Ryan Johansen not happy with his recent play as a Predator
Nashville Predators forward Ryan Johansen said he has not been happy with his play for the team since signing an eight-year contract that carries an annual-average value of $8 million back in July of 2017.
“With my role on this team and the standard I hold myself to, I need to outperform No. 1 centers on a nightly basis,” Johansen said in a published article by The Athletic on Monday. “I need to show my teammates every night, ‘Hey, I've got this guy.' I've got to be one of our horses every night. And when that's not happening, it's frustrating.
“I'll be honest, it has chewed me up this year. This is an experience I haven't had since I was a young player, and it ate me up. You've got teammates counting on you, you've got this big contract, and you're just trying to find it.”
The 27-year-old has struggled for the Predators this season, posting just 14 goals and 36 points in 68 games prior to the NHL season being suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Johansen's highest point total as a Predator came last season when he put up 64 points. A good season for most, but not when you consider what he is being paid.
“I'm watching myself and I'm like, ‘Ryan, what are you doing? That's not you,” Johansen said. “And if you're saying that to yourself and your teammates are saying, ‘Wow, we've got to get Ryan going. He's struggling. He's not himself,' and you're trying to find consistency in your game and it's just not coming, that's super frustrating.”
The Predators paid a big price to acquire Johansen back in 2016, trading now superstar defenceman Seth Jones for him.
“He's got to play better,” said Predators general manager David Poile. “He's got to find a way to be more impactful. He's got to produce more. I expect more and he expects more from himself.”
Johansen's struggles this season are a big part of the reason the Predators as a whole have had their fair share of struggles. After being one of the top teams in the Western Conference for years, they have found themselves battling for a playoff spot all season and were currently tied with the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild card position with 78 points prior to the pause.
Though it's anyone's guess as to whether or not Johansen will be able to bounce back, it has to be nice for Predators fans to hear that he is taking it very personally. Perhaps this lights a fire in Johansen and he is able to turn his game around. The fourth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft certainly has the talent to do so.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jack Quinn | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Evans | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Konsta Helenius | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Metsa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||