Former Stanley Cup winner earns NHL job

After winning two straight Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, veteran forward Tyler Johnson spent the last three seasons with the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. Not only did the team struggle to win, but Johnson also struggled to stay healthy and missed nearly 100 games during his time with the Blackhawks.

As NHL teams prepare for training camps and preseason games, Johnson is still a free agent. Analysts say Johnson should play in the NHL despite his age and injury problems.

“For me, Tyler Johnson belongs in the NHL,” said Mike Johnson of the NHL Network. “He scored 17 goals in Chicago. He didn't play with good players.”

The Blackhawks finished the 2023-24 season with one of the worst records in the NHL, but Johnson scored 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 67 games played. Johnson was a minus-64 in his three years in Chicago, but there is a belief that he still has a lot to offer an NHL team.

“He should have a contract,” Mike Johnson said. “If I were a team like Boston thinking about PTO, he would be at the top of my list.”

Trial training sessions for professionals are increasingly being offered throughout the league and the two-time cup winner has earned some kind of contract.

In 738 career games split between the Lightning and Blackhawks, Johnson has scored 193 goals and 238 assists for 431 points. With the Lightning, Johnson was a key part of their three consecutive trips to the Cup Final between 2020 and 2022.

Johnson's best playoff performance came in 2015, when the Lightning ironically lost to the Blackhawks. Johnson was the playoffs' best player with 13 goals and 23 points.

“I would expect Tyler Johnson, wherever he goes, to make the team.”

Johnson recently turned 34 and could be a valuable addition to virtually any team in the NHL.

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