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Columbus Blue Jackets GM rips Ryan Johansen for holdout

By Cory Buck

Apr 28, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen (19) carries the puck under pursuit from Pittsburgh Penguins center Brandon Sutter (16) in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen (19) carries the puck under pursuit from Pittsburgh Penguins center Brandon Sutter (16) in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen is getting fed up with the wait to sign restricted free agent center Ryan Johansen. While his comments to date had been mostly political and tongue-in-cheek about his 22-year-old holdout who led the Blue Jackets in goals scored last season, Kekalainen recently spoke much more candidly about the situation, expressing frustration in the lack of progress with just a week until NHL training camp.

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“Maybe it’s because I’m European, I don’t know, but I want everybody there to start getting together and working together, and I want it to be about the team,” Kekalainen said per The Columbus Dispatch. “That’s how we were successful last year and the year before – it was about the team, not about one guy.”

Johansen and the Blue Jackets have long been rumored to be at least a few million dollars apart in salary expectations, even as the two sides moved closer on an agreeable term for the forward. Still, with little enough progress taking place, the Blue Jackets now have to worry if Johansen will start missing games with this holdout.

Kekalainen continued, “Our success is going to come from being a team, not a bunch of individuals or stars, or whatever. We’re not a star-studded team. To me it’s huge that you go through training camp together and get ready.”

As of now, it appears Johansen won’t be at Blue Jackets camp, but these things tend to turn around quickly once players start missing out on game checks. Don’t expect this to linger too long into the regular season, even as the words surrounding talks grow acrimonious.

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