Nashville Predators general manager David Poile would love nothing more than to pay Ryan Johansen an obscene amount of money.
Poile outlined his expectations for the 24-year-old, who was acquired last season from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a one-for-one trade for Seth Jones, with Sports Illustrated's Alex Prewitt.
"To be our leading scorer," Poile said. "To have really good offensive numbers. To be a player who can be used in more situations than last year. I've got really high expectations for him."
No pressure, Ryan.
The center finished with 60 points last season.
| Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Jackets | 42 | 8 | 26 | 34 |
| Predators | 38 | 6 | 20 | 26 |
He added four goals and four assists in 14 playoff games, as Nashville lost in the second round.
First things first: Johansen's going to have to score more. He got more comfortable as time went on, after the trade, and he's the club's No. 1 center. A full season playing with Filip Forsberg should help.
While he was at first surprised by Poile's comments, he's taking a positive approach.
"... Why not?" Johansen asked. "It's motivating."
Johansen will earn $4 million this season and will be a restricted free agent on July 1, 2017.
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