The Minnesota Wild have announced that they have signed former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout (PTO).
Johnson, 38, is among the most recognizable unrestricted free agent (UFA) defensemen who do not have a contract for the 2025-26 season. However, after landing this PTO with the Wild, he now has a golden opportunity in front of him to try to change that.
We have signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a professional tryout.
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— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) August 11, 2025
Johnson played the 2024-25 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, which was his second stint with the club. In 41 games with the Blue Jackets in 2024-25, he had zero goals, six assists, and a minus-13 rating.
During the 2018 NHL off-season, the Penguins signed Johnson to a five-year, $16.25 million contract. However, he did not stay in Pittsburgh for the entirety of his contract, as he was bought out by the Penguins following the 2019-20 season. In 149 games as a Penguin from 2018-19 to 2019-20, Johnson recorded four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, 416 hits, and a minus-5 rating.
After being bought out by the Penguins, Johnson would go on to sign a one-year deal with the New York Rangers. Since his time with the Penguins ended, he has also played for the Colorado Avalanche (twice), Chicago Blackhawks, and Blue Jackets. Now, he will be looking to earn a contract with the Wild for the season after landing this PTO.
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