total for him to get back, every setback more maddening than the last.
“It’s just a really weird hockey injury,” he said. “Every year, there seems to be one or two guys on every team that get that injury just because we’re in the (skate) boot and that’s what happens. Everyone always says it’s one of the worst ones. I never truly understood that until I went through it, I guess. It’s really annoying because you feel like you’re 100 percent, but then the littlest thing sets you off. S— happens. It sucks watching the team play without being able to compete and help them, but I’m back now and trying to do whatever I can.”
What he can do is quite a bit, but not as much as he’d like. As coach Luke Richardson put it, Johnson’s brain is back to 100 percent, but his body is still working its way back to the form he had earlier in the season. He has just two goals and two assists in 12 games since returning to the lineup, but Richardson said Thursday morning that he was lamenting not having Johnson on the ice for the final 27 seconds of regulation against Calgary last Sunday. Instead, Toews was out there with Max Domi and Philipp Kurashev. Toews lost the draw.
“I should’ve had (Johnson) out there,” Richardson said. “Because he blocks shots, does all the right things, he’s so dependable both offensively and defensively. Watching a few clips against Colorado at the beginning of the year, he was really flying. … He’s pretty close.”
As for that blurry big picture, Johnson’s not sweating it. Despite his championship pedigree, there’s virtually no chance he gets moved at the trade deadline — his cap hit is likely too high for a contender to take on and frankly, the Blackhawks might need a few contracts like his to reach the cap floor next season — so he’s locked into the process here in Chicago. Johnson’s been here before, noting that the Lightning finished in last place his rookie season, and how much he enjoyed the climb.
It’s different starting that adventure at 32 than it is at 22, of course. But it’s still an adventure, nevertheless. One that requires living in the moment as much as possible.
“You’re still playing in the NHL,” he said. “You’re enjoying every day, you’re enjoying what you’re doing. It’s a different challenge, but I don’t want to look at the long term. I’m looking at what’s right in front of me. And right now, in front of me, is this team. And we’re building towards something special.”
(Top photo: Bill Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)
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