Maybe it’s not the best example to use, given the Los Angeles Kings won their first ever Stanley Cup the same season Drew Doughty missed training camp while negotiating his contract.
Still, let’s go back to December of 2011, when then-coach Terry Murray had the following to say about Doughty’s lack of production in the Kings’ first quarter of the regular season: “You can’t miss training camp. Not in this game. You can’t miss training camp. You can’t miss the start of the year. That takes a big bite of everything away from you.”
Today, it’s the Columbus Blue Jackets who are wondering how their young star will perform after missing camp for contract reasons. Ryan Johansen may be locked up for the next three years, but he’s not guaranteed to play in the Jackets’ season-opener Thursday in Buffalo.
“We have to see where he’s at physically,” coach Todd Richards said, per the Columbus Dispatch. “We’re not going to be in a rush to get him into the lineup if he’s not ready.”
Of course, that’s not exactly true. The Jackets will definitely be in a rush to get Johansen into the lineup, given he’s their top center and they’re already missing Nathan Horton, Boone Jenner, and Ryan Murray.
Columbus plays its second game on Saturday at home to the Rangers and its third on Tuesday versus Dallas.
Said Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen: “I talked with Joey briefly already and told him, basically, to get his butt over here and let’s get to work.”