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Trade Seemingly Imminent for Recent Top-5 Pick


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Julien Trekker
November 2, 2023  (10:25)
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The Columbus Blue Jackets might lose one of their top prospects after he decided to switch agencies, the same agency that represented former Blue Jackets' Seth Jones and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Johnson Wants Out of Columbus?

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The fifth-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Kent Johnson, announced that he is changing his representation. He has joined CAA, the same agency as Dubois and Jones when they left Columbus.
Per Puck Empire:
"#Jackets forward Kent Johnson has switched agencies to CAA, the representatives of Seth Jones & Pierre-Luc Dubois.

The reason this is significant? Both of those players were with CAA when they forced their way out of Ohio, and Johnson has been a healthy scratch for the team in 2 of their first 9 games.

Johnson was Columbus' fifth-overall selection in 2021.

Could something be brewing in Columbus?"

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Johnson's Value on the Market: A Sweet Return for the Blue Jackets?

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Kent Johnson, 21, has scored 46 points in 95 NHL games.
He is known for his Michigan goal against the Islanders last season.
If the Blue Jackets decide to trade him, many teams should be interested.
Currently playing the last season on his entry-level contract, trading him before the deadline could be an option for Columbus.
The return would be significant. We can't imagine him leaving the Jackets for less than a first-round pick and a talented prospect, or a great player in his prime.
Even if he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, with the upcoming raise in the salary cap, other teams could be tempted to make him an offer sheet this summer.
The change in agency is major. If he wants out, he could be gone sooner rather than later.

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