Mark Madden: Let's play the Jack Johnson blame game

Defenseman Jack Johnson will no longer play for the Penguins. His contract got bought out.

That solves all their problems.

The Penguins would have won the last two Stanley Cups if Johnson wasn’t on the team. That’s what social media thinks. That’s what analytics geeks think. Johnson was the root of all evil. Johnson, and what he got paid: Too much, and for too long.

But now that Johnson is an ex-Penguin, PPG Paints Arena is back on its axis.

Evgeni Malkin had one assist in four games when the Penguins lost to No. 24 seed Montreal in the preliminary round of this year’s playoffs. But Johnson was the problem.

Sidney Crosby was only slightly more visible than Malkin in that series. But Johnson was the problem.

Matt Murray leaked in bad goals from bad angles against Montreal, should have been replaced after Game 1 and has rarely excelled since 2017. But Johnson was the problem.

The Penguins didn’t score in Game 4 of that series, and barely threatened. But Johnson was the problem.

The Penguins couldn’t solve Montreal’s neutral-zone play. But Johnson was the problem.

The Penguins lost eight of 11 games pre-covid to close the regular season, thus blowing a prelim-round bye. That was because of Johnson.

When the stars struggled, it’s because Johnson played behind them – even when he didn’t.

The trades for Patrick Marleau and Conor Sheary hurt more than helped. Johnson convinced GM Jim Rutherford to make them.

Jared McCann didn’t score for 25 straight games. That was because of Johnson.

Everything single thing that went wrong for the Penguins can be traced to Johnson. He was the team’s super-spreader of bad hockey, the “patient zero” of failure.

That’s your story, and you’re sticking to it. Because it’s a lot easier than facing up to what’s really happening (and what will continue to happen).

Actually, almost every single thing mentioned in this missive was a bigger problem than Johnson. Bottom-pair defensemen don’t do that much damage even in a worst-case scenario.

But it’s easier to blame Johnson, especially when the stars are Teflon.

Johnson’s analytics were bad. His contract was bad. He played bad. He can’t play fast, as the Penguins prefer.

But he was a bottom-pair defenseman who got the corresponding ice time. His influence was negative, but relatively minimal. Johnson is not why the Penguins have served up a stink sandwich in their last two playoff series. He didn’t even take the biggest bite.

The irony occurs when the most tangible impact of Johnson’s departure will be a dip in the Penguins’ penalty-kill efficiency. Johnson was very good at that.

Who will be the new scapegoat when the Penguins don’t do as well as desired?

Here’s betting on Mike Matheson. He fills Johnson’s spot in the lineup, and the fans have long since decided who they’re not going to blame. Fan hero Patric Hornqvist was sacrificed to acquire Matheson. So, Matheson is the early favorite to not be a favorite.

Matheson will wear No. 5. He should wear No. 3, like Johnson and Ron Stackhouse.

Stackhouse played defense for the Penguins from 1974-82. Despite Johnson’s best efforts, Stackhouse remains the team’s all-time lightning rod for blame. His maltreatment has previously been chronicled in this space.

Stackhouse was much better than Johnson and got abused worse, especially at home games. Today’s Penguins fans don’t really know how to cheer or jeer.

But social media wasn’t around in Stackhouse’s day. It might have driven him to drink, or worse.

If the Penguins fall short of your lofty expectations in Johnson’s absence, will you accept that this version of the team is organically disintegrating by way of aging out? It happened to Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles after championship runs. It can’t be stopped.

If you’re tired of me writing and saying that, I’m equally tired of you not understanding that.