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Marcus Johansson: Playing the Capitals tonight will be a ‘little weird’

Brendan Doyle (@bdoyle45)

Marcus Johansson will be at Prudential Center for the Capitals preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils, just like he has for his entire career. This time, however, Johansson will be on the opposite bench.

Fans won’t be the only ones thrown off by the change, as Johansson spent his first seven years with the Capitals.

“It might be a little weird,” Johansson said to NorthJersey.com’s Andrew Gross. “I think we’re playing them like three times in the first few weeks so, yeah, it’ll be a little weird but also cool. There will be a lot of adrenaline.”

According to the forward, he will not be thinking about his time in Washington once the game starts.

“When it’s actually a real NHL game, it’s full out,” Johansson said. “I think that’s going to be a little weird but it’s also probably going to help where you just focus on what you’re going to do.”

Johansson was dealt to the Devils for a second- and a third-round pick in a salary-dump move by the Capitals. After the trade, Johansson expressed his surprise.

“I found out when I saw all the messages I had on my phone when I woke up,” Johansson said in July the day following the trade. “It’s a huge shock. Wasn’t prepared for this at all.

“I’ve got mixed emotions. It’s sad leaving Washington. We’ve lived there for 7 years, that’s been a huge part of our lives and we’ve had a lot of fun during that time,” Johansson said. “At the same time it’s exciting and fun trying something new. It’s a challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”

In his time in Washington, Johansson played all three forward positions. Now in New Jersey, Johansson is expected to take over the center spot on the top line while Travis Zajac, the Devils’ number one center, is out with a chest injury. Johansson will play on the first line with wings Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri tonight.

Also debuting for the Devils tonight is Nico Hischier, the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The much-hyped 18 year old will likely center the second line for New Jersey.

Here are the rosters for each team tonight:

CSN has the call at 7 PM.

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