This is a pivotal year for Kent Johnson.
As the Columbus Blue Jackets head toward the 2026-27 season, the team is aiming to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. That goal will put pressure on the Blue Jackets’ core to deliver, and Johnson sits right near the center of that conversation.
The 23-year-old forward, taken fifth overall in 2021, is entering what looks like a defining season in Columbus. The reason is simple: his recent production has been all over the map.
Last season was a rough one. Johnson played 76 games and finished with seven goals and 22 points. That came on the heels of a much stronger 2024-25 campaign, when he broke through with career bests across the board, putting up 24 goals, 33 assists and 57 points in 68 games.
Those two seasons tell the story. Johnson has shown he can produce at a high level, but he has also struggled to sustain it. That’s why the 2026-27 season feels so important for him.
The questions around his future in Columbus have already started this offseason, and they would only grow louder if he has another difficult year. But if Johnson rebounds and starts playing closer to the top-six forward the Blue Jackets have seen before, that speculation should ease.
For a Columbus team trying to become more competitive, that kind of bounce-back would matter. The Blue Jackets need their best players to push forward, and Johnson’s season may end up being one of the biggest swing factors in whether they get there.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets History Behind No. 37 Says More Than Fans Remember
Jersey No. 37 has quietly carried a lot of Blue Jackets history, even if most fans would struggle to name every player who wore it. Over the years, the number has passed through a mix of depth pieces, brief stopgaps and players whose Columbus stops were only one chapter in longer careers, including Mattias Timander, Joe Motzko, Darcy Campbell, Sean Collins, Markus Hnnikinen and Cameron Butler. Some arrived by trade, some through the draft pipeline and others as organizational call-ups, which is part of what makes the number such a good snapshot of how the roster has been built at different points.
The common thread is how quickly those chapters tended to move. A few of the players who wore 37 had short tenures in Columbus before moving on to other NHL stops, returning to the AHL or finishing their careers overseas, while others eventually retired after their time with the Blue Jackets organization. It is the kind of number that does not scream star power, but it does tell a broader story about the teams depth chart, its development paths and the many careers that briefly intersected with the franchise. [Read more 🡒]