On Tuesday afternoon Erik Johnson was sitting in his Oral Communication class at the University of Minnesota when John Davidson called his cell phone.
Johnson told JD he needed to call him back because he was about to give a speech about the Stanley Cup, JD replied “Do that speech and then bring one to St. Louis.”
A few minutes later while sitting in class Johnson sent a text to JD that read “I made my decision; I want to be a Blue.”
JD sent a reply, “Congratulations big boy!”
University of Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia wanted an answer from Johnson by June 1st to allow some time to fill the vacant spot left on the Golden Gopher roster. Johnson said he wanted to take no more than 30 days to make a decision.
The plan all along for Johnson was to attend Minnesota for one season before signing with St. Louis. Johnson says it would have been easier to have skipped college because he didn’t realize how much fun he would have being a college student. Leaving was harder than he expected.
Especially at Minnesota where ice hockey is the premier sport.
His time spent at Minnesota was pretty interesting to analyze. The combination of being a local kid and a blue-chip prospect placed Johnson under a big magnifying glass. If he played well it was because he was suppose to considering he was the top pick. It he struggled it was made into a story.
Many people including Johnson were taken back by the lack of playing time he received from the Minnesota coaching staff. Johnson didn’t expect to be playing behind a senior and a junior d-man.
Johnson will tell you he thrives when he’s the guy. He admits he doesn’t play as good as he can when he’s not the premier guy.
Johnson credits US Development coach John Hynes for giving him the confidence to take on this type of pressure. Johnson and Hynes butted heads and engaged in a few verbal wars in his first year with the program, but By the time Johnson left for Minnesota he had had grown an enormous amount of respect for Hynes.
When Johnson met with the Minnesota coaching staff following the season they suggested that he return for another year but Johnson feels turning pro will allow him to develop at the necessary pace.
Johnson signed an entry level contract that was pretty easy to negotiate. He will earn $850,000 and can make an additional $850,000 in A bonuses and another two million in B bonuses.
Certain “A” bonuses include scoring 1o goals, 25 assists, or 40 points. Top three on team in +/_ or ice time.
If Johnson scores 10 goals for example he will receive a bonus of $212,500.
A “B” bonus includes finishing among the top 10 in the NHL in goals, assists, or points. Winning or finishing as a runner-up for a major league award could earn Johnson in the neighborhood of $250,000. There are also league bonuses handed out as well for winning post season awards.
Sidney Crosby will earn around 4.5 million this season when it’s is all said and done.
It really drives me crazy when I hear people already comparing Johnson to either current or former great NHL defenseman. Johnson needs to worry about being his own guy and establishing his own identity.
He won’t be Chris Pronger. When Pronger came into the league he was suppose to be the next Paul Coffey, Larry Robinson, or Ray Borque. A few years ago Jay Boumeester was supposed to be the next Pronger basically because Boumeester is tall.
You never know how a player thinks the game, or if they play the same physically, or how offensive they become.
The key is for the organization to surround this kid with the right people on and off the ice.
Keith Tkachuk made it easy for David Backes, Sidney Crosby lived with Mario Lemieux, Evgeni Malkin lives with Sergei Gonchar.
Will someone from the Blues step up? You never know Johnson may choose to live on his own, Or if the Blues re-sign Tkachuk maybe Johnson can have Backes’ room.
Andy Murray will be cautious on how he chooses to use Johnson. He’s not going to just show up and be a superstar although I’m sure the Blues will market him as such. There is no doubt the excitement Johnson brings to the table will sell some tickets.
Johnson is lucky he won’t face the pressure of playing in a hockey hotbed but the he will still feel an enormous amount of pressure.
People need to be patient with Johnson and allow him to settle in. The biggest adjustment for Johnson will be feeling like and knowing he can play at this level. He’s only going to get better by playing.
I always feel like 25 games is a pretty good sample size to know if a guy can play in the NHL or not. When you’re dealing with a 19 year old it’s ok to extend that number.
How Johnson handles getting railed on dump-ins and getting run by men just as big and stronger than he is will tell a lot about the player the Blues chose first overall.
Expect the Blues to pair Johnson with Barret Jackman when training camp begins in September. Jackman will like the role of protecting Johnson and mentoring the rookie.
The Blues have a decision to make on the seventh defense spot heading into next season. I know it’s way too early for this but the top six spots on defense are already set for next year. The decision of keeping Jeff Woywitka or Matt Walker will be interesting.
You won’t find any players having a negative comment about either guy. The Blues love Woywitka’s skating ability. His ability to escape pressure and recover when caught out of position can’t be matched by Walker. Woywitka can’t even come close to matching walker’s toughness. Toughness is always welcome on any team.
John Davidson is a big Walker fan and the organization is looking for Woywitka to show a little more presence on the ice. He doesn’t have to fight or lay the big hit to play with the edge the Blues would like to see from him.
