Ryan Johansen said he had ‘good’ relationship with John Tortorella
Newly-acquired Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen said his relationship with Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was “good” during their time together.
There seemed to be disconnect between Johansen, the team’s first line center and franchise forward, and Tortorella, who was hired in October, during the season.
Early on, Tortorella reportedly believed Johansen was out of shape, but instead Johansen had an undisclosed illness that decreased his energy in the third periods of games.
Tortorella later benched Johansen and also made the center a healthy scratch.
The Predators traded for Johansen on Wednesday in a blockbuster deal that sent defenseman Seth Jones to Columbus.
“He’s different. We’ve all kind of heard how he approaches the coaching situation. He’s an in your face type of coach and tries to get the most out of you and that’s the way he knows how to,” Johansen said in a conference call with reporters. “When he makes some decision on scratching me or (Scott) Hartnell it’s easy to talk about in a negative way. Me and coach got along fine. We had a couple of disagreements with things but that’s part of the game and I think he was looking out for my best interests and wanted me to be the best I could be.”
Johansen said he heard rumors about a possible trade in recent weeks through friends, framily and social media. He had 26 points in 38 games for the NHL-worst Blue Jackets.
He said he’s not worried about expectations in Nashville as the team’s new offensive star. General manager David Poile said this is the first time in the team’s existence he could pick up a top-rated centerman. Last season, the 23-year-old Johansen set a career-high of 71 points. He was the 2015 NHL All-Star Game MVP.
“There’s definitely expectations,” Johansen said. “We’re all hockey fans and I was a fan growing up in Vancouver and when Markus Naslund wasn’t scoring I was upset.”
Johansen said he hoped to get to Nashville on Wednesday night and join the group for their upcoming four-game roadtrip. The Predators have 45 points and are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Currently the Predators are four points clear of the Colorado Avalanche for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with 45 points.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
