Former Capitals forward Marcus Johansson has decided to retire from the NHL and return home to Sweden. The Swedish winger signed a two-year contract with Färjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League, where he played from 2008 until 2010 before he came across the pond to play in the NHL. Johansson was drafted by the Caps 24th overall in 2009 as a center but played most of his sixteen-year career in Washington on the wing.
Nicknamed Mojo, Johansson was traded five times in his career, twice to the Wild. He began his NHL career in 2011 in Washington for six season, playing both center and wing. He enjoyed a career year in 2016-2017, finishing with 64 points and played in all 82 games. He was traded that summer to the Devils at the deadline for a second and a third round pick in 2018. (The Caps drafted Martin Féherváry with that second rounder that summer.) In February 2019, Johansson was shipped to Boston for draft picks. He signed with Buffalo the following summer, only to be dealt to Minnesota for Eric Staal in September of 2020. He signed with Seattle in August 2021, before he was traded back to the Caps in March of 2022 in exchange for forward Daniel Sprong, a fourth and a sixth rounder. Mojo resigned with Washington after the season before he was sent to Minnesota at the "023 deadline for a third round pick.
Johansson was a spent most of his career as a top six forward. He was known for his skating, his high hockey IQ, and his playmaking ability, and was often on the ice during the powerplay. He was an effective and reliable penalty killer, using his speed and vision to disrupt the other teams scheme with his stick skills and smarts. His best season came in 2016-17, when he played in all 82 games for the Capitals and finished with a career high 64 points. This past season, Johansson was an integral part of the Wild’s offense and penalty kill for the last two seasons and had 48 points in 75 games this past season, the most points he had scored in a season since 2016-17. Mojo also added four goals in this year’s playoffs before the Wild were eliminated by Colorado in the second round this last month.
Johansson battled injuries throughout his career and only played 78 games or more five times in his career. Still, he played in 1038 games, scored 200 goals and collected 366 assists for 566 career points. He ranks 31st on the all-time scoring list of Swedish players who played in the NHL.
Good luck in the SHL Mojo!
