Chicago Blackhawks’ Tyler Johnson to return to lineup vs. Minnesota Wild

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that center Tyler Johnson will be returning to the lineup on Wednesday night in their game against Minnesota Wild.

Johnson, 33, had been out of the lineup since December 31st after sustaining an injury to his right foot during an 8-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. He’s missed the last 14 games for Chicago, with the Blackhawks going 3-11-0 during his absence.

Based on the lines during Wednesday’s morning skate, Johnson looks to be starting the game on the third line alongside Lukas Reichel and MacKenzie Entwistle. The combination has had just 30 seconds of ice time together this season, with no goals scored at either end and a 100% expected goal share when on the ice.

Johnson has seen his production hovering around what it’s usually been in recent seasons with 9 goals and 4 assists for 13 points in 35 games this season. It has him on pace for 24 points should he play out the rest of the season, falling right in the 20-30 point range he’s been in when healthy for the past five seasons.

Johnson’s struggles haven’t just been in the scoring department, as he’s had his issues in all facets of the game in the past few seasons. Since the 2021-22 season, Johnson’s -0.207 goals above replacement per 60 minutes is the 15th worst among forwards with at least 1,500 minutes of ice time.

Johnson was an undrafted free agent signing by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011, joining the team after a strong WHL season that year. He played nine seasons with the Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, before he was dealt as a cap dump to the Blackhawks in the 2021 offseason, where he’s since played the past three seasons.

Johnson is in the final year of that contract that needed to be dumped by the Lightning, a seven-year deal with a $5 million cap hit. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason when the contract concludes.

The Blackhawks will hope that Johnson’s return can help end a four-game losing streak when they host the Wild on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. EST. Chicago is currently in last place in the league with a 14-34-2 record.