Even on the occasions when Tyler Johnson has been healthy enough to play this season, he hasn’t seemed like that Tyler Johnson.
You know, the one who lead the Tampa Bay Lightning in scoring last season. The guy who was one of the biggest catalysts in Tampa Bay’s run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.
So, that was the big question as he returned in the Lightning’s eventual 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens last night: is he going to play at a high level again or will it be another setback for Johnson?
Now, sometimes players have a tendency to get a little optimistic about their recoveries, but it’s better to hear positive things than negative ones. Johnson sure seems positive, too, as he told reporters that his wrist is feeling 100 percent again.
#TBLightning Tyler Johnson said his wrist, broken in Final, is "100 times better" than at beginning of season "Feels like my old wrist."
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) December 29, 2015
As Tampa Bay scratches and claws to get in playoff contention, this is the best news in a long time.
Now they just need to hope that his diagnosis is correct.
