The Blackhawks said Johnson had been trying to manage the pain for the past few weeks before opting for surgery.
"Well, I mean, it's hard on him," Blackhawks coach Derek King said. "It's more him, coming here as a new player with a fresh start, and this happens. I feel for him. Obviously we'd love to have him on the team and in the lineup. He would help us. but he has to do what's best for Tyler and we'll back him on the decisions he makes."
Johnson, who last played in a 6-3 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 29, scored three points (one goal, two assists) in eight games. He was placed on long-term injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 29, on Nov. 17. Johnson last practiced Nov. 25.
"To my knowledge, and I'm not a doctor, believe me, but they tried different procedures and weren't getting what they wanted out of them, so this was the next step," King said. "They decided this is what was best for him, for his career and Tyler. It's major, but he'll be fine and he'll work his way back. Who knows? Sometimes you recover quicker than you think, but he has a lot of hockey left in him."
Johnson was acquired by the Blackhawks, along with a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Brent Seabrook on July 27. The 31-year-old has scored 364 points (162 goals, 202 assists) in 597 NHL games with the Blackhawks and Lightning, and won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay 2020 and 2021.
Patrick Kane said the Blackhawks have missed Johnson most on the power play, where they are 3-for-36 (8.3 percent) in the 14 games Johnson has missed.
"I know I talked about it before, but he was really good in that middle spot on the power play," the forward said Friday. "Also [adds] just a lot of speed and energy to our lineup too. I didn't really know what the length of it was going to be or what was going to happen, but that's tough to hear. Hopefully he'll get better soon and be able to come back better than ever."
Connor Murphy was placed in concussion protocol Friday. The defenseman was hit by Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin early in the second period of a 4-3 shootout win against the Capitals on Thursday.
Murphy scored two points (one goal, one assist) and is second among Blackhawks defenseman with an average ice time of 21:44 in 22 games (Seth Jones, 25:54).
"It's an individual thing," King said. "Some guys recover quicker than others, some guys it takes a little longer. It depends on how bad the concussion was. … I did see him this morning, so he's still here. I think he's just going to ride it out here. Not much you can do at home, anyway."
Jujhar Khaira missed practice Friday because of a non-COVID-19-related illness. The forward has scored two goals in 16 games.
The Blackhawks (8-12-2) play at the New York Rangers on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; MSG, NBCSCH+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) and at the New York Islanders on Sunday to finish a three-game road trip.
