It's Time To Shut Down The Kent Johnson Trade Talk...For Now

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson lives in the heads of just about every hockey fan outside of Ohio. Every time there is a player brought up that Columbus should trade, it's him. It's time to stop that. Sure, he's from Western Canada and trains with all of the "B.C. Boys", but that doesn't mean he's up for sale. 

Just yesterday, The Fourth Period mentioned that Kent Johnson's name continues to "swirl" around league circles in terms of trade talk. 

GM Don Waddell and HC Rick Bowness have made comments several times since Bowness was hired that they are going to give Johnson every chance to succeed. They both said at the end-of-year media day that they are not going to give up on a 23-year-old. They didn't mention him by name that time, but we all knew who they were talking about. 

Yes, the former #5 overall pick from 2021 has had an up-and-down career so far, but you can see the skill ooze from him every time he touches the puck, and you can see the potential is there, and that's why so many people outside of Columbus want him on their team. 

Now, it's time for him and Bowness to bring that out. 

Johnson has started the year on the top line with Adam Fantilli and Matthew Knies, and it's worked out great so far. The trio has 7 points in two games, including 4 goals. 

In two games this year, Johnson has two points and 6 shots on goal while averaging 16:04 of time on ice. So far, so good. 

Yes, the season is still very young, but unless he goes on a 20-game pointless drought, it's time to shut down all the outside trade speculation from media outlets not only in Canada but also in the United States. 

Many people thought that the CBJ were having a fire sale over the summer after all of the Werenski and Marchenko drama, but that's all been taken care of now, and unless someone blows Don Waddell away with a trade offer for Kent Johnson, that noise needs to go away. 

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets take on the Pittsburgh Penguins this Friday at Nationwide Arena.   

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