When the Minnesota Wild traded for Marcus Johansson in the spring of 2023, he set the ice on fire. He immediately formed a bond with Matt Boldy on the ice and created a great second line. After the season ended, Bill Guerin signed him to a two-year, $4 million contract. But last year, fans were complaining about Johansson’s contract, among others. Was that scrutiny warranted?
Last Season
Let’s be real: Johansson’s stats last year weren’t bad. While it definitely wasn’t his best season, he still managed to score 30 points (11 goals and 19 assists) in 78 games. For $2 million, that isn’t a terrible return on investment. The hard part was that the energy with Boldy was different than it had been during the 2023 playoffs. The eye test wasn’t doing him any favors.
And looking at his history of point-per-game percentage throughout his career, it was absolutely on the bottom end, but not totally off the charts bad. But we can’t look simply at stats alone and isolate one player because last year’s team struggles contributed to everyone’s stats being lower than normal.
Strengths
Johansson can be a great playmaker. And if he can keep up at least a 30-point season from the third-line position that he very likely will find himself playing on, it could be worth the $2 million that he will make during the 2024-25 season. This is the last year on his contract and with the dead cap space, is still a contract that makes sense if looking at the big picture.
Weaknesses
The biggest problem with Johansson’s play in the last few years is how spotty he is. He has a consistency problem that makes him look like a worse player than he really is. Part of that might be his age. While he is not washed-up or anything, he is 34 years old and most likely approaching the late end of his career.
Next Season
The biggest question for next season is where Johansson will end up on the depth chart. He’s been skating on the second line, but with his drop in scoring, could be dropped down to the third line. His biggest competition, most likely, would be rookie Liam Ohgren who played 4 games with the Wild last spring. Scoring one goal and one assist in those games made a huge impression on fans, but the real test will be whether he could keep up his play for an entire season. If he’s ready to take on second-line minutes and continues scoring, he will most likely surpass Johansson on the depth chart.
One more interesting thing to note is that Johansson’s first time on the Minnesota roster during the 2020-21 may have colored how fans view him. After another season of low point-per-game percentage and an injury that cut the season short for him, Wild fans were skeptical of him when Guerin traded for him. And after a great, small showing, Minnesota fans may have been changing their tune. But once he started to dip during the 2023-24 season, fans were quick to return to their negative viewpoint.
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