from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic,

The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 26, and Johnson is an unrestricted free agent. That always sets off alarms, but there are other strong indicators.

Contract talks between Johnson's agent, Pat Brisson, and the Blue Jackets have not made any progress toward an extension, sources told The Athletic.

“There have been talks,” Johnson said. “I'm just going to leave it at that. There has been dialogue, yes.”

more (paid subscription)...

added 10:52am,