Fansided

5 burning questions for the Pittsburgh Penguins

By Joshua Axelrod

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) warms up on May 5, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 05: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) warms up on May 5, 2018, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA — MARCH 15: Jack Johnson #7 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates a first period goal with teammates on the bench against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 15, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA — MARCH 15: Jack Johnson #7 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates a first period goal with teammates on the bench against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 15, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /

4. Is the Jack Johnson signing as bad as it looked?

Remember when the Penguins cleared a bunch of cap space by trading Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to presumably sign a quality player who could help fix the team’s defensive woes? And then remember how Penguins GM Jim Rutherford squandered the good will earned from that move by signing meh defenseman Jack Johnson to a five-year, $16.25 million deal? Good times.

It’s not so much Johnson himself that garnered so much criticism from Penguins fans and analysts, as the 31-year-old defenseman could end up being an asset for the struggling Penguins defense. It’s the amount of money spent on him and the prospect of still paying him at 36 that sparked a significant amount of fan vitriol.

The signing was so reviled that even Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto felt comfortable taking light-hearted digs at how the Steel City was receiving the news. It’s never a good sign when a politician makes a joke at your expense and it’s actually smart and funny.

It didn’t help that Johnson and Rutherford’s attempts to defend the signing led to some angry comments from Columbus Blue Jackets Coach John Tortorella about the two allegedly taking thinly veiled shots at his organization. Tortorella needed to calm down, but the media circus didn’t help take the spotlight off Johnson among Pittsburgh fans or media.

Who knows, maybe Johnson will turn out to be exactly the cog the Penguins desperately needed and will be able to clog the holes that sunk the Penguins in the playoffs. But that best-case scenario seems to be a long-shot given his age and injury history.

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