Player Preview: Marcus Johansson

Johansson will put on the Devils jersey for the first time in his career on opening night against the Avalanche on Oct. 7.

The Devils acquired Johansson earlier this summer from the Washington Capitals for for a 2nd and 3rd round pick. This trade went down due to Washington’s cap problem.

Johansson was a very solid role player for the Capitals in his 7 seasons spent with the Team. He showed a boost in production in the last 3 seasons, and fans have the right to be excited about this trade.

Johansson is only 26 years old and is coming off a season high of 26G/34A. In Washington, Johansson served a much smaller role than what he will in New Jersey.

Many fans are hoping to see this trade play out similarly to the Palmieri trade from two years ago. Kyle Palmieri was also a solid young player who served a small role on a star studded Anaheim Ducks team. In Palmieri’s first season with the Devils as a top six forward, he put up 30G/27A.

With Johansson becoming one of the teams most vital options for offense right away in New Jersey, he has the potential to do the same. With the increase in opportunities and ice time, we should see a similar boost in production as we saw with Palmieri.

In no way is Johansson the type of player to push New Jersey straight into the playoffs but he will be an impact skater down the road. Johansson is yet another important piece in Ray Shero’s effort to rebuild this team into a speedy young unit.