In his 17th NHL season, Blackhawks defenseman Jack Johnson isn’t going to experience anything he hasn’t already seen during his first 16.
So throughout the Hawks’ brutal November, the veteran has used his respected voice to preach patience and positivity within the locker room.
“Everyone who’s been around long enough knows there’s highs and lows as a team and individually throughout an 82-game season,” Johnson said Wednesday before the Hawks hosted the Oilers. “No matter who you are or what team you’re on, it’s going to happen. You have to manage those: can’t get too high, can’t get too low. It’s part of being a professional athlete.”
Johnson, 35, describes the necessary mindset as “controlling your controllables,” with one’s attitude being the most controllable thing of all.
“You can’t get so down and negative that it’s just miserable or you don’t want to come to the rink, because then you’re just going to be in [the losing streak] longer,” he added. “You have to keep the right attitude, right enthusiasm to come to work every day. That’s how you’re going to dig yourself out of it.”
The Hawks signed Johnson, after all, believing his seen-it-all leadership likely would prove valuable during the first season of this rebuild. They were correct about that.
“He’s competitive, but when it’s time to enjoy [life], he enjoys it,” coach Luke Richardson said. “So he’s a great example for everybody on the team.”
The Hawks also signed him, though, believing he’d bounce around the defensive lineup, assisting the young players rotating through. But instead, he has settled in as a surprising top-four staple.
Johnson entered Wednesday averaging 20:22 of ice time through 21 games — marking a massive increase from his 16:45 average with the Avalanche last season. It’s his first season above 20 minutes since 2016-17 with the Blue Jackets, when he was 30.
“It’s actually easier to get into a rhythm when you’re playing those kind of minutes,” he said. “Your body actually feels better because you’re sweating, you’re engaged, you’re into it.
“If you’re sitting there for a while, you start to get cold, your back gets tight and all that. You almost feel like you need a shift or two to warm up again. So for me, physically, it has been easier.”
Pour one out
The Hawks and forward Jakub Pour agreed to a mutual contract termination this week, per a team source. It’s expected Pour will now sign with a Czech team.
Pour, 23, inked a two-year deal with the Hawks in 2021, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Dominik Kubalik — a fellow Plzen, Czechia, native. But he never found a rhythm in North America, tallying eight points in 44 AHL games in Rockford last season and five points in 15 ECHL games in Indianapolis this season.
Injury updates
Forward Sam Lafferty’s back injury and defenseman Jarred Tinordi’s hip injury will keep both of them out at least another week, if not longer, Richardson said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, goaltender Alex Stalock has been pulled back from practicing with the team — a step forward that he’d taken for the first time Sunday — after he experienced a worsening in his concussion symptoms. And Tyler Johnson hasn’t been seen since Nov. 18 after suffering a setback in his ankle injury recovery.
With those four guys all out, the Hawks had no spare healthy scratches Wednesday.