Next up in our season previews is Jake Christiansen’s good friend, Kent Johnson. Even though he went down in October after suffering an injury early on in the season, KJ was a revelation at wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024-25 and had a breakout year along with other wings like Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov.
Kent ended the year with 57 points in 68 games played (24 goals, 33 assists) after missing just 14 games. The torn labrum ended up healing quickly against expectations, and KJ returned to be productive for the remainder of the season.