Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009

Blues expecting to get a big boost from return of Johnson

Young defenseman is expected to play a key role for team

ST. LOUIS -- It's hard to say what the St. Louis Blues missed the most last season by not having defenseman Erik Johnson for a single game.

Was it the long, smooth strides that make him one of the team's top skaters? His ability to close down quickly on opposing forwards and that long reach that helped keep pucks and players out of harm's way?

Or was it the absence of his booming shot from the point and ability to quarterback the power-play unit?

The correct answer is all of the above -- and that missing puzzle piece the Blues keep talking about in their preseason marketing campaign should be the return of a healthy and productive Johnson.

Nearly a year removed from a bizarre golf-cart accident last September that led to a season-ending injury and knee surgery, Johnson can't stop smiling.

He's back on skates, he's added about eight pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame --bulking up to 237 pounds -- and he's ready to become a contributing member of the Blues again.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," said Johnson, the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. "Actually it's been a really fast year, but I've definitely been counting down the days getting ready for preseason and training camp. I'm ready to be back and ready to play.

"I'm really excited about a chance at redemption."

Johnson is already making an impact on his teammates -- especially goalie Chris Mason.

"I'll tell you when he shoots the puck, it definitely leaves a mark," Mason said. "It goes through the equipment. I know we have a lot of equipment on, but you can definitely feel his shots."

The Blues accomplished a lot without Johnson and injured regulars Eric Brewer and Paul Kariya in the lineup last season. They put together an impressive late-season run -- they were 9-1-1 in their final 11 games -- that got them into the playoffs and made them one of the teams to watch in 2009-10.

"The guys set a standard by how they played that second half and making the playoffs," Johnson said. "There's a really good chance that we can continue that this year and build off of it."

Johnson's return should help team in a variety of ways.

"He's like a racehorse that's in the starting gate that's ready to rock," Blues President John Davidson said. "We're excited about it."

Blues defensemen combined for just 15 goals last season, led by four from Barret Jackman. The team needs more scoring overall -- especially during 5-on-5 play -- and Johnson's quick outlet passes and excellent transition game should fit the lineup perfectly.

He had five goals and 33 points in 69 games as a rookie in 2007-08.

While the Blues power-play unit jumped from dead last in the NHL in 2007-08 to eighth last season (20.5 percent success rate), special teams were also a major factor in the team's first-round playoff exit, a four-game sweep at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.

The power-play was completely stagnant, collecting only one goal in 24 man-advantage opportunities. Vancouver's penalty killers became even more aggressive when they realized there was no threat of a powerful shot from the point.

"My shot's one of my assets, so hopefully I can help the power play out and blend right in," Johnson said. "They did pretty well last year without me, so hopefully I can mix in and help out a little bit."

Johnson is a major piece of the Blues' impressive collection of young talent along with forwards David Backes, T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund and defensemen Roman Polak and Alex Pietrangelo.

"It's awesome," Johnson said. "We represent a pretty big piece of this organization, and hopefully we can keep contributing in a way that makes this team successful.

"It should be a lot of fun this year to grow with these young guys and keep growing."

How is his surgically repaired knee?

"I've tested it all summer," he said. "I've been skating four times a week since May. Obviously, I've ramped up the skating the last month to five days a week, but I'm not worried about it.

"It feels fine, it's strong and I have a brace for stability as well. I'm really confident and not worried at all."

A Minnesota native, Johnson has spent enough time in St. Louis to qualify for full-time residency.

"I was here all summer, I only went home to Minnesota for four days and spent the rest of the time training," said Johnson, who added specialty skating training to his offseason regimen and was one of three Blues invited to USA Hockey's Olympic orientation camp last month.

Johnson was pleased to see so many of his teammates joining him on the ice this summer.

"I don't think any team had what we had coming into the first of August, where I think we had two-thirds of the team here," he said. "It's pretty special what we've got going here. Hopefully it translates into the season."

Blue notes

Blues winger Paul Kariya was held out of on-ice testing Saturday on the first day of training camp because of what team President John Davidson said was tightness from Kariya's recent workouts.

Kariya is coming off two hip surgeries and Davidson said the move to keep him off the ice was strictly precautionary.

"He has been here ... he's is in shape and he's good to play games," Davidson said. "But he's worked so hard in the last few weeks that he's a bit tight. The doctors have expected that, so we're going to hold him off today and maybe even tomorrow.

"There's no red flags. It's all green to go, good to go. He's set."

Davidson said forward prospect Lars Eller has what is believed to be a mild case of mononucleosis.

Other players who did not skate Saturday were defenseman Eric Brewer (recovering from back and knee surgeries), Darryl Sydor (mild quad muscle irritation), goalie Hannu Toivonen (cut on his calf), Ryan Turek (flu) and Cam Paddock (hip surgery).

Alex Steen also missed the workout to be with his wife for the birth of the couple's first child.