Sometimes playing with an edge just means being harder on the puck or winning the one on one battle. Woywitka needs to be more aggressive and can’t play as passive as he has shown thus far.
Next season will be Woywitka’s fifth year pro and he’s going to be expected to elevate his game. He will be traveling back to St. Louis once a month throughout the off season to work with Blues Strength and Conditioning Coach Nelson Ayotte.
The fact that Andy Murray is putting Woywitka on the Blues off-season training program gives you a pretty clear idea that Woywitka is certainly in the plans for next season.
Walker meanwhile will need to be qualified and is arbitration eligible. It is unlikely he would use his arbitration rights. The reality is that injuries change everything and at the end of the day you need everyone. It’s a good problem to have and never rule out the possibility of a trade.
How many teams will have four first round picks playing in their top six? This doesn't include Bryce salvador, the Blues most underrated d-man, and Jay Mckee.
Prospect Roman Polak will be penciled in to begin the season in Peoria unless he plays so well in camp that you have to keep him.
One name to keep an eye on is 21 year old Steve Wagner who played 30 minutes a night in the last 14 games for Peoria. Wagner was signed out of Minnesota state Mankato after playing three years there. He is an exceptional skater who the Blues believe will play in the NHL.
It was good to see the Blues alumni show up to the Johnson press conference. Rick Zombo, Kelly Chase, Rob Ramage, Bob Plager, Bruce Affleck, and of course JD and Al Macinnis were all in attendance.
Captain Dallas Drake was the only current member of the Blues that showed up.
Drake deserves more respect than he has been getting as of late. A recent headline in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested his future with the Blues is uncertain.
If you talk to his teammates they will tell you he’s the heart and soul of the team and he has been for years. If the coaches ask him to go through a brick wall he will, and then up and look for another one.
Drake will smoke the biggest guy on the opposing team and people in British Columbia will tell you he’s been doing it since he was a little kid. There is a reason why he’s covered in ice bags following every game and is the most beat up player on the team.
Drake may not be the big vocal leader, he’s not out emceeing dinners and he isn’t all that concerned about his image. It’s all about what happens on the ice and he’s probably going to call it quits following the season.
He needs to be shown the appreciation he has given the organization ever since he signed with the Blues in 2000.
Drake is still an effective penalty killer, he gets pucks out, and is a short shift guy because he plays at a high tempo.
If you want to question the Blues giving Drake a two year deal at a million dollars per season that’s fine, but I expect the Blues to live up to their end of the bargain. At his salary Drake is virtually untradeable; the only way he isn’t in St. Louis next season is if the Blues were to buy him out at 2/3 of his contract.
Drake has been given every indication that he will return, Murray will remind you that he has a connection with Drake that goes back several years.
Rink Rats!
Expect Kyle Okposo to leave the University of Minnesota and sign with the New York Islanders.
Erik Johnson, Jonathan Toews, and Jack Johnson will work out together in southern California this summer with in a program set up Pat Brisson.
Blues Clues!
Speaking of contract Barret Jackman will be looking for an extension this summer. The Blues and Jackman have had no discussions at this point. Christian Backman will make 2.2 next season and 3.4 in 2008-2009. The cap hit on Backman is only 2.3 million. I expect the Blues to work a similar deal with Jackman in terms of how the Blues structured the deal.
Jackman will be getting married in Hawaii this July. Matt Walker will participate in the wedding party.
Eric Brewer told me anything less than a playoff berth next season is unacceptable. Brewer says with a serious expression ” It’s time.”
Andy Murray will conduct Team Canada’s training camp in Finland beginning April 22nd.
Curtis Sanford will begin working with a Doctor in Toronto that specializes in Active release Technique (ART) in attempt to correct an ongoing groin problem. The doctor does work with the Blue Jays baseball team as well.
Peter Cajanek will play for the Czech in the upcoming World Championships.
Radek Dvorak will not. Word is Dvorak does not particularly get along with the Czech coach. The Blues are interested in re-signing Dvorak next season. They won’t give him much more than the one million he made this past year.
D.J. King has a spot on the Blues next season. He would have to clear waivers to play in the AHL.
The Blues are considering keeping Doug Weight at wing heading into next season.
Glen Metropolit says his time spent with the Blues was just ok. He went from centering Kozlov and Hossa to centering D.J. King and Petr Senja. To be fair Murray gave him some power play time and played with just about everybody. He says he wished he could have done more but mentioned it’s difficult when you only play ten minutes a game. Davidson was pleased with the play of Metropolit after the Tkachuk deal was made.
There will not be a spot for Metropolit and Ville Nieminen next season.
The NHL will copy major league baseball and have basically uniformed websites. Teams are preparing for the change to where every individual site looks the same.
The Blues will hold training camp at the Scotttrade Center in September.
Jay Mckee will have an MRI on his groin/pelvic area in the first week of May to determine if any progress is being made.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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