Johnston failed to record a point over his last 10 contests in 2023-24.
Johnston had just four points with 139 hits, 117 PIM and a minus-12 rating over 68 appearances in his first year with the Ducks. He's under contract for two more seasons with a $1.1 million cap hit. He can help provide toughness on the Ducks' fourth line, but if the team experiences an influx of talent, he could be waived again as he was at the start of 2023-24 to make room for more talented players.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Scores first goal of season
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Johnston scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning.
Johnston sniped a shot past Jonas Johansson at 13:49 of the first period. It was Johnston's first goal of the season and first point since Feb. 19. The 30-year-old winger has four points, 40 shots on net, 111 PIM, 104 hits and a minus-9 rating through 58 appearances. He's a fourth-line fixture when in the lineup for the Ducks, offering very little in the way of fantasy value.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Drops mitts Thursday
Rotowire
Johnston recorded two hits and a fighting major in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Blackhawks.
Johnston has gone 15 games without a point, but he's piled up 30 hits and 22 PIM in that span. The 30-year-old winger is in the Ducks' lineup for toughness, and that's what has kept him on the ice more often than not since December. He's stuck on three assists with 103 hits, 111 PIM, 38 shots on net and a minus-10 rating over 57 appearances this season.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Contributes helper in win
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Johnston logged an assist and four hits in Monday's 4-3 win over the Sabres.
Johnston's helper was his first point since Oct. 28, snapping a span of 33 scoreless outings. The winger has held down a fourth-line role lately, keeping Brett Leason out of the lineup as the Ducks have opted for a tougher presence. Johnston has three assists, 69 hits and 89 PIM through 42 appearances -- he doesn't offer enough scoring to help the vast majority of fantasy managers.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Seeing more consistent time
Rotowire
Johnston has played in 12 of the Ducks' last 15 games.
While it's encouraging to see Johnston get steadier playing time, he hasn't recorded a point since Oct. 28. The 29-year-old winger has just two assists through 38 appearances this season. He's added 27 shots on net, 80 PIM, 58 hits and a minus-4 rating. Johnston will rotate in and out of the lineup, and his lack of offense makes him a non-factor in fantasy.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Good to go Friday
Rotowire
Johnston (illness) will play Friday against the Jets.
Johnston missed Wednesday's game against Toronto while feeling under the weather but will be back in a bottom-line role Friday. The 29-year-old has two assists and 48 PIM through 26 games this season.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Sitting out with illness
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Johnston (illness) won't play Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs.
Johnston is a frequent scratch anyway, so his absence has little impact in fantasy. There is an illness going around the Ducks' locker room -- Johnston may be needed to fill a bottom-six role if other players get sick once he's healthy.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Draws in Thursday
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Johnston played in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Blackhawks, logging one shot on goal, one hit and one blocked shot in 7:35 of ice time.
Johnston was a regular in the lineup over the first month of the campaign while the Ducks were waiting for Alex Killorn and Brock McGinn to come back from injury. Since Nov. 12, Johnston has played in just five of 13 games. The 29-year-old has two assists, 29 hits, 29 PIM and 13 shots on goal through 18 contests in a fourth-line role.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Registers helper
Rotowire
Johnston logged an assist and five PIM in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Flyers.
Johnston fought former Duck Nicolas Deslauriers in the first period, and then added an assist on a Brett Leason tally in the third. With two helpers over the last three games, Johnston has been more involved on offense than he usually is. The 29-year-old winger has added 14 PIM, five shots on net, 10 hits and a plus-1 rating through eight contests.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Produces first assist
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Johnston logged an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Blue Jackets.
Johnston found Brett Leason late in the third period for the game-tying goal. The helper was Johnston's first point as a Duck after he was claimed off waivers from the Islanders before the start of the season. The 29-year-old winger has added some toughness with eight hits and nine PIM through six outings. He's not expected to put up much offense after never recording more than seven points or 32 games played in his seven NHL campaigns with the Isles.
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Ducks' Ross Johnston: Claimed by Anaheim
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Johnston was claimed by the Ducks on Tuesday after being waived by the Islanders on Monday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Johnston should see a bump in playing time with Anaheim after appearing in just 16 games with the Isles last year -- he picked up two helpers and 37 PIM over that span. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old vet will likely remain a rotational, bottom-six option for the Ducks in 2023-24.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Hits waivers
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Johnston was placed on waivers Monday, Chris Johnston of TSN reports.
Johnston chipped in two assists, 37 PIM and 34 hits in 16 appearances with the Islanders last season. If he clears, the 29-year-old forward could start the 2023-24 campaign with AHL Bridgeport.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Healthy scratch once again
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Johnston was a healthy scratch as the Islanders defeated the Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday.
Johnston had played in five of the previous six games before Saturday. He had no points and 23 PIM in those five games. Johnston has only two assists in 16 games this season and is only used when the team needs a physical presence. In his last game, Johnston wasn't afraid to drop the gloves with Ryan Reaves of the Wild, one of the best fighters in the NHL. That bout did not go well for Johnston, who was lucky that his face shield stopped a couple of fists from landing on their intended target.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Getting a chance to play
Rotowire
Johnston was in the lineup for the third straight game Wednesday.
Johnston was a healthy scratch for 10 straight and 15 of his last 17 games before a rash of injuries forced the team to insert him back into the lineup. How long Johnston will stay in the lineup likely depends on how quickly any of the current five regular forwards out due to injury get back into the lineup. Johnston only has two assists in 13 games this season. However, he is a physical presence and isn't afraid to stick up for teammates and be an enforcer on the ice.
Islanders' Ross Johnston: Healthy scratch for seven straight
Rotowire
Johnston was a healthy scratch in a 6-5 loss to the Canucks on Thursday.
This is not a surprise, as Johnston has been benched for seven straight and 12 of 14. Johnston has only played in 11 games this season, which is somewhat surprising when you consider all of the injuries the team has suffered to the forward corps.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Back to the bench
Rotowire
Johnston has been a healthy scratch for the past two games.
The Islanders, who are struggling mightily, gave Johnston a couple of games to see if he could spark the team. In those games versus the Sabres and Hurricanes, Johnston didn't register a point and only had two hits. He's not the problem with the team, but he's certainly not the solution. The Islanders have lost six straight games. They are 1-7-3 in their last 11 games.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Healthy scratch once again
Rotowire
Johnston was a healthy scratch for the third straight game Saturday against the Canadiens.
Johnston has become an afterthought for the team this season. Even with all of the injuries the Islanders have suffered to their forwards, Johnston rarely gets into the lineup. Johnston only plays when coach Lane Lambert believes it will be a physical game, and those opportunities are scarce in today's NHL.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Hands out assist
Rotowire
Johnston produced an assist, six hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.
This was Johnston's third straight appearance -- injuries to a handful of forwards have opened up a spot in the lineup for the physical winger. The assist was his second point in eight outings this season, and he's added a mere two shots on net with 19 hits, five blocked, 14 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through eight appearances. Even if he were an everyday player, there's not enough offense in his game to warrant a look in fantasy.
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Islanders' Ross Johnston: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Johnston was on the ice for 10:32 in the 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Johnston had been a healthy scratch for 12 straight games and 17 of 18 before Thursday. It would seem the only reason that Johnston played Thursday was because the team ran out of healthy forwards and didn't want to recall any other players from the AHL. Whether or not Johnston plays Saturday in Seattle likely will depend upon whether one of those currently injured forwards will be healthy enough to join the lineup.
