Despite netting 40 points in 79 games his rookie season in 2022-23, Kent Johnson didn’t have a sophomore slump: he had a sophomore dumpster fire. Last season he missed the team out of training camp, starting in Cleveland, only playing 42 games and registering 16 points, before getting injured in February and missing the rest of the season.
This season, with a new coach, GM, and mindset, Johnson more than anyone represented the “everything here is earned” mentality. He found chemistry with Adam Fantilli on the second line, and by mid-season was an essential member of the top six.