Blue Jackets' Jack Johnson to undergo shoulder surgery; out for season

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson is scheduled to undergo surgery on his injured shoulder and miss the balance of the season, the team has announced.

He last played Feb. 25, but is said to have been dealing with the injury prior to his last appearance. In choosing to undergo the procedure now as opposed to the summer, Johnson plans to be fully prepared for the start of next season.

"On the bright side of it, I'm not going to lose my summer training, so I can come into camp next year 100 percent ready to go," Johnson said, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. "You got to find a silver lining in this. I anticipate I'll have a normal summer of training and working out."

Johnson has six goals and 14 points and led the Blue Jackets in average ice time before being taken out of the lineup. He still has two years remaining on his deal at $4.5 million annual cap hit.

Seth Jones has seen, and will continue to see, a major workload increase in the absence of the 29-year-old top-pairing defender.

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