Today I am bringing a, perhaps contentious, counterpoint to the Kent Johnson “Sophomore Slump” narrative.
Last offseason, I established a cohort based on his production and examined some of their underlying numbers through 5 years post draft. He still belongs in the cohort, but his play driving will have to take another leap forward.
Kent Johnson at times looked and felt like he was slumping but this primarily came from two factors:
1. Retooling his game to fit the new Blue Jackets style (notice Gaudreau and Laine also slumping to start the year) and the growing pains associated with changing your game 2. Literally no Powerplay Points
At 5v5, Kent Johnson was a better player in 2023-2024 than he was last year.
NuclearBuns
No he didnāt. Use your eyes.
Seattlekrakenlegend
Cole Sillinger said it about the second year – if your first year goes really well, sometimes itās hard to adjust your game if your second one isnāt going as well because theoretically you should just be able to do what you did before?
Johnson wasnāt fighting for his place in the lineup last year like he was this year, and i think there was a tiny bit of attitude that came with that. Even in the before comments going to Cleveland (I donāt need to be here) to the ones coming back (it was good that I did that) I think he was humbled a bit this year.
ddottay
Really good write up!
I think KJ is an easy target for people when things go wrong. I think Vincent fumbled him from the beginning, and I have my fingers crossed that coming back healthy next year with fresh eyes in the front office and coaching staff will rebuild the player I think he can be.
Master_Republic_144
I donāt feel like he necessarily improved, but Iām not concerned with the player or the potential. What Iām concerned with is that we saw way less little plays that lead to positive plays for the team and making his teammates better. His first year, you would see a handful of plays a game where KJ would make a nice pass with touch or a chip off the wall to link plays in the neutral zone. He was an igniter when it came to transition play. This year didnāt look the same at the NHL level. KJ wasnāt making consistently making the type of plays he usually does and Vincentās coaching hasnāt been good for him. He was a complementary piece that relied on his teammates more to create, but in his first year I thought that he made players on the ice better with his vision, creativity, and hockey smarts. Kent had no success with Sillinger because Silli really isnāt really a driver or dynamic (skating). Success with Fantilli and Bemmer because of the way they move. There was pretty much negative space on the ice to create when playing with Sillinger. Kentās issue is Vincent and how he is being asked to play.
1) He should be paired with players who can really skate and excel in transition. Creating space for him so that he can, not only link plays, but find soft spots in the o-zone to receive the puck back.
2) Vincent is a terrible coach, period. He is also incredibly bad for Kentās development. Vincentās emphasis on āpaceā and over reliance on ādataā was very detrimental to KJ. It was extremely frustrating to watch KJ sprinting and wasting energy chasing plays that he was never going to win the puck race or even provide significantly pressure. Itās simple things like taking a boards to middle angle or a middle to boards angle to affect play in the neutral zone defensively that was lacking all year with the team. Vincent has been all about tracking player top speeds and movement as a measure for āperformanceā. It was 100 percent in KJās head that he needed to be going all out on dead plays to gain favor with Vincent and gain ice time. There were so many plays where Kent was the only forward on the ice, when his line mates were about to come on from a line change l, where heās just out of control sprinting at the puck carrier with no thought. Itās like punching a 10 layer brick wall with your bare hands. Why would I want a player Iām coaching to waste his energy chasing a dead play? If PV actually coached he would be able to trap the transition and that energy could be used effectively in transition for offense. Just one of many examples how PV doesnāt understand hockey.
I still think Kent could become a terrific skater with some tweaks, but heās still a gifted and intelligent player who can make his line mates better. Coaching and better/consistent line combinations for him will make a world of difference. KJ is a 60 point player next year with PP time and a better coach.
DerDutchman1350
Have few concerns about KJs skill. #1 obstacle is strength. Should be doing squats all day, every day.
6 Comments
Today I am bringing a, perhaps contentious, counterpoint to the Kent Johnson “Sophomore Slump” narrative.
Last offseason, I established a cohort based on his production and examined some of their underlying numbers through 5 years post draft. He still belongs in the cohort, but his play driving will have to take another leap forward.
Kent Johnson at times looked and felt like he was slumping but this primarily came from two factors:
1. Retooling his game to fit the new Blue Jackets style (notice Gaudreau and Laine also slumping to start the year) and the growing pains associated with changing your game
2. Literally no Powerplay Points
At 5v5, Kent Johnson was a better player in 2023-2024 than he was last year.
No he didnāt. Use your eyes.
Cole Sillinger said it about the second year – if your first year goes really well, sometimes itās hard to adjust your game if your second one isnāt going as well because theoretically you should just be able to do what you did before?
Johnson wasnāt fighting for his place in the lineup last year like he was this year, and i think there was a tiny bit of attitude that came with that. Even in the before comments going to Cleveland (I donāt need to be here) to the ones coming back (it was good that I did that) I think he was humbled a bit this year.
Really good write up!
I think KJ is an easy target for people when things go wrong. I think Vincent fumbled him from the beginning, and I have my fingers crossed that coming back healthy next year with fresh eyes in the front office and coaching staff will rebuild the player I think he can be.
I donāt feel like he necessarily improved, but Iām not concerned with the player or the potential. What Iām concerned with is that we saw way less little plays that lead to positive plays for the team and making his teammates better. His first year, you would see a handful of plays a game where KJ would make a nice pass with touch or a chip off the wall to link plays in the neutral zone. He was an igniter when it came to transition play. This year didnāt look the same at the NHL level. KJ wasnāt making consistently making the type of plays he usually does and Vincentās coaching hasnāt been good for him. He was a complementary piece that relied on his teammates more to create, but in his first year I thought that he made players on the ice better with his vision, creativity, and hockey smarts. Kent had no success with Sillinger because Silli really isnāt really a driver or dynamic (skating). Success with Fantilli and Bemmer because of the way they move. There was pretty much negative space on the ice to create when playing with Sillinger. Kentās issue is Vincent and how he is being asked to play.
1) He should be paired with players who can really skate and excel in transition. Creating space for him so that he can, not only link plays, but find soft spots in the o-zone to receive the puck back.
2) Vincent is a terrible coach, period. He is also incredibly bad for Kentās development. Vincentās emphasis on āpaceā and over reliance on ādataā was very detrimental to KJ. It was extremely frustrating to watch KJ sprinting and wasting energy chasing plays that he was never going to win the puck race or even provide significantly pressure. Itās simple things like taking a boards to middle angle or a middle to boards angle to affect play in the neutral zone defensively that was lacking all year with the team. Vincent has been all about tracking player top speeds and movement as a measure for āperformanceā. It was 100 percent in KJās head that he needed to be going all out on dead plays to gain favor with Vincent and gain ice time. There were so many plays where Kent was the only forward on the ice, when his line mates were about to come on from a line change l, where heās just out of control sprinting at the puck carrier with no thought. Itās like punching a 10 layer brick wall with your bare hands. Why would I want a player Iām coaching to waste his energy chasing a dead play? If PV actually coached he would be able to trap the transition and that energy could be used effectively in transition for offense. Just one of many examples how PV doesnāt understand hockey.
I still think Kent could become a terrific skater with some tweaks, but heās still a gifted and intelligent player who can make his line mates better. Coaching and better/consistent line combinations for him will make a world of difference. KJ is a 60 point player next year with PP time and a better coach.
Have few concerns about KJs skill. #1 obstacle is strength. Should be doing squats all day, every day.