After a cursory look, Marcus Johansson appears to be having a great first season with New Jersey. The former Capital is averaging nearly a half point per game (.48). The Devils have also been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL, spending much of the season in first place in the Metropolitan Division. Last year’s Devils squad, by comparison, was the Eastern Conference’s worst team.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Johansson has either been at best unlucky or at worse cursed during the 2017-18 campaign. Johansson has missed 18 of the team’s first 47 games due to a myriad of injuries. And on Tuesday night, Johansson suffered his second concussion of the season after absorbing a brutal elbow to the face by noted pest Brad Marchand.
Wednesday night, Marchand was suspended five games for his headshot by the Department of Player Safety. It’s Marchand’s sixth career suspension. He will lose $373,475.60 of total salary.
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According to NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said Marchand was just “protecting himself from contact.” DoPS did not buy that explanation saying Marchand delivered an “offensive, not a defensive maneuver.”
DoPS continued saying Marchand “lunges both up and into Johansson, while swinging his elbow forward through Johansson’s head.”
The narrator closes by saying the elbow “cannot be excused as accidental or defensive contact.”
Johansson would lay on the ice for a moment before walking down the tunnel and leaving the game.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Johansson is indeed suffering from a head injury.
Meanwhile, word out of NJ is that Marcus Johansson suffered a concussion from Marchand’s elbow. Johansson missed month of November with a concussion, too. https://t.co/9OPTwzWvNo
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 24, 2018
Johansson’s first concussion of the season occurred on November 1 against the Vancouver Canucks. Mojo freakishly lost his footing and crashed head first into the boards.
Bob McKenzie also reported that Johansson missed 12 games in January 2013 due to a brutal collision with Alex Ovechkin in practice. Johansson played through the injury and struggled through concussion symptoms.
Johansson has suffered four different injuries this season that has kept him out nearly half of the Devils’ games. Here’s a quick look.
10/27/17 – LBI, suffered in warmups (1 game)
LW Marcus Johansson (lower body, suffered in warmup) is out tonight. #ARIvsNJD pic.twitter.com/HuSGBNjpU5
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 28, 2017
11/1/17 – Concussion against Vancouver – (13 games)
LW Marcus Johansson (lower body, suffered in warmup) is out tonight. #ARIvsNJD pic.twitter.com/HuSGBNjpU5
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 28, 2017
12/9/17 – Blocked shot against Rangers – (4 games)
Marcus Johansson suffered an ankle bruise on Saturday night blocking a shot against the Rangers and is day-to-day. pic.twitter.com/juKm4i4hHr
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 11, 2017
1/23/18 – 2nd Concussion against Boston
#NJDevils: Johansson now heads to the locker room.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) January 24, 2018
In Johansson’s previous four seasons with the Capitals, he missed only 10 games, including two seasons where he didn’t suffer a single injury.
Get well soon, Mojo.
S/T to @heyjulieann.
