NHL Trade Rumors: Ducks interested in acquiring Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson has been on the trade block for a while, something the Anaheim Ducks could change.

With the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, big names will be mentioned in big trades. For some of those players, the talks are nothing new. Columbus Blue Jackets veteran defenseman Jack Johnson has been the subject of trade rumors for the last few weeks, but now push is going to come to shove.

Johnson has been mentioned with Toronto, Pittsburgh, and just about every team looking to add a veteran piece ahead of a Stanley Cup push. No deals have been struck, however, and the 3pm ET deadline is quickly approaching.

One team in a position to get richer is the Anaheim Ducks. Not mentioned heavily in the Johnson rumors of the past week, it appears the Ducks are emerging as a team that could end up making something happen.

This doesn’t mean a deal will get done, but it certainly looks like we’re heading in that direction. Columbus acquiring Ian Cole on Monday morning opens them up to trading Johnson even more so than they already were. The question at this point seems to be not if there will be a trade but where the veteran will be headed.

Tampa Bay has been scouting Johnson heavily and could be primed to make a trade that helps keep them atop the Eastern Conference.

Columbus is in the hunt for a playoff spot as well, currently resting in the last Wild Card slot in the East — ironically pitting them against the Lightning in the first-round. Perhaps the prospect of playing in April will be a motivating factor for Columbus to move Johnson West and out of its path to the Stanley Cup Final.