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When Sidney Crosby called his old friend Jack Johnson last week, the conversation went a little differently than what the Penguins captain had planned.
Crosby was ready to give Johnson a selling point. He was ready to talk to his classmate of Shattuck St. Mary's Minnesota Prep School about the benefits of living and playing hockey in Pittsburgh.
Johnson cut it short. He already thought that it was a good idea too.
A few days later, the case was concluded. Johnson signed a five-year, $ 16.25 contract on Sunday, earning his CEO Jim Rutherford's biggest win on July 1 during his four-year tenure with the company. team.
"I really wanted to be part of a winning culture and a place where the hopes of winning are as high as they can be," he said. Johnson Sunday afternoon while he was stopping at Cranberry. hunting trip with his wife. "I do not think I could have asked for a better opportunity here."
Rutherford also brought back Matt Cullen for another tour of duty with the Penguins on Sunday, signing the popular 41-year-old center to a $ 650,000 contract.
Between Johnson and Cullen, Rutherford said that he accomplished his goal of the off season of a better balance between the defense pairs and the lines of attack of his team. Johnson's signatures are at least somewhat controversial.
Based on the high pay checks that the NHL General Managers were distributing to free agents on Sunday, Johnson's $ 3.25 million salary seems barely exceeded, but giving a five-year contract to a player from 31 years old could raise a few eyebrows.
Rutherford dismissed these eyebrows on Sunday afternoon.
"I did it, so I have to be comfortable with that," he said.
He also avoided the concerns that the analytical community often hears about Johnson, although the executive director did so in a much less disdainful way.
Rutherford knows that Johnson's advanced statistics profile is not pretty. The native of Indiana has not finished a season with a shot firing rate higher than 50% during his 11-year NHL career. But he also knows what his scouts saw when they watched Johnson live: a 6-foot-1, 227-pound athlete who can skate, hit and shoot. Rutherford weighed available information and offered a contract.
"We use analytics as one of the checkpoints, and we use our people who will see the player," Rutherford said. "We're trying to separate things to see why the analysts say one thing and why the guys say one thing, before signing it, the coaches were watching the video all the time and there was a real level of comfort there." 19659003] "None of this is infallible. When humans look at players, we sometimes make mistakes, and the analyzes are not always accurate, but we are very comfortable that Jack will help our team. "
Rutherford added Johnson, who has surpassed the 30-mark score four times in his career, will give his team a puck mover on all three of his defense pairs.
He added that Assistant coach Sergei Gonchar, who has helped rehabilitate the career of defenders like Justin Schultz, Jamie Oleksiak and Trevor Daley in recent years, could look into the asperities that need to be smoothed.
"I will always put my money on Sergei Gonchar, "said Rutherford." He's really a special person when it's a face-to-face encounter with these guys. "
Rutherford and Johnson Downplayed the way the defenders' last season ended in Columbus.They said coach John Tortorella had done him a good game in the playoffs, not because of his performance on the ice, but because of the problem unspecified ice sheets
"There were a few things that did not go according to plan. Some of these things that I prefer not to discuss in the media, "said Johnson. "I firmly believe that everything is happening for a reason.Not to come to an extension in Columbus has just led to this opportunity, and I could not be happier.I would not want to exchange a thing that happened to be there at this moment. "
Jonathan Bombulie is a writer from Tribune-Review. Go to [email protected] or via Twitter @BombulieTrib .
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