The off-season in the National Hockey League can be one of hope with the entry draft in June. It can be one of suspense of a sort one has wondering what awaits on Christmas morning when the unrestricted free agency signing period begins on July 1st. And, in the salary cap era, it can be one of sadness as players that fans watched “grow up” with the club from draft pick to a player to follow and root for leaves for another city.
The Caps bid farewell to such a player on Saturday, when
Karl Alzner signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens. As if that wasn’t enough of a gut-punch, the
Caps sent seven-year veteran and 2009 first-round draft pick Marcus Johansson
to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a second and third round draft pick in
the 2018 entry draft. The move became
necessary when the Caps signed center Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year
contract, severely limiting the club’s ability to further fill out the roster
under the league’s salary cap.
Johnansson leaves the Capitals as one of the most effective
offensive players in recent history with the club while being among the most
durable. For example, he is one of two
Capitals to have appeared in at least 500 games over the past seven seasons
(501) while posting at least 100 goals (102).
The other is Alex Ovechkin (525 games, 289 goals).
He also managed to produce at this level by coloring within
the lines, so to speak. Johansson’s
ability to avoid penalties was remarkable.
Johansson finished the 2016-2017 season as one of six active players to
have scored at least 100 goals and logged fewer than 75 penalty minutes over
the last seven seasons.
He is one of seven players in the league to have played in 30 games and logged
fewer than 20 penalty minutes in each of the past seven seasons.
Among 70 players to have played in at least 250 games over the past seven
seasons and logged 100 or fewer penalty minutes, he ranks second in fewest
penalty minutes per game (0.12), behind Brian Flynn.
But just as with Karl Alzner, all that tells only a part of
the story. There were the images.
There was the prospect’s puckhandling prestidigitation in levitating a puck…
Photo: Jamie Squire - Getty Images
…there was the “keeping green” moment with Nicklas
Backstrom…
…there was the accommodating Johansson, as good with a
Sharpie as he was with a stick…
Photo: Nicole Weissman
…there was the “almost” first and only fight of his career
against a player who deserved to get it right in the moosh…
…the overtime, game-winning, series-clinching goal in the
playoffs…
But in the end, we remember the moments of celebration. And as Marcus Johansson takes his leave of
Washington, that’s the image we want to remember…
Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post
