COLUMBUS, Ohio – With their opener just three days away, the Blue Jackets have reached a deal with Ryan Johansen, ending his lengthy holdout.
The team was in dire need of their top scorer returning after losing forwards Boone Jenner for five weeks to a broken hand and Nathan Horton indefinitely due to a bad back.
“I’m really excited to have this deal done and want to thank the McConnell family and our ownership group. I can’t wait to rejoin my teammates, coaches and our fans in Columbus and help this team build on what we’ve started the past two seasons,” Johansen said.
Terms of the three-year agreement reached Monday were not announced.
The 22-year-old Johansen, a restricted free agent, had a career season last year, scoring 33 goals with 30 assists in 82 games after totaling 14 goals and 19 assists in his first 107 NHL games.
The youngest player to score at least 30 goals in the NHL a year ago, he was tied for 11th in the league in that category as he became the third player in Blue Jackets history to hit the 30-goal mark.
The club opens the season Thursday at Buffalo.