MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Albert Johansson, who Red Wings coach Todd McLellan called his “biggest surprise” as he’s learned about the Wings’ roster, on Friday afternoon:
“Probably the biggest surprise for me to date is Albert,” McLellan said following Thursday’s 4-2 victory over Montreal. “I knew nothing about Albert. We get here and he’s kind of parked on the shelf and everybody’s playing and we’re trying to figure players out. I think his rise has been remarkable, really, unless I underestimated him, and that’s on me. But he’s played steady in all three zones. There’s some fierceness in his game. When he gets engaged with bodies and battles, he wins a lot of them. He’s not the biggest guy. We talk about him in the locker room all the time. We’re so happy we have him. He’s the biggest surprise in my mind.”
Johansson, 24, said it was “fun to hear those words.”
“I’m trying not to think about it too much,” Johansson said. “I’m trying to just focus on the next game every day. But I think overall, when your coach is talking good about you, that gives you confidence and a boost in your game.”
The Red Wings (22-21-5) host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network).
Johansson has played the past 10 games, in a top-four role with Simon Edvinsson. When Petry recovers from his injury, Johansson isn’t an automatic scratch.
“I think (Johansson) keeps on playing,” McLellan said. “But it can change. He can’t give any of his game back because he’s raised the bar so high. Our expectations are going up for him. I think it’s a luxury more than a problem.”
Update: Here’s more from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
Johansson understands what he has to do to deflect the issue of being a smaller defenseman.
“I try to put myself in a good position as quickly as possible and be on the inside before they (opponents) get to the inside of me and try to get like the first push or the first move on the bigger guys,” Johansson said. “That gives me a little more space to defend the goal.”
Hearing the positive reinforcement from McLellan was good to hear, but Johansson understands he can’t take anything for granted.
“It’s fun to hear those words (but) and it gives you confidence, but I’m trying not to think about it too much,” Johansson said. “I’m trying to just focus on the next game every day. But overall when your coach is talking good about you, that gives you confidence and a boost in your game.”
Johansson didn’t know anything about McLellan, and McLellan and his assistant Trent Yawney (who runs the defense) didn’t know much about Johansson. So it was a clean slate for both sides.
“For me, it was just resetting my mind and trying to play my game,” Johansson said.
