Ahead of restricted free agency, Poile wants Johansen to lead Preds in scoring
Nashville Predators general manager David Poile would love nothing more than to pay Ryan Johansen an obscene amount of money.
Poile outlined his expectations for the 24-year-old, who was acquired last season from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a one-for-one trade for Seth Jones, with Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt.
"To be our leading scorer," Poile said. "To have really good offensive numbers. To be a player who can be used in more situations than last year. I've got really high expectations for him."
No pressure, Ryan.
The center finished with 60 points last season.
| Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Jackets | 42 | 8 | 26 | 34 |
| Predators | 38 | 6 | 20 | 26 |
He added four goals and four assists in 14 playoff games, as Nashville lost in the second round.
First things first: Johansen's going to have to score more. He got more comfortable as time went on, after the trade, and he's the club's No. 1 center. A full season playing with Filip Forsberg should help.
While he was at first surprised by Poile's comments, he's taking a positive approach.
"... Why not?" Johansen asked. "It's motivating."
Johansen will earn $4 million this season and will be a restricted free agent on July 1, 2017.