Johansen had surgery after Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks, and the diagnosis was an estimated recovery time of 2-3 months. He has been rehabilitating at Vanderbilt Medical Center here.
"I feel great," Johansen said. "I've got two more weeks here and then I should be able to start skating. I've been] working with the people at the Vanderbilt rehab clinic there, and they've been phenomenal. Both me and [Predators teammate Kevin Fiala, who fractured his left femur] have been recovering really fast, so definitely ahead of schedule and it's been going great."
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Johansen (14 goals, 47 assists) tied Viktor Arvidsson for the Predators lead with 61 points in the regular season and will be a restricted free agent July 1. He hopes to have a contract signed with the Predators quickly.
"That's why I hired an agent," Johansen said. "He'll do his job and hopefully get that done as soon as possible."
The Predators went 4-4 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after Johansen's injury and lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
Johansen has been with the Predators since Jan. 6, 2016, when he was traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Seth Jones. He said he has grown to love the community and hopes to be a key part of a run to the Stanley Cup with Nashville next season.
"I still haven't found words that explain it," Johansen said. "Just this playoffs and how this city and Nashville Predators fans have come together, I still don't even know what to say. You wish it was playoffs next year starting tomorrow. I can't wait to get back out on the ice, and we want to win for them so bad.
"We're just dreaming and imagining what it would be like if we were champions here. It's going to be great motivation for us moving forward into this offseason and the start of next season to do our best to put ourselves back in this situation to play for the Cup."
