from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

If the Rangers are right about Jack Johnson, who on Friday signed a one-year, $1.15 million deal days after having been bought out of the final three seasons of his contract by the Penguins, then pretty much everyone else in the NHL is wrong.

The phrase, “struggled mightily” was invented to describe Johnson’s two seasons in Pittsburgh. Nevertheless, he signed with the endorsement of assistant coach (defense) Jacques Martin, who joined the Blueshirts this summer following seven years with the Penguins, and of president John Davidson, who had the same role in Columbus during the 33-year-old’s six-plus seasons with the Blue Jackets.

In this case, then, familiarity did not breed contempt.

Johnson can be physically inclined. He does have 937 games of experience in an NHL career that began following his third-overall selection by the Hurricanes in 2005. He does rank 35th in the NHL in blocked shots over the past two seasons. But he has trouble with speed, he does not drive play, his coverage has been suspect and his peripheral numbers have been among the worst in the league the last couple of years.

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