Kent Johnson healthy scratch; Projecting the trade cost for the Maple Leafs

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been riding high lately after replacing Dean Evason with Rick Bowness, however they made an interesting choice by scratching young forward Kent Johnson on Saturday night.

In a way to shake things up and try to motivate his team, it's an unfortunate turn of events for Johnson -- a player who had such a strong year last season but has been unable to replicate the same performance.

With only 18 points in 56 games, clearly there's something up with the forward and a potential change of scenery might be in the cards.

If so, one team who would love to have him would be the Toronto Maple Leafs as they would love to hit the reset button and make some changes though it's easier said than done.

If the team were to try and acquire Johnson, do they even have a chance? Surprisingly, a better one than you'd expect.

First off, Johnson has not earned the favor of Bowness thus far, with the head coach disappointed he hasn't seen any of the same offensive prowess as last season, and though he's part of their future right now -- anything can change.

Then you have the fact Columbus was scouting the Maple Leafs against the Senators on Saturday and a player like Bobby McMann would fit perfectly in their top-six -- specifically the second line where they have had issues.

But it obviously won't stop there, and Toronto could very well trade someone like Ben Danford as well as a forward like Nick Moldenhauer or Borya Valis to give Columbus a future piece while also helping them now.

Toronto can also kind of use Johnson as a draft pick so to speak. If the team sends their 2028 first-rounder to Columbus, it might allow them to get a 23-year old with a ton of potential and already proven at the NHL level, and won't need to wait the 3-4 years of growth with a draft pick.

For his career, Johnson has 134 points in 254 games (52 goals, 82 assists) including a 24-goal, 57-point season last year in what was expected to be his breakout; he is owed $1.8-million for this season and the next while a restricted free agent come 2028.

Johnson fits into the tight cap structure fluidly, and much like Bobby McMann, he's good enough to play for a better deal down the line; and a change of scenery might be the catalyst.

It would be great for the Maple Leafs to bring in a potential star like Johnson, especially if he's getting scratched more and more. It't not something that might happen now, but in the crazy world of the NHL we can never guarantee that.

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