Johnson making his way at center early in Blue Jackets career

At just about any Blue Jackets practice, Kent Johnson is usually the last player on the ice.
When Columbus is at home, that's no big deal, but Thursday in Chicago, he left the United Center ice after practice and walked into an interview with the clock ticking until the team bus would leave in wintry conditions to head back to the hotel.

But it was also fitting that he and Kirill Marchenko were the last Blue Jackets players getting in extra work because it came in a building where one of his favorite players to watch, Patrick Kane, does the same. Kane famously is the last Blackhawk on the ice during warmups before every Chicago game, and for someone who hopes to one day reach Kane's lofty heights, it was a fitting parallel.
"That's cool to hear," Johnson said when told of the Kane connection. "I've always loved the game. I think a coach in midget was really big on staying on the ice, getting more shots, more stickhandling, whatever. You're just going to get better that much faster. I think that's worked for me, so I'm going to keep doing it."
Johnson has a long way to go to be someone like Kane, who now has 1,205 points in 1,139 career games after his three-point game Friday against the Blue Jackets. But his potential is certainly high, as Johnson's eight goals and 16 points in 30 games place him fourth and tied for sixth, respectively, among NHL rookies this season.

And the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft is embracing his newest challenge. With injuries to Boone Jenner and Cole Sillinger, Johnson has moved to the center position for the last three games after starting his NHL career -- and playing his two seasons at the University of Michigan -- on the wing.
The Blue Jackets have long maintained that Johnson's future is at center, but there was reticence to throw the 20-year-old into the deep end so early in his career. But with the injuries, the thought was it made sense to give Johnson a look, and there have been -- predictably -- positives and negatives thus far.
On the plus side, Johnson has two goals in those three games in the middle between Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine, and the Blue Jackets have positive margins in shot attempts (52-45), expected goals (2.52-1.88) and high-danger chances (12-10) at 5-on-5 with Johnson on the ice in that span per Natural Stat Trick.
"I think early in his career, he's done a good job here of growing," head coach Brad Larsen said. "Some nights are better than others, but he's a confident player, and that's a skill that's hard to teach a lot of guys. He wants the puck. He wants it in the important times. So he's able to execute and do a lot of things that a lot of other players can't, but there's a lot of growth left, and with age comes some strength. But he's growing."
So far, there are some obvious strengths and weaknesses to Johnson's game. His offensive creativity is at another level, and he's already shown the ability to make the spectacular look routine through 39 NHL games including a nine-game cameo at the end of last season. Johnson can anticipate plays so he's often in the right position, he has the confidence and ability to execute, and the puck seems to naturally follow him at center.
On the other side, though, are some weaknesses. A lack of strength might be at the top of the list, as Johnson still clearly has some filling out to do at his young age, especially when it comes to matching up against some of the bigger and better pivots in the league. There's a direct line from that to struggles in the faceoff dot, as he's won just seven of 39 draws in the last three games. And while he is an intelligent player, there's still a lot that can be learned through experience.
But it's also clear the future is incredibly bright for the young Blue Jackets standout.

"You can just tell from certain guys that they have the capabilities to be a really, really good player in this league," Laine said. "You never know how it's going to go, but he's a smart guy. He works hard. He's going to be really good in a couple of years. You can see it. He's so much better already than he was last year when he played those games."
When it comes to getting better, Johnson's linemates said they spend a lot of time on the bench talking through what each of them saw on the ice, and it's hard to imagine two better players to learn from than Gaudreau and Laine given their offensive success over the years.
From Johnson's perspective, being able to skate with the two accomplished wingers has been a boon.
"It's so much fun," he said. "I love it. Hopefully I can keep playing with them. I think it's just exciting. Not too much changes in my mind-set playing with them. Maybe I try to get to the net a little bit more, but obviously they want the puck a lot, too. I think I just play my best with them and try to help them out as much as I can."
In addition, Johnson said he goes back and watches each game afterward to pick up on how things are going and see where he might improve. It's a practice he has continued on from his Michigan days, and right now, there might be more to learn than ever.
It's a process, but everyone on the CBJ squad is there to help Johnson along.
"I feel like it's still learning for him," Laine said. "He doesn't have too many games under his belt, but he'll learn as we go. He's just more confident, and that's probably the biggest part of his game, being confident and making plays at the right times. He's got to learn, you make mistakes. You lose the puck every now and then. That's how you learn; you learn by making those mistakes.
"He's definitely earned it to be in that spot, and it's been fun to play with him."